Northern Wilderness Program Manager
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SAWS is hiring a full-time Northern Wilderness Program Manager based out of Roanoke, VA. The successful incumbent will 1) provide strong collaboration, leadership, and partnership with federal land management agencies to best manage, preserve, and steward our nation's federally designated wilderness areas; 2) maintain a strong partnership with the U.S. Naval Academy and provide program coordination and oversite to our summer midshipmen trail crew; 3) collaborate with local universities and clubs to grow SAWS' wilderness internship program and opportunities; and 4) serve as a valuable member of the SAWS leadership team contributing critical organization operations such as development, grant management, and training.
This Northern Wilderness Program Manager is an integral connection between SAWS and the USDA Forest Service, particularly the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia and Monagahela National Forest in West Virginia. The incumbent will become well-versed in wilderness law and federal land management policy and train to be an expert in key national wilderness frameworks such as Wilderness Character Monitoring, Wilderness Stewardship Performance, and Minimum Requirements Analysis. The incumbent will uphold and exemplify SAWS’ values and create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive work environment for their colleagues, employees, SAWS volunteers, and community members.
The Northern Wilderness Program Manager plays a critical role on the SAWS leadership team. The incumbent will help develop our programs and staff to perform at a high level; engage in a transformational relationship with our agency and non-agency partners; help steer our organization to succeed operatinoally and financially with prudent management and organizational integrity; and develop and support equitable, inclusive practices that are interwoven into our organization. This job is ideal for someone with strong leadership and management skills, someone who is highly collaborative and team-oriented, one with a passion and enthusasim for the outdoors, a relationship builder with strong networking skills, an individual who excels in task management, adaptable and resilient, and someone who is mission-driven to excel in program management and effective communication.
Schedule
Start date flexible, ideally January
Generally, Monday-Friday, especially fall through winter, flexibility required
Occational weekend work required for community outreach events or training
Must be willing to travel and use personal vehicle (mileage reimbursement included) for in-person meetings, trainings, and organization gatherings.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Wilderness Management and Agency Collaboration:
Become well-versed in wilderness law and wilderness federal land management policy
Become familiar with and eventually an expert in key national wilderness frameworks such as Wilderness Character Monitoring, Wilderness Stewardship Performance, and Minimum Requirements Analysis
Collaborate with USDA Forest Service's national WCM Central Team
Oversee regional and national wilderness program accomplishments within the WCM and WSP frameworks
Compile data and information for 5-year wilderness trend assessments
Provide strong collaboration, leadership, and partnership with federal land management agencies to best manage, preserve, and steward our nation's federally designated wilderness areas
Naval Academy Trail Crew Manager:
Collaborate and coordinate with U.S. Naval Academy faculty program lead and student rep ahead of the summer program.
Hire and onboard 1-2 U.S. Naval Academy crew leaders for the summer season.
Oversee transition of USNA students from university to summer work with SAWS including coordinating housing, travel, and work site locations
Onboard and welcome midshipmen for each block (3 blocks, 5 midshipmen each)
Coordinate 3 veteran panels for midshipmen centered around learning about career options in conservation
Collaborate with USFS on appropriate project site locations and work for the midshipmen crew
Wilderness Internship Program:
Build on and grow wilderness internship opportunities at SAWS with local universities and clubs with internship experiences in wilderness stewardship, GIS, communicatinos, and non-profit management.
Collaborate with and build relationships with a variety of universities and departnements including natural resources, communications, non-profit management, and outdoor leadership.
Attend community outreach events across VA, WV, and KY.
Organization Leader:
Assisst with regional trainings including onboarding new seasonals and annual Wilderness Skills Institute training.
Assist with organizational development including fundraising through private grants, corporations, foundations, and agency collaboration across new forests and and departments.
Aid in org data management, grant tracking, and communications.
The Northern Wilderness Program Manager will train under the Program Director and Executive Director to become familiar with SAWS, stewardship programs, partners, and general operations.
Training and Work
Benefits
The compensation is $43,000-50,000 annually for this full-time work based on qualifications and experience. Any work-related expenses for travel will be paid for by SAWS. We offer the following benefits and are happy to share our Employee Handbook:
Health, dental, and vision insurance.
Health: Employee pays 20% of monthly premium, 50% of premium for dependents.
Dental & Vision: Employee pays 100% of premiums.
Life and disability insurance.
Generous leave accrual and holiday pay.
Total vacation is front loaded annually and increases with time served at the organization. 1-2 years has 20 vacation days per year, 3-5 years has 25 vacation days per year, and 6+ years has 30 vacation days per year.
There are 14 paid holidays for each employee. Time off may be granted for employees who desire to observe another religious holiday.
Sick leave: Total sick leave accrued over time for a total of 7 days (or 56 hours) per year.
Bereavement pay: Three days of bereavement pay in addition to paid family and standard annual leave.
Parental Leave
Two weeks of paid family leave in addition to standard annual leave.
Up to 16 weeks of parental leave along with flexible work arrangements.
Flexible work schedule
Professional development opportunities with financial support options.
Qualifications
Enthusiasm for the SAWS mission and a shared commitment to our values
Strong desire to learn about and become an expert about federally designated wilderness law and policy, wilderness character monitoring, and agency wilderness management
Motivated and a self-starter
Ability to learn quickly
Good interpersonal communication and professionalism
Personable and comfortable building relationships and talking to partners
Strong written communication skills.
Ability to work and camp in a remote and primitive setting occasionally
Demonstrated ability to lead employees, volunteers, or partners on projects both in the field and virtually.
Demonstrated ability to lead projects to completion at a high standard.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a team setting to complete tasks.
Experience with development such as grant writing
Travel required for 6-8 weeks a year for trainings, staff meetings, and board retreats including up to 1 week of travel at a time
The qualifications listed above are ideal but not required. If you have many of the qualifications listed, we encourage you to apply. Your experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, which helps build the competencies, knowledge, and skills that translates directly to this position. Applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.
About Us
Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) is a conservation non-profit dedicated to setting standards of excellence that inspire, connect, and equip people to steward wild landscapes. SAWS puts boots on the ground to steward protected wild public lands across eight states in the Southern Appalachian region and works nationally to improve public land access and wilderness stewardship. Founded in 2010, SAWS partners with federal land management agencies and a variety of partners, to supplement existing stewardship efforts and provide additional support for training, skill-building, and community engagement. SAWS works to support safe, equitable access to public lands, preserve natural landscapes, and develop the next generation of stewardship leaders. SAWS is headquartered in Asheville, NC with an office in Roanoke, VA.
SAWS is an equal opportunity employer and provides a drug-free workplace. SAWS values a safe, inclusive work environment, free from discrimination of any kind. We are committed to working towards equity in the outdoors and in conservation, including by celebrating diversity, fostering inclusivity, and recognizing and working to address past injustices and barriers to equitable access. Learn more about SAWS on our webpage.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter and resume at the bottom of this page. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Questions regarding the application may be submitted to Kaitlin de Varona, Executive Director at kaitlindevarona@wildernessstewards.org
SAWS is an equal opportunity employer and provides a drug-free workplace. SAWS values a safe, inclusive work environment, free from discrimination of any kind.