Director of Communities and Conservation

Organizational Profile

About the Organization

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a collaborative effort between a U.S. non-profit organization and a Canadian public charity that together connect and protect habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon so people and nature can thrive.  Yellowstone to Yukon takes a scientific and collaborative approach to conservation, and highlights and focuses on local issues that affect the region.  Y2Y has partnered with over 700 scientists, conservation groups, landowners, government agencies, Indigenous governments and communities and businesses to stitch together this landscape. 

Without a unified vision for this deeply interconnected landscape, local conservation efforts may be isolated and less effective.  Y2Y seeks to ensure conservation efforts are aligned in support of large scale objectives, and therefore become continentally significant.  Today, Y2Y is recognized as one of the planet’s leading mountain conservation initiatives. 

For more information, please visit y2y.net

Position Description

Yellowstone to Yukon is on the lookout for a dynamic, strategic, collaborative, and high-capacity senior professional to lead our Communities and Conservation Program. This position is responsible for leading our engagement with communities to develop support for protected areas, wildlife corridors and nature-positive decisions.

Our Communities and Conservation Program currently focuses on human-wildlife co-existence and promoting well-planned and managed recreation.  The new director will identify 1-2 other potential areas of long-term engagement for their team. We have already identified some excellent model communities within the Y2Y landscape, and this team is tasked with determining how best to ensure that the characteristics of these model communities are replicated and scaled across the Y2Y region.

The successful candidate will thrive in a complex, fast-paced work environment while leading a diverse, geographically dispersed team in strategy, planning, advocacy, partnership development and project execution.  In addition, they will lead work that scales across Y2Y and drives change at the systems level.

Responsibilities

The Director of Communities and Conservation Program will:

Set annual goals and objectives, manage budgets, and meticulously assess and report progress as well as challenges in the area of nature-positive community work. Oversee program staff across the Y2Y region. Lead a team not just in replicating past successes or existing approaches but to develop new, transformational approaches to our work. Apply their professional experience in conservation, community engagement and systems change to Y2Y’s policy work in partnership with our Government Relations and Policy Team. Understand how to take successful place-based examples of nature-positive community conservation work from isolated individual pilot projects to replicate them at the scale of the Y2Y landscape. Take an active role in ensuring equitable experiences, strengthening inclusion, knowledge and promoting a culture of inclusivity and belonging that embraces the contributions of all team members. Cultivate equitable and inclusive relationships with partners, including but not limited to Indigenous communities. Work closely with development staff to support fundraising efforts and with marketing and communications staff to communicate Y2Y's vision and efforts. Represent Y2Y in various forums and advocate strategically for our priorities. Travel within the Y2Y region as required to deepen partnerships and advance initiatives. Candidate Profile

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

A minimum of 10 years of successful leadership experience, including experience managing remote teams and projects. Demonstrated achievement working with communities and in particular scaling up the work from an individual community to a region, ideally within the Y2Y region. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including in science communication. Significant knowledge of Indigenous rights and governance in the U.S. and Canada. Working knowledge in the area of human-wildlife conflict reduction and coexistence and recreation management, and/or a background in social science and motivation for behaviour change. Flexibility, ability to pivot and be responsive to emerging needs in a fast-paced, highly collaborative work environment. Systems thinker with a strategic understanding of how to do conservation at scale. Proven expertise in budget management and fundraising. Knowledge of U.S. and Canadian federal, state and provincial politics and how to operate within these systems. Unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

Terms of Employment

The position offers flexible location within the Y2Y landscape, with preference for proximity to airports in Idaho, Montana, British Columbia, or Alberta. Competitive salary ranging from $95,000 to $110,000, commensurate with experience. Full-time permanent position (37.5 hours/week) with an outstanding benefits package. Additional Information & To Apply

At Y2Y we value diversity — in backgrounds and in experience, and we need people from all backgrounds to help achieve our mission of connecting and protecting habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon so people and nature can thrive. Y2Y’s team is empathetic, caring, and supportive. We are intentional about the team and culture that we are building, seeking team members that are not only strong in their own aptitudes but care deeply about supporting each other's growth.

Y2Y is an equal opportunity employer and committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace and in science, conservation, and society. We strongly encourage applications from members of groups that are underrepresented and/or excluded from these sectors, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.  All of our employee’s points of view are key to our success, and inclusion is everyone's responsibility.

To explore this opportunity further, please send a cover letter and resume to careers@y2y.net.

Short, preliminary interviews may be held via conference call or Zoom.   If you anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application or interview process you may contact, in confidence, Robyn Barton, HR Consultant at robyn@y2y.net.