Conservation Program Manager

Organizational Overview

Resources Legacy Fund (RLF) builds alliances that advance bold solutions to secure a just and resilient world for people and nature. We design and carry out programs and projects that promote smart policies, secure equitable public funding, and build strong constituencies for protecting nature, addressing the climate crisis, and advancing environmental equity and justice. Since RLF’s founding in 2000, we have partnered with philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, community groups, government, business, and academia to protect more than five million acres of land and ocean spaces, advance critical climate and environmental justice policies, and generate more than $30 billion in new public funding for conservation, equitable outdoor access, and climate initiatives.

We believe strategic philanthropy and thoughtful partnerships can achieve enduring, equitable outcomes at scale. Philanthropic partners trust us to manage complex, multi-year policy campaigns and philanthropic initiatives. As a grantmaker, we offer beyond-the-dollar support to strengthen grantees’ ability to meet ambitious goals. We also serve as fiscal sponsor to more than 20 projects across the nation and around the world that are doing remarkable work to advance biodiversity protection, climate resilience and mitigation, and justice and equity outcomes.

Position Summary

Under the guidance of senior staff, the Conservation Program Manager supports public policy and grant making initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring ecosystems and watersheds, building community capacity, ensuring equitable investment of public funding, supporting coalitions, and facilitating community-led environmental equity and justice projects. The Program Manager will work closely with RLF staff, partner organizations, contractors, and funders to advance Conservation program priorities.

We are seeking a candidate with excellent organization and project management skills, public policy experience and a deep commitment to environmental conservation and justice. This position is based in California and requires routine travel to Sacramento and throughout the state, and periodic domestic travel out of state to fulfill job duties. This is an exempt position, and its duties are as follows:

• Assist in crafting and implementing Conservation strategies and tactics.
• Ensure program administration, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation is conducted in a manner that meets program criteria for timeliness, professionalism, and effectiveness.
• Perform research and analysis, and prepare documents as requested. Ensure the accuracy and quality of written products.
• Assist in implementation of grantmaking strategies, including designing grants and contracts, conducting due diligence, and working with existing and potential grantees and contractors to develop proposals and scopes of work.
• Work with program staff on project management, budget oversight, and narrative and financial reporting for grants and contracts.
• Lead in preparing Conservation team materials (including summaries, maps, tables, graphs, and database reports) for reports, proposals, and PowerPoint presentations to internal and external audiences including RLF staff and leadership, partners, and funders.
• Schedule, facilitate, and notate meetings of staff, consultants and partners to track progress and address program issues. Work with staff to research, prepare, and assemble materials for meetings, including clear agendas, timelines, and outcomes. Ensure that necessary materials are circulated in advance of meetings.
• Support internal and external collaboration, including through coalition coordination as needed.
• Work with philanthropic staff to ensure grants and contracts consistently meet RLF internal policies and procedures. This includes extensive use of online platforms including Salesforce.
• Coordinate assignments with colleagues in regular meetings and day-to-day communication across multiple channels, to ensure timely completion of responsibilities.
• Undertake special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Note: These qualifications are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, so if you have 75% of the qualifications listed, we encourage you to apply. Experience can include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work and lived experiences that helped you to build the competencies, knowledge, and skills needed for this position. Applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.

• A bachelor’s degree and expertise (5+ years) in public policy, environmental justice, natural resources management, or related fields. Master’s degree and experience with coastal and ocean policy, marine resource management, and watershed restoration are preferred.
• Strong work ethic, high attention to detail, and consistent commitment to thoroughness and quality.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills and the ability to manage extensive documentation and written information.
• Ability to synthesize extensive information from multiple sources into lucid, cohesive written products. With an understanding of tone, style, and audience, compose written information that effectively communicates the desired message.
• Outstanding editing and proofreading skills, including a critical eye for grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including significant capacity to collaborate productively, internalize feedback, and represent RLF in-person and online with audiences including policymakers, donors, grantees, and consultants.
• Creative and flexible self-starter who can anticipate and respond rapidly to emergent priorities, needs, and objectives.
• Critical thinking skills including an ability to evaluate multiple sides of complex issues, consider tradeoffs, and exercise good judgment.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple programs and competing deadlines.
• Comfort and willingness to rapidly learn and implement new online systems for database and workflow management.

Commitment to Nondiscrimination

We are committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination, where all team members feel valued, respected, and included. We know that our work is enriched by the varied voices and perspectives of every staff and board member, so we are committed to making an earnest effort to recruit, welcome, train, develop, and retain talented individuals from all backgrounds. We believe that a welcoming culture expands our creative capacity to do our work and achieve greater outcomes for people and the natural world.

Every team member who joins RLF is expected to embody RLF values:

• Collaboration – We believe the key to achieving meaningful environmental results and a productive workplace is rooted in humanity—our ability to build effective relationships, listen deeply, respect different perspectives, and elevate new leaders.
• Equity – We value the insight, energy, and innovation of inclusive decision making. Our work seeks to elevate voices and build power within impacted communities to help advance a just and equitable future for all.
• Integrity – We are dedicated to our cause, genuine in our approach, and strive to cultivate a foundation of trust within our organization and with our partners. We believe humility and commitment to ongoing learning keeps us effective in our work.
• Creativity – We embrace a thoughtful, entrepreneurial spirit, seeking innovative ways to solve problems new and old. We are willing to take risks that the times and issues require to achieve lasting results.
• Excellence – We aspire to high standards of quality in everything we do—from internal operations to strategic program implementation. We are attentive to detail and persevere to deliver results on goals we share with funders, partners, and colleagues.