The Vice President of Programs is responsible for the successful execution of all conservation, outreach, and restoration programs. Serving as a member of the Chesapeake Conservancy’s leadership team, the Vice President of Programs provides overall leadership for the Programs Department; including strategy development, coordination, and management of all initiatives. The Vice President of Programs is also responsible for building and maintaining relationships with partner agencies and organizations, funders, and consultants.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Leadership of the Programs Department, ensuring programs are delivered on time, on budget, and that staff are prepared to do the work that is necessary to achieve results.
• Overseeing and managing the Programs budget.
• Liaising with the Development and Communications departments on a regular basis to coordinate fundraising and messaging efforts with program needs and deliverables.
• Coordination and overall management of the Chesapeake Conservancy’s conservation, outreach, and restoration programs.
• Developing effective, measureable objectives and strategies designed to deliver Chesapeake Conservancy mission-based program goals.
• Understanding the breadth of conservation programs at the federal, state, regional, and local levels and identifying potential connections with the Conservancy’s programs.
• Building and maintaining relationships with a wide range of partners, including federal and state agencies (e.g. National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Defense, state natural resources departments and state historic resources departments), local governments, local and regional non-profits, academic institutions, community members, and private entities.
• Working with federal and state agencies to develop task agreements and cooperative agreements to meet joint objectives.
• Managing contracts with outside vendors to support program needs.
• Master’s degree, preferably in conservation planning, environmental studies, natural resources, environmental management or a similarly related field, and a minimum of five to seven years of experience, with proven success in employee and program management.
• Demonstrates excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrates critical thinking ability for high-level planning, analyzing, and problem solving, and will be action-oriented with an ability to effectively lead projects through to completion according to schedule.
• An ability to work in a fast paced environment as a member of a team; a proven track record of exceeding goals; and an ability to handle multiple responsibilities, establish priorities, and track details.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO BEING A DIVERSE & WELCOMING WORKPLACE:
The Chesapeake Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, color, age, sex, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, refusal to submit to a genetic test or to make available genetic test results, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Chesapeake Conservancy understands that protecting and restoring the natural and cultural resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed requires intentional commitment to inclusive practices and narratives within the conservation movement. Through our work we celebrate and elevate the people, places, and cultures of the region, especially by engaging underrepresented communities. Committing to the values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice is critical to achieve our vision of a Chesapeake that is healthy, accessible to everyone, and a place where people and wildlife thrive. To that end, we commit ourselves to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice both in our programmatic priorities and our internal organizational development through inclusive recruitment of staff and board members, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture.
