Impact Director

The Charles River Conservancy (CRC) seeks a team-oriented individual for this new position who is eager to support an exciting period of organizational growth and maximize the CRC’s impact through program and project oversight. This role is ideal for a nonprofit professional adept in translating goals into actionable strategies, managing high-performing teams and developing sustainable systems for evaluation. The CRC values diversity of thought and aims to represent all park users across our staff. We encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and people from a range of backgrounds and experiences to add their unique perspective to the organization to apply.

Position Overview

Now in its 25th year, the Charles River Conservancy’s overarching goals are to:

• Connect organizations, people and communities to each other and the river and its parks
• Create bold, impactful solutions that elevate and strengthen the river and its parks as an essential ecological foundation and cultural asset for Greater Boston
• Celebrate the river and its parks and the intersection of people and nature to inspire

Reporting to and partnering with the Executive Director, the Impact Director will directly oversee three positions including the Stewardship and Volunteer Program Manager, Community Partnerships Program Manager, and Park Resilience Project Manager (to be hired). These positions lead the community events, programs and projects that we leverage to achieve the following goals:

• Stewardship and Volunteer Activation: Since 2002 the CRC has worked with over 37,000 volunteers to perform critical improvement and maintenance projects throughout the Charles River Reservation;
• Public Art at the Lynch Family skatepark: Having led the design and construction efforts for this park, the CRC is now focused on supporting the park’s physical and social infrastructure, including the launch of an upcoming graffiti artist in residence program this spring;
• Our floating wetland initiative: Installed in 2020, our pilot artificial wetland has been successful in demonstrating opportunities for climate resilience innovation and connecting community members to the river through complementary educational programs; and
• City Splash: This community swim provides one of the only opportunities for community members to jump in the river and highlights our advocacy efforts to one day have a fully swimmable Charles.

The CRC has reached an exciting inflection point and is poised to grow each of these efforts towards increased community and climate resilience along the urban Charles River. This position will play a key role in this programmatic growth as well as organization-wide strategic planning, cross-organizational collaboration and culture building.

Key Responsibilities

• Program and Project Growth
  • Serve as the direct supervisor of two Program Managers (Community Partnerships; and Stewardship and Volunteer) to ensure continued success, identify opportunities for program refinement and strategic growth.
  • Hire and supervise new Project Manager position to oversee floating wetland initiative expansion and increase capacity for leading park improvement projects.
  • Support Program and Project Managers in the hiring, onboarding and management of junior staff positions and consultants.
  • Improve evaluation practices, providing qualitative and quantitative metrics that can be used to assess current programs and projects, identify opportunities for improvement, and inform strategic planning.
  • Evaluate opportunities for increasing the quantity and type of programs and events through internships, co-ops, seasonal hires and similar programs.
• Strategic Planning and Implementation
  • Engage in strategic planning sessions with the Executive Director and Board of Directors.
  • Work with the Executive Director to establish annual organizational goals and corresponding goals for individual program and project managers.
  • Support integration of diversity, equity and belonging practices across all individual and organization-wide strategic goals.
  • Build strategic partnerships with private and public partners - including community leaders, nonprofit partners, and government entities - to ensure alignment with community needs and organizational resources.
  • With the Executive Director, evaluate special project opportunities and lead as appropriate.
• Cross-Organizational Management and Culture Building
  • Seek opportunities to increase cross-organizational collaboration among and beyond direct reports to encourage ideation, communications and efficiency.
  • Regularly meet with Communications and Advocacy Manager to support the promotion of programs in projects across media communications.
  • Contribute to an inclusive work environment that values hiring, onboarding, development and retention of a diverse staff.
  • Support a culture of continued education for all team members, including identifying professional development opportunities and trainings and planning and executing staff retreats and team building activities.
  • Lead events and projects that require organization-wide collaboration, such as City Splash.
  • Provide organizational leadership in place of the Executive Director as needed (i.e. scheduling conflicts, vacations, etc.)
• Resource Management
  • In collaboration with manager-level team members, lead the annual budget process for projects and programs.
  • Forecast and update multi-year program and project budgets as needed to inform long term goals and fundraising strategies.
  • Support Development staff by contributing to grant writing and other fundraising efforts to ensure alignment with programmatic priorities, align funding outcomes with staff goals and provide accurate and timely reporting to donors.

Qualifications

• Seven to ten years of nonprofit management experience including direct supervision of staff
• Experience working with diverse, public constituencies
• Proven ability to improve design evaluation systems and integrate findings into organizational planning culture
• Availability to work occasionally outside of 9-5 throughout the year and occasional Saturdays during peak park season (April-October)

Preferred Experience and Skills

We recognize no one individual will embody all listed attributes and encourage candidates with equivalent, non-traditional career experience to apply.

• Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Commitment to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging across organizational functions
• Ability to handle diverse, simultaneous tasks, meet short term deadlines and long-term milestones
• Knowledge of nonprofit budget and finance best practices
• Experience with program and/or project management
• Demonstrated ability to build partnerships with public and private stakeholders
• Experience in the environmental sector is preferred
• Enthusiasm for the mission of the Charles River Conservancy
• Multilingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience is a plus
• Openness to learning and willingness to give and receive feedback

Hours, Salary & Benefits

Salary for this full-time position is $90,000-$115,000, depending on experience. The CRC’s strong benefits include:

• 10 days each of vacation and flexible time off and 11 holidays
• Hybrid/remote work schedule: currently Tuesdays and Thursdays required in office with additional in person work in alignment with responsibilities and seasonal programs
• Option to work 1 week per quarter fully remote after 6 months of employment
• Health insurance (50% - 75% CRC paid) and $200 annual stipend for dental expenses
• 403b retirement plan with CRC with partial match contribution after 3 years of employment

Learn More and Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter (and any other materials that best communicate why you are the right person for the job) in a single PDF to jobs@thecharles.org. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and the position will remain open until filled. We look forward to hearing from you. The Executive Director will be offering several 30-minute virtual information sessions. For more information and to register, visit our employment webpage. Please note that a criminal background check will be conducted and evaluated for suitability as part of the hiring process.

About the Charles River Conservancy

Founded in 2000, the mission of the Charles River Conservancy (CRC) is to make the Charles River and its parks a well-maintained network of natural urban places that invite and engage all in their use and stewardship. In partnership with the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and other stakeholders, we promote the active use and vitality of the Charles River parks, increase recreational and educational opportunities, and implement interventions to support ecological health, biodiversity and resiliency. Our work within the urban Charles River Reservation spans parks in Boston, Cambridge, Allston/Brighton, and Watertown, which are within walking distance of 300,000+ urban residents and welcome over 1 million annual visitors.