Project Development Manager - Pacific Northwest

Job DescriptionSalary: $95k-$105k DOE

Location: Oregon or Washington. Must be willing to travel to project sites in Oregon and Washington.

Reports to: Jeannie Davidson, Director of Project Development

Salary: 95k-105k, dependent on experience

Preferred Start Date: As soon as possible; priority application deadline August 19th.

About Blue Forest and the Forest Resilience Bond

Blue Forest is an innovative climate finance non-profit that addresses pressing environmental challenges by developing ecological investment opportunities. In partnership with the US Forest Service and the World Resources Institute, Blue Forest developed our signature environmental product, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), to overcome the funding gap for forest management. As a first of its kind public-private partnership, the FRB enables private capital to catalyze public land management on National Forest land, thereby reducing wildfire risk and promoting ecological sustainability, by valuing the resulting ecosystem services.

Blue Forest is an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, foresters, finance, and communications professionals committed to the mission of "Financial Innovation for Sustainable Solutions" through our culture of learning, collaboration, diligence, and innovation. As we grow and develop new financial solutions to pressing environmental problems, we are working to dismantle discrimination and racism in our environmental work and seek to amplify the voices of historically excluded voices in the burgeoning field of conservation finance.

Position Summary

A Project Development Manager at Blue Forest leads the development and coordination of conservation finance efforts at the state or regional level. This role involves being detail-oriented during day-to-day operations while also partnering with Directors on developing and executing overall long-term strategic planning and relationship management. The manager oversees the strategy, leads execution for individual projects, collaborates with the Blue Forest policy and communication teams to advance project development and state/regional engagement , and fosters relationships with state agencies, regional non-profits, local research partners, funders, and land managers for the region.

This position requires partnering with Director level staff to develop big picture strategies, leading project management and day-to-day project development, as well as supervision of Analyst and Associate level project development staff. Project and program management requires close collaboration with colleagues and partners across internal and external organizational departments; therefore an ability to learn and collaborate interdisciplinarity is essential to success. This position will focus on FRB Project Development across the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington) and be responsible for leading partnership development and development strategy in Oregon.

Responsibilities & Duties

Individual FRB Project Development in the Pacific Northwest (60%)

• Manage the development process of individual Forest Resilience Bond projects from conception to execution, including bringing structure and processes to innovative and ambiguous projects.
• Be a lead point of contact responsible for relationships associated with the project(s)
• Be a project co-lead on one to two projects to drive forward project development plans, managing and executing multiple workstreams, executing project deliverables, managing grants and budgets, etc. Workstreams include (i) community and stakeholders engagement, (ii) partnering with public and private land managers on implementation strategies for priority restoration projects, (iii) mapping and engaging beneficiaries, and (iv) quantifying and communicating the benefits of restoration with local science partners
• Help shape and implement beneficiary engagement strategies across specific projects, including coordinating and incorporating a plan for projecting, measuring, monitoring, and evaluation of ecosystem services

Regional Strategy and Partnerships (20%)

• Partner with leadership team to create project development strategy and schedule that will lead to building the pipeline of projects in Oregon and the broader Pacific Northwest
• Establish, develop, and manage key relationships with state agencies, the Pacific Northwest Regional Office of the U.S. Forest Service, Tribes, beneficiaries, and regional stakeholders including local nonprofits
• Partner with the Blue Forest leadership team to develop a strategy for exploring opportunities to expand the FRB to other sectors and ecosystems while also scoping the potential for alternative financing mechanisms based on partner needs in collaboration with the leadership team
• Position Blue Forest to be a leader in the region and primed to take advantage of conservation finance and other opportunities when presented
• Integrate and enhance DEI and tribal engagement throughout the project development process

• Enable and manage revenue opportunities such as grant opportunity identification, consulting to public or private entities, or new business model generation

Communications and Outreach (10%)

• Develop communications materials like 2-pagers, story maps, and explainers for projects, initiatives, and research project deliverables
• Work with Blue Forest communications staff to develop outreach strategies
• Contribute to the newsletter and other email and social media campaigns where appropriate and where material can elevate key partners and/or project visibility

Company Culture, Leadership, and Growth (10%)

• Be a champion for company culture, values, and inclusion
• Proactively identify opportunities and recommend approaches to improve Blue Forest working environment, collaboration, trust, and coordination
• Support team member development / growth and help build a culture where staff are empowered to bring their unique contributions to the team

Qualifications

• Project Management: Project management experience including scoping, managing and executing multiple activities simultaneously, meeting deadlines, and financial management. Excellent time management, prioritization skills, and managing internal and external teams. Project Management Certifications are a plus!

• Communication: Strong written and oral communication skills, including distilling and communicating complex processes into presentation and written memos, facilitating multi-stakeholder collaborative discussions, creating effective storytelling products, etc.

• Strategic Leadership and Comfort with Ambiguity: Strategic mindset and ability to prioritize among many needs, bring structure to ambiguous situations, proactively identify innovative solutions, and navigate difficult situations. Excitement to drive and execute both the day-to-day operations and strategy.

• Partnership Driven and Community Engagement Experience: Strong relationship management skills, with demonstrated experience successfully engaging with local, regional, and national partners.

• People Management: Excitement and ability to manage and coach others on project management and development, navigating verbal and written ambiguity, relationship management, collaborative processes, ecosystem services, etc.

• Conservation Finance, Ecosystem Services, Utilities or Forestry Expertise: Passionate and understanding of conservation finance, modeling ecosystem services, water and electric utilities, forestry, or other relevant fields. Experience working with the U.S. Forest Service
• Flexible, Collaborative and Innovative: Self-starter and self-motivated. Ability to work independently and also have a team mindset. Willingness to try things and also ask for thought partnership
• Work Location and Travel: Remote work based, with ability to travel 25-40%. Most travel would be within the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, Blue Forest hosts an in-person team retreat each year, and team members may also have optional opportunities to visit project sites across the U.S. as needed.

Benefits:

• 100% Employer paid health, dental, and vision coverage
• 401k retirement plan with 4% employer match
• Starting 3 weeks paid vacation and 17 paid holidays
• Paid sick leave
• Long term disability coverage
• Explore the Outdoors Stipend (reimbursements for visits to National Parks & National Forests)
• Monthly Home Office Stipend or Co-Working Space provided
• Additional stipend to cover home internet and cell service
• 3 months paid family leave
• Professional development stipend
• Option for non-taxable contributions towards repayment of student loan debt, up to $5,250 per year, in lieu of salary
  

COVID VACCINE REQUIREMENT

All Blue Forest staff are required to be "fully vaccinated" against COVID-19, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines that term. Proof of full vaccination shall be a condition of employment and must be provided prior to starting work, except where prohibited by law. Blue Forest is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and the company will engage in the interactive process regarding reasonable accommodations for candidates who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability/medical condition; a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance; or a claimed exemption under applicable state law.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to this position, submit a resume and cover letter on Bamboo HR. Applications without cover letters will not be considered. People from historically underrepresented populations and candidates with non-traditional career paths are especially encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and those submitted by August 19th, will be given priority consideration.

If participating in the interview process would require you to incur additional expenses to participate, such as childcare, please let us know and we are happy to reimburse for reasonable expenses incurred up to $30/hour for twice the length of each interview in which you participate. There will be space to request this reimbursement upon offer of an interview.

Blue Forest provides equal employment and opportunities for advancement, compensation, training, and growth according to individual merit, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, genetic information, disability, veteran-status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable Federal, state, or local law. Applicants must have authorization to work in the United States.