The Director oversees all operational aspects of the Jack & Laura Dangermond Preserve. They provide onsite leadership and management, overseeing conservation planning, annual work plans, and coordinated preserve operations. The Director fosters collaborative working partnerships across a highly matrixed and multidisciplinary Conservancy team, and with partner organizations, indigenous tribes and governmental agencies, to protect and enhance the conservation values of the Preserve and to effect conservation outcomes beyond the Preserve. The Director leads all financial management, scheduling, project management, annual restoration planning, safety activities and resource stewardship management and planning. The Director also ensures that the Preserve team provides a high level of hospitality and logistics for visitors in service of the Preserve’s fundraising, government relations, community relations, environmental education and science/research activities. The Director works closely with the Director of the Point Conception Institute to ensure that the Preserve functions as a productive center of collaboration and discovery in high impact applied conservation science.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

The Preserve Director:

• Serves as place-based leader of Preserve; acts independently, and exercises independent judgement to identify and solve complex problems.
• Builds and leads teams capable of implementing complex restoration, stewardship, infrastructure management, and visitation projects that have been designed in collaboration with the Point Conception Institute and other key partners.
• Leads cultivation of existing and new strategic relationships with key stakeholders and organizations critical to the Preserve’s success such as Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Chumash community, neighbors, Santa Barbara County, and other entities.
• Effectively cultivates positive team culture around the purpose of creating and managing a highly visible conservation platform that hosts the science, collaboration and learning activities of the Point Conception Institute and its partners.
• Identifies and develops management objectives and workplans across all functions required to operate the Preserve, including but not limited to facilities development and management, visitation/hospitality, natural resource management, security, etc.
• Serves as a primary interfacing representative for the Preserve with donors, elected officials, government agencies and other parties of interest.
• Leads management of all on-preserve financial and budget management.
• Leads processes to design, permit and implement comprehensive facilities and visitation plans that will support the Preserve’s diverse programs and initiatives. Includes developing partnerships (internally and externally) that will lead to government approvals and public support for the Dangermond Preserve’s vision and purpose.
• Provides oversight of contracts and other agreements to design, build and manage Preserve infrastructure, including but not limited to buildings, fences, roads, water systems, energy and communications systems.
• Leads internal communications and planning between Preserve and other teams within The Nature Conservancy.
• Directs and manages the Preserve team as well as a broader matrixed multidisciplinary team in work to carry out Preserve development and management objectives.
• Collaborates with TNC’s Development team and the Point Conception Institute Director in developing and implementing a fundraising strategy for the Preserve and managing and cultivating relationships with donors and other potential funding entities.
• Designs, plans and manages new initiatives, systems or approaches that will ensure preserve goals and strategies are achieved while directing work of staff, setting deadlines, and ensuring accountability.
• Negotiates complex agreements.
• Maintains confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Fosters a culture of trust, transparency and teamwork.
• Minimizes legal risk to the Conservancy and ensures compliance with applicable state and local regulation.
• Establishes and maintains optimal performance standards within budget.
• Works in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Decisions may have program-wide impact and may bind the organization financially or legally.
• The priorities of the Director may evolve over time to correspond to the highest operational priorities and areas in need of attention or extra resources. Willingness to be flexible in work scope is necessary.