WA Conservation Transactions Director

nature; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The Nature Conservancy in Washington is seeking a WA Conservation Transactions Director to lead a critical team and drive alignment of conservation transactions with organizational priorities.

You will provide real estate and transaction expertise to resolve community concerns, represent the organization in external negotiations, and guide project teams through planning, negotiation, and implementation of conservation transactions.

Responsibilities

• Design, coordinate, and execute complex conservation transactions across all program areas to conserve lands with climate resilience and biodiversity benefits.
• Serve as principal project manager or lead negotiator on transactions with government agencies, other conservation groups, Tribes, and private entities.
• Advise conservation staff and partners on applying transactional tools to advance conservation outcomes.
• Collaborate with conservation, legal, finance, government relations, marketing, philanthropy, and science teams to deploy protection approaches, including policy initiatives and community-led conservation.
• Assist in securing public and private funds for land protection by supporting fundraising, donor engagements, and by preparing grant proposals and reports.
• Research land ownership information for potential acquisition projects, respond to inquiries, screen projects, and prepare project approval packages.
• Support portfolio adjustments of lands assets (conservation easements, preserves) by coordinating with leadership to approve real estate projects and complete transactions.

Job description

What We Can Achieve Together:

The Washington Conservation Transactions Director manages the Conservation Transactions Team in planning, coordinating and implementing real estate and other conservation transactions for The Nature Conservancy's Washington Business Unit and supporting transactions within the Western U.S. and Canada Division. They use the full range of protection tools (gift, easement, purchase, lease registry, conservation brokerage and cooperative projects) with public and private partners as appropriate to build and maintain conservation area systems that are: (1) ecologically representative and climate resilient, (2) effectively managed to deliver conservation outcomes, (3) durable because of sustainable finance, policies, and the commitment of stakeholders/rightsholders, and (4) inclusive in providing voice, authority and benefit to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

We're Looking for You:

The Nature Conservancy is working toward a future where all people benefit equally from clean air and water, and our most critical lands and waters are connected, protected, and managed to sustain nature and communities in the face of climate change. As WA Conservation Transactions Director, you are responsible for leading a key functional team while engaging collaboratively and cooperatively with a broad range of staff and leaders to collectively advance conservation priorities in Washington state and beyond. You will drive alignment of conservation transaction efforts towards organizational priorities and provide real estate and transactions expertise to resolve legal, neighbor or community concerns associated with our land portfolio. You will represent the organization on transactions with external audiences, building authentic relationships with partners and serve on project teams to plan, negotiate, and implement transactions. We seek a candidate who embodies a strong spirit of collaboration and relationship building, possesses adept project management skills, and demonstrates creative problem-solving abilities, all while bringing a methodical and comprehensive approach to spearheading our conservation transactions. Through this work, you'll play a significant role in TNC's ambitious goals for a better future for people and nature.

Essential functions include:

Manage and Execute Conservation Transactions (50%)

• Design, coordinate, and execute complex and innovative conservation transactions across all program areas to conserve and steward lands for increased climate resiliency and biodiversity.
• Serve as the principal project manager and/or lead negotiator on complex transactions with government agencies, other conservation organizations, Tribes, and private individuals and entities.
• Support/advise conservation staff and partners on the application and adaptation of transactional tools for advancing conservation outcomes.
• Work closely with conservation, legal, finance, government relations, marketing, philanthropy, and science teams in deployment of the full range of protection approaches the Conservancy uses, including policy initiatives, community-led conservation, land protection transactions and preserve transfers.
• Assist in securing public and private funds for land protection by supporting TNC's fundraising efforts, participating in donor engagements, meetings, and proposals, and by preparing public grant proposals and reports.
• Research land ownership information for tracts identified as potential acquisition projects, respond to protection inquiries, screen potential projects, and prepare and steward project approval packages through internal approval processes, as appropriate.
• Support efforts to adjust our portfolio of lands assets (conservation easements, preserves, and other lands TNC manages) by working with organizational leadership to approve real estate projects and complete transactions.

Relationship Building and External Collaboration (25%)

• Represent the Conservancy in relationships and negotiations with stakeholders/ rightsholders, working collaboratively to improve decisions, transparency, and strengthen bilateral commitments.
• Build and sustain relationships with conservation partners including Tribes to implement and achieve the Conservancy's conservation priorities.
• Partner with Community Relations Managers to engage local community support for conservation efforts.

Team Management (25%)

• Manage a team of 2-3 professional staff and team budget, ensuring clear performance expectations and alignment with organizational priorities.
• Manage overall workflow of the transactions team to ensure effective coordination and support for priority work, while ensuring sustainable workloads for team members.
• Build a team culture of innovation, learning, co