Alaska State Director

The Wilderness Society; Alaska; On-site; USD 120,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary $120k–$130k

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Sabbatical program

Paid vacation

Employer-provided dental/vision

Job summary

The Wilderness Society seeks an Alaska State Director to lead strategic priorities, oversee conservation campaigns, and strengthen partnerships with communities, Tribes, policymakers, and media. This role advances TWS’s mission to protect America’s wild places across Alaska—driving campaigns, stakeholder engagement, and cross‑functional collaboration to expand public lands protections.

This leader will cultivate relationships with Tribal leaders and diverse interests, collaborate with national

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in issue advocacy, campaigns, or public policy.
• Proven track record of building collaborations among diverse stakeholders.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and coalitions.
• Strong knowledge of Alaska public lands and conservation issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of strategic priorities in Alaska, including land designation, planning, and stewardship.
• Oversee projects to position TWS as a trusted collaborator with partners and decision makers.
• Engage with national staff on priorities and crosscutting issues impacting Alaska.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Public lands knowledge

Cross‑functional collaboration

Alaskan Native relations

Policy advocacy

Strategic thinking

Public speaking

Job description

The Wilderness Society is a national conservation organization dedicated to protecting America’s wild places since 1935. Our mission is to unite people to protect America’s wild places. Through science, advocacy and partnerships with communities and policymakers, we champion the protection of wilderness, national parks, forests, and other public lands that provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat and the freedom to connect with nature. For more information, visit www.wilderness.org.

Position Overview

The Alaska State Director will play a leading role in advancing our mission of uniting people to protect America’s wild places and our vision to create a future where people and wild nature flourish together, meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing planet. The Director plays a lead role in developing and overseeing implementation of TWS’ projects and initiatives within the state, striving to position TWS as a trusted collaborator with partners and decision makers including early and effective engagement with partners.This position will also cultivate existing relationships and further build a network to educate and influence decision‑makers, media outlets, and opinion leaders on TWS’ work and priorities in the state.

This position plays a critical role in fostering an organizational culture where people feel respected, included, and accountable to shared goals and outcomes. TWS has made it a priority to ensure that our public lands work reflects fairness, representation, and accessibility. This leader will carry those commitments into our Alaska work—expanding partnerships, strengthening community connections, and ensuring our work is responsive to a broad range of perspectives and needs. Across our team, we aspire to be campaign‑oriented, collaborative, innovative, transparent, and supportive of staff – our greatest asset.

• Lead the development and execution of strategic program priorities to advance TWS’ overarching goals and vision in Alaska, including engaging in conservation designation campaigns, land planning and stewardship activities, as well as participating in national policy efforts.
• Lead and/or oversee implementation of projects and initiatives in Alaska in order to position TWS as a trusted collaborator among partners and decision makers.
• Play a primary role in engaging with national staff on TWS national priorities and crosscutting issues that touch down in the state.
• Foster existing relationships and further build a network to educate and influence decision‑makers, media outlets, and opinion leaders on TWS’ work and priorities in the state.
• Work effectively with Tribal Leaders and communities and a wide range of diverse interests, including but not limited to elected officials, agency staff, lawyers, scientists, members of industry (e.g., timber, mining, etc.), user groups (e.g., recreationalists, sportsmen, etc.) and grassroots activists.
• Support TWS’ mission to unite people to protect America’s wild places and ensure that TWS’s public lands work is rooted in community and demonstrates fairness, representation, and accessibility for all in both our approach and its impact.
• Serve as a credible and trusted spokesperson for relevant media outlets in coordination with External Affairs staff.
• Lead effective engagement with government relations, research, agency policy, legal, communications, and fundraising experts at TWS to ensure our work in Alaska is well‑integrated with organizational priorities and fully utilizes TWS’ expertise and resources.
• Manage staff and/or contractors and provide leadership to internal multi‑disciplinary teams or external coalitions as needed.
• Working in partnership with Giving & Impact staff, support efforts to raise funds and deepen donor engagement, including, but not limited to contributing to written proposals and reports, developing key funder relationships, and representing TWS at donor events (virtual and in person).
• Adhere to all policies and procedures set forth by TWS (including, but not limited to, finance, human resources and legal) to maintain a compliant and efficient work environment.
• Travel as needed in support of mission‑critical activities (expected to be irregular, but up to 2-6 days per month on average, and may depend on location) to gain first‑hand knowledge of public lands, plan and attend events and site visits, and develop relationships with partners and key stakeholders throughout Alaska, occasionally in Washington, D.C., and other locations as necessary.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 10 years of experience working on or leading issue advocacy or political campaigns and/or working to advance public policy changes at the local, state or federal level.
• Proven track record of building and maintaining strong collaborations, relationships and networks among diverse stakeholders.
• Proven cultural competency and experience working with Alaskan Native people and communities and a solid understanding of Alaskan Native culture, traditions, tribal governments, and issues.
• Experience leading and managing teams representing a rich mix of talent, backgrounds, and perspectives. This includes a track record of successful recruitment, cultivation, and retention of highly skilled staff.
• Strong knowledge of public lands, environmental, and/or conservation issues in Alaska.
• Substantial project management experience and competency in cross‑organizational collaboration.
• Proven experience as an effective leader, capable of meaningful engagement with Alaskan Native leaders and communities and a wide range of diverse interests, including but not limited to elected officials, agency staff, lawyers, scientists, members of industry (e.g., timber, mining, etc.), user groups (e.g., recreationalists, sportsmen, etc.) and grassroots activists.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills that can be applied to complex conservation issues, partnerships, and coalitions.
• Strong strategic thinking skills and demonstrated ability to craft a compelling vision, set goals and priorities, and adapt as circumstances change.
• Good time management skills, with the ability to aptly balance short- and long‑term demands and meet deadlines with consistently high‑quality work.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to speak effectively in public with donors, partners, elected officials, and the media.
• Must exhibit integrity, trustworthiness, transparency, tact, and discretion.
• Ability to travel largely within Alaska but also to Washington, D.C., and other locations as necessary.

This position description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of experience, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.

The preferred location for this position is Anchorage, AK. Other locations in Alaska may be considered. The salary range for this position is $120,000-$130,000.

TWS offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

• health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, and pet insurance
• sick and vacation leave
• a sabbatical program
• a retirement plan with employer contribution subject to certain limits and requirements

TWS is an equal opportunity employer and actively works to ensure fair treatment of our employees and constituents across culture, socioeconomic status, race, marital or family situation, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, veteran status or sexual orientation.

As an organization, we aspire to being inclusive in the work that we do, and in the kind of organization we are. Internally, this means working as a team that listens to different points of view, recognizes the contributions of every employee and empowers each employee to bring their whole selves to work every day. Externally, this means ensuring that public lands are inclusive and welcoming, so that our shared wildlands can help people and nature to thrive. We are committed to equity throughout our work, which we define as our commitment to realizing the promise of our public lands and ensuring that all can share in their universal benefits.

To learn more about our commitment, please see http://wilderness.org/our-commitment-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-wilderness-society

Pursuant to applicable fair chance laws, TWS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.