Wildfire Strategies Program Manager

Title: Wildfire Strategies Program Manager

Location: Sacramento CA US

Type: Full-time

Workplace: Fully remote

Job Description:

ABOUT Resources Legacy Fund (RLF):

Resources Legacy Fund (RLF) builds alliances that advance bold solutions to secure a just and resilient world for people and nature. We design and carry out programs and projects that promote smart policies, secure equitable public funding, and build strong constituencies for protecting nature, addressing the climate crisis, and advancing environmental equity and justice. Since RLF’s founding in 2000, we have partnered with philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, community groups, government, business, and academia to protect more than five million acres of land and ocean spaces, advance critical climate and environmental justice policies, and generate more than $30 billion in new public funding for conservation, equitable outdoor access, and climate initiatives.

We believe strategic philanthropy and thoughtful partnerships can achieve enduring, equitable outcomes at scale. Philanthropic partners trust us to manage complex, multi-year policy campaigns and philanthropic initiatives. As a grantmaker, we offer beyond-the-dollar support to strengthen grantees’ ability to meet ambitious goals. We also serve as fiscal sponsor to more than 20 projects across the nation and around the world that are doing remarkable work to advance biodiversity protection, climate resilience and mitigation, and justice and equity outcomes.

Our success is integrally tied to social equity, community health, economic opportunity, and a strong democracy. To safeguard our achievements to date and help prepare a favorable environment to face the daunting threat of climate change, we helped launch two partner organizations: Fund for a Better Future, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, and Shared Ascent Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity, to work in the intersecting areas of democracy, environment, health, and equity.

We are a multi-disciplinary team of political strategists, coalition builders, grant makers, communicators, and administrative professionals intently focused on delivering results. We are headquartered in Sacramento, California, with staff distributed across the country.

POSITION SUMMARY:

About the Wildfire Program:RLF’s Wildfire program supports policy change and increased public funding for wildfire resilience in communities and ecosystems across the Western United States. Our program engages in grantmaking, coalition-building, policy development, advocacy, and capacity-building. We work at the federal level and in California, Washington, Colorado, and Montana.

The Position: We are seeking Program Managers to provide programmatic support across RLF’s wildfire resilience initiatives. Program Manager duties span a range of activities and include building wildfire expertise, overseeing grants and contracts, contributing to strategy development, creating communications materials, participating in coalitions, planning events, and managing projects.

Role Flexibility: Each Program Manager will not necessarily be required to fulfill all listed duties and responsibilities. We look forward to learning more about candidates’ specific strengths and interests through the application process to determine the best fit and division of responsibilities.

This position is full-time and exempt. This is a remote position with preference for a home base in the Western U.S. The Program Manager will be required to travel domestically on occasion.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Management and Development

• Oversee and improve program management for the team. This includes creating and implementing systems to ensure the team is meeting milestones and deadlines on significant projects, budget management support, and management of tracking and reporting toward program progress.
• Organize virtual meetings of staff and consultants. Work with staff to research, prepare, and assemble materials for meetings. Facilitate meetings where appropriate. Ensure that meetings have clear agendas, timelines, and outcomes. Ensure that necessary materials are circulated in advance of meetings.
• Organize annual in-person team retreats.
• With support from consultants, plan and execute on larger convenings of RLF grantees and collaborators.
• Assist in creating dockets and appropriate materials for presentations (including reports, maps, tables, graphs, database reports, and PowerPoint presentations) to the Board, partners, and funders.
• Coordinate with staff to develop internal and external written program materials (e.g., one-pagers, presentations, program summaries or reports, etc.).
• Support program staff with strategic planning and program development and implementation.
• Provide occasional scheduling support for colleagues.

Project Implementation Support

• Remain current on emerging issues and trends in the wildfire resilience field.
• Support, participate in, and/or staff (consultation, facilitation, convening, etc.) wildfire resilience policy coalitions and other collaborative efforts.
• Represent RLF’s wildfire team at in-person convenings as needed to fulfill duties.
• Perform policy research and analysis and prepare and review documents as requested. Ensure the accuracy and quality of written products.

Grants and Contracts Management

• Manage a portfolio of grants and contracts and coordinate with other staff in managing program budgets.
• Assist in refining grantmaking strategies, designing grants and contracts, conducting due diligence, and working with potential grantees and contractors to develop proposals and scopes of work.

• Facilitate and coordinate the grant reporting process with grantees, including establishing and maintaining data collection systems and facilitating processes for staff contributions.
• Synthesize grantee reports and work with staff to develop grant reports for funders that document project and program activities, progress, outcomes, and impacts achieved.
• Support staff in maintaining grant files and documentation systems.
• Review and provide feedback on funder and grantee proposals managed by colleagues, upon request.

Other

• Performs other duties and special projects as assigned.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Note: These qualifications are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, so if you have 75% of the qualifications listed, we encourage you to apply.  Experience can include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work and lived experiences that helped you to build the competencies, knowledge, and skills needed for this position. Applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.

Issue Area Expertise

• Expertise (3+ years) in western wildfire resilience, conservation, climate change, or related fields.
• Comfortable and eager to work within a complex policy, stakeholder, and political space, and familiar with the environmental challenges and opportunities facing the West.
• Commitment and ability to quickly develop expertise on land management and community risk aspects of wildfire resilience.
• Commitment to and interest in learning policy development, advocacy, and implementation skills. Previous experience with public policy and funding a plus.

Core Work Standards

• Strong work ethic, good judgement, attention to detail, and a consistent commitment to thoroughness and quality.
• Positive attitude and a commitment to being part of and building a positive work environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, collaborate well with others, and can represent and speak on behalf of RLF with audiences including policymakers, donors, grantees, and consultants.

Program and Project Management and Organization

• Exceptional project management and organizational skills.
• Creative and flexible self-starter who can anticipate and respond to rapidly changing priorities, objectives, and situations.
• Ability to work effectively on teams and across program matrices.
• Ability to develop timelines and track milestones.
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and facilitate meetings. Experience planning and executing larger meetings (75+) a plus.
• Experience with administering or managing grants or contracts a plus.

Strategic and Analytical Skills

• Aptitude for creating and implementing programmatic processes aligned with organizational policies and procedures.  Approach work with an eye for process improvement and systems thinking.
• Comfort with identifying solutions to complex problems.
• Ability to develop, improve upon, and track programmatic progress and outcomes.

Communications and Writing

• Demonstrated experience managing and organizing extensive documentation and written information.
• Ability to analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources into a lucid, cohesive written product, with an understanding of tone, style, and audience.
• Outstanding editing skills. Critical eye for grammar, punctuation, and syntax.

 

TRAVEL: Western-US based candidates preferred. Position includes occasional travel to locations across the West. 

Commitment to Nondiscrimination

We are committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination, where all team members feel valued, respected, and included. We know that our work is enriched by the varied voices and perspectives of every staff and board member, so we are committed to making an earnest effort to recruit, welcome, train, develop, and retain talented individuals from all backgrounds. We believe that a welcoming culture expands our creative capacity to do our work and achieve greater outcomes for people and the natural world.

Compensation and Benefits

Starting salary of $92,000 to $107,000. We have an alternate Fridays off work schedule (employees work 40 hours one week, 32 hours the next week) and offer a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan with a 5% match, and generous paid time off. RLF also offers a technology allowance, student loan repayment assistance, the Calm app, mental health benefits and approximately 17 paid holidays per year.