Job Description

Los Valles Senior Program Director – Southwest Conservation Corps

Starting Salary: The annual salary range for this position will between $79,500 to $81,900 – depending on experience, education, and skills relevant to the position.

Location: Salida, Colorado (Partial remote eligible, may work remotely up to 2.5 days per week)

Status: Full-Time, Exempt    

Benefit Eligible: includes health, vision, and dental insurance, matching funds for retirement, generous Paid Time Off (PTO), Annual Wellness Benefit, and more per Personnel Policies

Organizational Summary: 

Conservation Legacy is a nationwide non-profit.  The Corps programs within the organization engage participants in diverse conservation and community projects that serve public and private lands.   These projects provide opportunities for personal and professional development and strive toward a high priority of needs for public land managers and community partners. Through the mission of engaging future leaders who protect, restore and enhance our nation’s lands through community-based service; Conservation Legacy works toward a world with healthy lands, air and water; thriving people and resilient communities.

Program Summary:

The Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) is a program of the non-profit service organization, Conservation Legacy, that is built on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) that operated from 1933 – 1942. SCC provides youth and young adults opportunities to complete conservation projects on public lands. While serving with SCC, members receive training on job skills, conflict resolution, leadership, teamwork, and environmental stewardship. Programs are developed using a step ladder approach to provide a progression of skill development based on a member’s needs. Members receive a weekly living allowance, training, and an AmeriCorps Education Award (for qualifying individuals).

Position Summary:

The Los Valles Director (LVD) is the leader for SCC’s staff and operations based in Salida, CO. The Director both develops funding for and manages all Los Valles based operations through a coordinated and collaborative staff structure. The Director’s focus is to create and maintain quality, safe, highly effective operational programming for youth and young adults while developing and sustaining project partnerships with traditional public land management agencies, local municipal agencies, community partners as well as developing and sustaining other funding sources to ensure the success of the Corps’ mission.  Each SCC office is rooted in the community it serves. The LVD supervises and mentors various operations staff, including, but not limited to Program Director(s), Program Managers, and Administrative Manager(s).

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Leadership                                                   
  • Identify and develop annual objectives to sustain and enhance the outcomes of SCC’s mission as well as Conservation Legacy’s Strategic Plan.
  • Demonstrate and lead on the development and implementation of high-quality programming to achieve positive member experiences and exceptional project accomplishments, as well as excellent community relations and
  • Take a leadership role within the regional community, proactively managing and developing community relations, partnerships, projects and
  • Lead the Los Valles staff and office, setting appropriate workplace culture, modeling professionalism and effective communication and facilitating needed collaboration between staff and programs.
  • Serve on the SCC Leadership Team to develop and implement SCC strategy and tactics to meet the goals of Conservation Legacy’s strategic plan at the programmatic level.
  • Foster an environment for staff to innovate ideas and efficiencies that will lead the region and corps toward higher quality programming and member outcomes.
  • Leads Los Valles program staff to effectively achieve programmatic and organizational outcomes related to their positions, their corps, and the organization.
  • Foster an environment of personal understanding and problem-solving to stay aligned with changing internal and external environment, for staff within the region.
  • Successfully engages, leads, and supports an inclusive work environment for all within the organization and communities we serve, especially those of underrepresented populations.

• Management                  
  • Supervise, mentor and evaluate multiple operational and administrative staff including, but not limited to, the Program Director, and an Administrative Manager(s), that varies depending on structure and Guide and help mentor shared SCC staff: Individual Placement Program Director and Recruitment Outreach and Communications Specialist.
  • Ensure that all staff members are following business and operational support policies and protocols of SCC and Conservation Legacy.
  • Organize staff to meet the needs of the Los Valles programs understanding our different program models (Veterans Fire Corps, Adult Camping Crews, High School Crews and Community Crews, Small Teams, Individual Placements and other single identity crews) as well as new emerging models to meet the needs of partnering agencies.
  • Oversee the professional development and performance evaluation of all SCC Los Valles staff.
  • Serve as the primary contact with Conservation Legacy Central Office for operational matters for the SCC Los Valles office.
  • Support and encourage staff to engage with strategic organization initiatives not limited to working groups associated with the implementation of the Conservation Legacy Strategic Plan.
• Project and Program Development and Management
  • Develop and maintain project partner relationships with an aim toward sustainability and leveraging to new project opportunities.
  • Leads a high-quality of programming for positive member experience and exceptional project accomplishments, solidified by successful outcomes related to strategic plan goals and specific corps-relate goals.
  • Completes timely project reporting to support invoicing and agreement requirements in compliance with Conservation Legacy policies and procedures.
  • Oversees successful and innovative grant identification, coordination, development, writing, and reporting in support of existing and emerging program models and staff capacity.
  • Oversee and complete project agreements/task orders, database, pre-site visits, project scheduling, evaluation systems, and project specifications.
  • Complete or oversee project reporting to support invoicing and agreement requirements.
  • Engage in project related community collaboration and shared resourcing.
  • Develop programming to implement the Conservation Legacy Strategic Plan goals.
  • Track emerging opportunities and develop program models to meet community needs and organizational goals.
• Risk Management
  • Ensure an emphasis on safety through prioritizing risk management across all programming by following policies and procedures; while providing leadership and supporting other staff to influence organizational policies around risk management.
• Financial
  • Prepare, submit, and manage an annual SCC Los Valles budget with assistance from SCC Corps Director as a part of the SCC and Conservation Legacy annual budget development and management processes.
  • Develop project budgets and complete federal agency financial documents.
  • Write and manage grants to support specific projects and strategic initiatives, with support from shared business and grant team.
  • Maintain regional systems to ensure responsible spending and financial reporting by all staff members.
  • Prepare and review financial reports and monitor regional expenses to ensure responsible budget management; adjust spending or revisions as needed.
  • Develop and or sustaining partnerships to maintain adequate revenue streams to support programming with support from Corps Director.
• Marketing and Communications
  • Assure the Corps vision, programs and services are consistently presented in a strong, positive image in service area.
  • Enhance SCC visibility in service area.
  • Promote SCC as well as Conservation Legacy mission, programs and achievements.
• Other Duties
  • Successfully engages, leads and supports an inclusive work environment for those of underrepresented populations within the organization and the communities we serve.
  • Leads and/or participates in organizational-wide teams, projects and initiatives that support the work of the Strategic Plans goals.
  • Reports any potential harassment or grievances within the organization as identified in the Personnel Policy Manual.

Physical Requirements:

• Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work hours and physical ability to walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or use tools/equipment on an infrequent or frequent basis. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. Disclosure of needs are encouraged to be made upon job offer and throughout employment at Conservation Legacy.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience in working with diverse populations in a professional setting.
• Demonstrated passion for and commitment to corps programming, mission as well as to inclusion, diversity and equity principles and practices.
• Demonstrated ability in working collaboratively and effectively with partners and external stakeholders and an ability to develop and maintain customer service-oriented relationships with funders, fee for service project partners, and community members.
• Minimum of 5 years leadership and management experience in non-profit organizations and/or corps operations.
• The ability to interact credibly and diplomatically with all stakeholders and at all levels in the organization and the external community – tailoring communication effectively for different groups and stakeholders.
• An open, inclusive, team-oriented work style and ability to collaborate with both senior leadership team and operational staff at all locations.
• Experience with influencing diverse groups of employees to achieve common goals.
• Flexibility, adaptability and capacity to work in a fluid, changing work environment.
• The ability to carry out assigned work independently or with minimal supervision.
• The ability to communicate effectively, manage complexity cultivate innovation, drive and influence results of oneself and others.
• Ability to work well with others and to seek assistance when needed to carry out assignments.
• Proficient in all Microsoft Office Suite applications and ability to manage information in an organizational database.
• Ability to keep others, in remote locations, accountable to expectations.
• Valid Driver’s License and Insurable Driving Record
• Must be able to pass the organization’s criminal history check requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years recent Corps or youth development organization
• Strong Microsoft Excel proficiency.
• 3-5 years grant writing and management experience.
• 3-5 years budget management experience.
• Community coalition experience, and ideally at a leadership level.
• Previous program and leadership experience with a conservation youth corps.
• Familiarity with Arkansas River Valley and San Luis Valley, Colorado rural communities.
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher preferred.
• Previous hands-on conservation skills experience in trail work, chainsaw operations, ecological monitoring, forestry, fuels mitigation, and/or wildland fire.
• Business acumen, entrepreneurship.
• Outdoor leadership experience and/or education.
• Current Wilderness First Responder certification or ability to get it within first 6 months.
• Experience leading Conservation Legacy programs, members or administrative systems.

Other Competencies Desired for this Position’s Success: Manage Complexity, Resourceful, Effectively Communicate, Cultivate Innovation, Drive and/or Influence Results, Plans & Aligns.

How to Apply

1. Applicants review to begin in late October-early November.
2. Send Cover letter and resume to Juan Fernandez at jfernandez@conservationlegacy.org

Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: conservation, conservation corps, director, and Senior Program Director. Salaries: 60,000 - 80,000.

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