Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Washington Conservation Action is a statewide environmental advocacy organization advancing equitable policies that protect forests, restore salmon runs, address climate pollution, and strengthen democracy. The Forests, Fire, and Communities Senior Program Manager leads work on ecological and community resilience to wildfire through beneficial and Indigenous fire stewardship, science-based forest health treatments, community resilience initiatives, coalition building, communications, agency coordination, and legislative advocacy.
Responsibilities
- Advocate for restoration of beneficial fire and Indigenous fire stewardship to the landscape: Support re-integration of good fire into the forested landscape by addressing barriers to prescribed fire and supporting Tribal fire
- Build sociopolitical support for beneficial fire and use policy levers to reduce barriers to beneficial fire
- Advocate for state funding and state agency leadership on prescribed fire
- Collaborate with practitioners and prescribed fire leaders, including the Washington Prescribed Fire Council
- Co-lead a Tribal fire strategy together with WCA’s Tribal Nations Program, including building relationships with Tribal government regarding fire, advancing shared priorities to support Tribal fire, and encouraging greater integration of Tribal perspectives into state policies and programs on fire
- Promote expanded support for community wildfire resilience: Establish the elements of community wildfire adaptation as a core pillar of Washington’s approach to wildfire
- Participate in wildfire resilience-focused coalitions alongside wildfire practitioners and local leaders, including Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network and Community Wildfire Solutions
- Strategize and advocate for state funding and effective policy to support community wildfire resilience, alongside Latinx and frontline organizations
- Build partnerships and share tools with county governments and elected leaders to integrate wildfire preparedness and community resilience into county planning
- Explore pathways to improve state smoke policy outcomes aligned with environmental justice
- Support ecologically-based restoration of forest health: Hold state agencies and forest landowners accountable to credible, science-based forest health treatments
- Advocate for state funding of ecologically appropriate forest health treatments
- Monitor implementation of the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan for Eastern Washington and the Western Washington Forest Health Strategic Plan, advocating for science-based forest health treatments, effectiveness monitoring, and public data
- Build collaborative relationships with DNR staff working on forest resilience and forest health
- Coordinate with staff across WCA to strengthen and communicate our work: Collaborate across the organization to enhance the effectiveness of our work
- Coordinate with WCA’s two other policy programs—Climate & Clean Energy and Clean Water & Salmon—to identify opportunities for synergies between programs and offer expertise in support of campaigns
- Coordinate with WCA’s Government Affairs, Political, and Tribal Nations programs to advance Forest Program goals, and offer expertise in support of campaigns
- Support better integration of environmental justice and rural economic development into the Forest Program’s work
- Work with communication and field staff to communicate with our members and grassroots partners regarding Forest Program work
- Support WCA’s annual State of our Forests and Public Lands Report and Carbon Friendly Forestry Conference
Skills
- Bachelor's degree in forestry, natural resources, environment, or related field; or at least 5-8 years related experience
- Knowledge of forestry issues, which may include forest management, forest certification, forest product manufacturing, or natural climate solutions. Knowledge of these issues in a Pacific Northwest context is a plus
- Professional and/or lived experience related to wildfire, which may include wildland firefighting, prescribed burning, Indigenous fire stewardship, community preparedness, emergency response, or forestry
- Demonstrated success in project management, policy development and implementation, campaigns, and working in coalitions
- Experience managing grants, including grant proposals, reports, and budget management
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize and communicate information across practitioners, policymakers, and agencies
- Demonstrated success in facilitation
- Ability to develop relationships and find common ground with Tribes and a range of stakeholders, including local government, grassroots organizations, environmental NGOs, and the forest industry
- Commitment to environmental protection and principles of Tribal sovereignty and racial, social, and economic justice
- Experiencing collaborating with Tribal governments, and an understanding of Tribal natural resource management
- Professional experience in community or economic development, particularly related to natural resources
- Experience working and/or living in rural communities and engaging with rural stakeholders
- Ability to research and analyze potential policy campaigns, new projects, and partners
- Flexible, creative, and able to work in a changing and unpredictable non-profit environment
- Ability to communicate with various audiences
- Good at navigating complex working environments and building relationships with integrity
- Ability to work effectively, both independently and with a team
- Familiarity with basic software including MS Office Products and Google products
Benefits
- Medical and dental insurance plan options with 100% employer-paid premiums
- A 401k plan with an organizational match of up to 3% of your annual salary
- A Flexible Spending Account
- Ample paid vacation and sick leave
- Thirteen paid holidays per year
- An unlimited ORCA transit pass
- Budgeted funds for professional development
- If you work for five consecutive years, you are eligible for a two-month paid sabbatical
- Hybrid work arrangement (minimum of 40% in the Seattle office), with an option for fully remote work for those located within Washington State but outside of mass transit options to the Seattle office
- All staff members have access to tools and systems to support hybrid or remote work
Company Overview