The mission of the Northeast Wilderness Trust is to forever preserve wild landscapes for nature and people. We protect over 98,000 acres of wild nature in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The Wilderness Trust is the only regional land trust focused exclusively on rewilding through the protection of eternal wilderness. We believe in the immense value of wilderness, both for its intrinsic value and for its unique role in reversing the biodiversity crisis, mitigating climate change and providing comfort to the human spirit. The Northeast Wilderness Trust seeks a visionary and collaborative conservation leader with a deep commitment to wilderness and its enduring value in today's world.
Responsibilities of the Vice President for Conservation Programs:
The Vice President for Conservation Programs will lead and integrate the Wilderness Trust's land conservation, management and wildland ecology programs, leading a talented team to achieve ambitious goals to protect and restore wilderness in the Northeast.
The Vice President of Conservation Programs will serve as a key member of the leadership team, working with the President and CEO and other senior leaders to shape and implement the Trust's strategic vision. This position will provide direct leadership to three program directors and supervise a total of 11 staff members, with opportunities for future growth.
What you will do:
Program leadership and management
- Drive the Wilderness Trust's 5-year strategic plan and ensure continuity of values and principles throughout a period of growth.
- Provide vision and oversight for the Land Conservation, Stewardship and Wildlands Ecology programs.
- Lead and support program directors, enabling them to expand their responsibilities, strengthen their teams and improve performance.
- Recruit, develop and retain high-performing staff to advance program goals.
- Promote strong communication, collaboration and cohesion between teams.
- Ensure consistent, high-quality project management through systems, documentation and shared procedures.
- Be an active member of the leadership team.
- Support the CEO in board governance and board relations, including the appointment of relevant board committees.
- Ensure company values and guiding principles are maintained as the Wilderness Trust goes through a period of growth.
External relationships
- Be a visible and effective advocate for wilderness conservation in New England and New York.
- Build and strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders including philanthropists, foundations, government agencies and peer organizations.
- Represent the Trust through coalition building and engagement with the broader conservation community.
Internal knowledge management and communication
- Design and monitor systems, processes, procedures, and tools to organize and share knowledge generated by conservation programs.
- Maintain a deep understanding of program objectives, strategies, outcomes and challenges and ensure lessons learned inform future work.
- Ensure a clear and timely flow of information between conservation programs and the leadership team to support decision-making and strategic direction.
- Track and evaluate program results and use results to improve organizational impact consistent with the strategic plan.
What you bring:
- A commitment to open and transparent communication.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented work environment.
- Exceptional organizational and time management skills to meet deadlines and be self-sufficient.
- Adaptability and openness to evolving job descriptions as the organization grows.
- Willingness to work outside of the primary focus of the position and collaborate with employees on other organizational priorities.
- Minimum of seven years of successful experience leading multiple teams within an organization at a land trust or similar conservation organization.
- A passionate commitment to wild nature and a deep understanding of wilderness values.
- Excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively with a variety of employees and partners.
The full job description, including salary and benefits details and application instructions, can be found on our website.