We’re Hiring! Tongass Forest Program Manager

Written by Maggie Rabb

October 27, 2020

Southeast Alaska Conservation Council is hiring!

Who We Are

SEACC is a small grassroots nonprofit based out of Juneau, Alaska, in the Tongass National Forest. For 50 years SEACC has been a regional conservation watchdog defending the remaining intact old-growth stands of the Tongass National Forest and the waters of the Inside Passage. We partner with local communities, Tribes, fishermen, businesses, and visitors to advocate for the conservation and sustainable use of our region’s natural resources, and preserve a uniquely Southeast Alaskan way of life. We mix policy and technical expertise with grassroots organizing and communication skills to engage the public, advance new policy, and maintain existing protections, that we ensure the interconnected whole of Southeast Alaska exists for future generations.

SEACC is committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and is currently working on an organizational statement jointly developed by board and staff that expresses our internal commitments, priorities, and pathways for advancing this work. This work is being undertaken by the organization as a whole and the effort around it is interwoven in all our programs and departments. Any future team member should share these values and priorities and be willing and interested in contributing to this ongoing internal work.

Tongass Forest Program Manager

Are you an environmental campaigner and/or forest or public lands advocate? Do you want to build people power in Southeast Alaska to advocate for legislative change and hold agencies and decision makers accountable to enhance and preserve the largest intact, carbon-dense temperate rainforests left on earth? Do you envision a future that encourages and celebrates national forest restoration and recreation opportunities in lieu industrial development? If so, we want to talk to you!

The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) is seeking a Tongass Forest Program Manager to coordinate and lead our forest and land-use-related campaign work at SEACC. The Tongass Forest Program Manager reports directly to Executive Director Meredith Trainor and oversees and manages the Tongass Forest programmatic work at SEACC. The Tongass Forest Program Manager will be a part of the management team at SEACC and supervises one staff member.

What You’ll Do

The environmental threats to Southeast Alaska’s temperate rainforest are growing because the failing timber industry is being propped up by State and Federal agencies and political leaders. The Tongass Forest Program Manager will spend a majority of their time working on federal lands issues, including some lobbying and travel to Washington, D.C. The role breaks down to about 50% campaign strategy and implementation, 25% Tongass Coalition leadership and coordination, and 25% staff and program management. The changing political landscape means the role will evolve over time but you’ll have two major areas of responsibility:

Management and coordination with partners:

• Work with the Executive Director to continue to improve and grow SEACC’s efforts around Indigenous engagement and outreach;
• Coordinate and/or participate in regional, statewide, and national coalition efforts to protect the Tongass from industrial scale old-growth clearcut logging;
• Supervise and work closely with SEACC’s Environmental Policy Analyst;
• Contribute to development of annual Tongass program budget and manage implementation with support from Deputy Director;
• Contribute to programmatic grant writing, editing, and reporting;
• As part of the management team work with Executive Director, Deputy Director, and Inside Passage Waters Program Manager to guide and strengthen SEACC as an organization.

Campaign Development and Implementation:

• Work with the Executive Director and Environmental Policy Analyst to complete, manage and periodically refine SEACC’s Tongass Forest Program strategy;
• Work with SEACC’s legal partners and Environmental Policy Analyst to address ongoing timber sales and advocate for beneficial and against detrimental public-land-related legislation;
• Lead efforts to organize and engage the public to influence policy, decision-makers, and state and federal agencies. This will be done by working with volunteers to implement grassroots and grasstops tactics both in-person and digitally using social media, our website (WordPress) and other digital engagement tools like Nationbuilder, New/Mode, and SimpleTexting;
• Advocate for land protections at the local, state, and federal level by giving presentations, lobbying, and meeting with government officials;
• Champion a just economy for Southeast Alaska and help facilitate a regional transition away from resource extraction activities and towards restoration and recreation, sustainable uses of the forest, and the elevation of Alaska Native traditional uses and ways of life.

Who You Are

We are looking for someone who is a people-person ready to organize with energy and enthusiasm. A self-starter comfortable stepping into a leadership role who is able to develop and implement land conservation campaigns that work alongside Alaska Natives, local communities, and conservation partners to protect Southeast Alaska’s temperate rainforest. Fundamentally, we want someone who loves making things happen, directly and by working with others. Southeast Alaska has a unique social landscape and the conservation movement has a complicated (and at times problematic) regional history. Cultural competency to navigate this complex space is important, as are good listening skills!

More specifically, you will be or have most of the following:
• A background in environmental policy, and grassroots or grasstops campaigns;
• Professional experience or study in forest conservation, forest science, forest-related advocacy, forestry, or biology. A forest-related degree is specifically not required for this position, but relevant experience is required. This could include work for Indigenous organizations engaging in forestry or forest conservation, or work for the Forest Service, in the forestry industry, in restoration, climate policy, natural resource economics, or educational or professional background in conservation, the biological sciences, law or policy;
• An effective communicator (written and oral), able to quickly understand, translate, and communicate problems and policy solutions the general public can understand and engage in. This includes a background, comfort, or interest in learning to communicate with the media, including as spokesperson;
• A proactive and strong problem solver with demonstrated people skills, experience untangling tough social issues and working to bring people together and empower SEACC, our partners, and more importantly the public in effective advocacy for our shared conservation objectives;
• An excellent time manager comfortable planning, prioritizing, troubleshooting, and moving tasks forward including organizational strategic plans, while coordinating in all directions especially across lines of difference (by quickly gaining trust and rapport through warmth, humility, optimism, humor, etc.);
• Experience managing others with the ability to provide a supportive environment and adapt to the evolving needs of your staff and the broader organization;
• Interest in and desire to work with a wide variety of people throughout Southeast Alaska. SEACC’s work takes us to communities throughout Southeast Alaska, so a genuine interest in the people and places of Southeast Alaska, and an ability to sustain a high level of energy and engagement over community visits lasting several days is required;
• Comfort outdoors and in communities — SEACC staff travel in small planes, skiffs, larger boats, and by foot, in addition to traveling by commercial planes. The Program Manager will visit small mill sites, old-growth stands, and remote communities while in the field, largely staying in SEACC supporters’ homes when we travel. Flexibility, adaptability, and good houseguest etiquette are key requirements for this role;
• Commitment to the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, with demonstrated successes in previous work and awareness of where you need to grow. You work effectively with a diverse team and partners, and act proactively to spot issues of equity and inclusion and bring practical solutions.

We know there is not one ideal candidate who has all of these traits, so if you have a mix of interests, skills, and experience related to the above — and a passion for this work — please don’t let a gap in your strengths for this role stop you from applying or reaching out.

What Else You Should Know

SEACC recognizes, supports, and values all forms of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Compensation

This role is a full-time exempt position, and the salary range for this role is between $50,000-$58,000, with exact salary dependent upon experience. We also offer excellent benefits, including:
• 3 weeks of paid leave your first year and 4 weeks of paid leave after one year, plus
• 11 federal and state holidays, plus
• fully paid healthcare, plus
• 12 days of medical leave annually, plus
• 2 days of community service or participation leave, plus
• a 401K plan with a 3% match after just one year of employment, and
• In addition, the ED closes the office between Christmas Day and New Years Day each year as a thank you to the staff!

Where you will work

SEACC’s main office is located in Juneau, Alaska. During the pandemic this role may work remotely if/as needed.

• Southeast Alaskan candidates who are not located in Juneau but are interested in the position and work with SEACC are strongly encouraged to apply — we are not requiring relocation to Juneau for this role, and look forward to working with you to explore how this role may be performed from other parts of our region!
• Alaskan candidates who live outside of Southeast will not be required to relocate to Southeast during the midst of the pandemic but must plan to relocate to Juneau by June of 2021.
• Candidates located outside Alaska may begin work remotely, given the pandemic, but must plan to relocate to Juneau by June of 2021.

More about Juneau, Alaska

Juneau, known by the Tlingit people as dzantik’i heeni, is the ancestral home of the Auk Kwaan and Taku Kwaan. It is also the state’s capital city. The greater Juneau borough is surrounded by the Tongass National Forest and is therefore rich with access to the outdoors, including fishing, hunting, foraging, kayaking, hiking, and skiing, among other activities. We have two public swimming pools, multiple fitness clubs, many city parks and libraries, and a variety of educational options for families of all ages. The community also has a vibrant arts community with numerous visual artists, dance troupes, theatre companies, two opera companies, chamber and symphony orchestras, a jazz and classics festival, and an annual folk music festival, as well as the State Museum and Sealaska Heritage Institute. The biennial Alaska Native cultural event “Celebration” is held every two years in Juneau and is a major social and cultural event, with the next slated to occur in summer 2021.

Our city is famous for its rainy and sometimes gray coastal climate, and is only accessible by air travel or the state ferry system, which are considerations for those contemplating a relocation from the Lower 48.

Application Process

Applications are due Nov. 10; first round interviews will be scheduled for the week of Nov. 16 and second round interviews will be the week of Nov. 23. Second round interview candidates will be required to supply three professional references. If this position is still posted on our website it hasn’t been filled — we will continue to accept and review applications until it is.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and a cover letter to Office Manager Linda Baumgartner at admin@seacc.org. The desired start date is no later than Jan. 4, 2021 and could be sooner, depending on the chosen candidate.

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