Sr Mgr, Canopies & Corridors

Department: Forest Restoration 
Reports To: Director, Texas and Mexico 
Location: Remote in Texas
FLSA Category: Exempt 
Application Deadline: February 2, 2025 

ABOUT US
American Forests is a national non-profit organization committed to creating healthy and resilient forests from cities to wilderness, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife. We advance our mission through forestry innovation, place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests, and movement building. We envision a world in which the significant environmental, societal and economic benefits of forests are fully realized and equitably available to all people. Established in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national non-profit conservation organization in the U.S. working to restoring urban forests and forested landscapes for nearly 150 years.  

American Forests is proud to be a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible workplace. These are our shared values. We welcome individuals who bring a variety of backgrounds and experiences to be a part of our team to help make a difference individually and collectively as we work toward achieving our mission. We are committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming and respectful and provides opportunities for advancement and professional growth for every team member.  

POSITION SUMMARY 

Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is an ecological convergence of coastal, desert, and tropical influences amidst a vibrant frontera community of more than 2.5 million residents on the US-Mexico border. The Valley’s native subtropical thornforests are one of the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems in North America with over 300 butterfly species recorded within the 4-county area (for reference this is 60% of the total butterfly species found in the entire US) and similarly, at over 500 bird species, the region’s reputation as a hotspot for avian diversity has been widely acclaimed for generations. Unfortunately, more than 90% of this habitat has been lost in the past century to agricultural and, increasingly, urban development. To stem this loss American Forests has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the past 25 years to replant over 2 million seedlings on national wildlife refuge lands. However, to address the increasing number and complexity of ecosystem threats, our regional conservation focus has evolved to include coalition-building with the establishment of the Thornforest Conservation Partnership (TCP) in 2019, development of a climate-resilience strategy to guide thornforest habitat restoration and joint creation of the Thornforest Conservation Plan, the TCP’s science-based vision for scaling restoration in the Valley. 

American Forests’ footprint in South Texas has also recently expanded into turnkey, project-based restoration on public lands, reforestation pipeline development (e.g., seed collection from 30+ species), environmental literacy programming for underserved residents and community forest development with local governments. In consideration for the region’s unique conservation challenges, we believe that innovating at the intersection of these programmatic cornerstones will advance both ecological and community resilience in the Valley for generations to come. 

The Senior Manager, Canopies and Corridors is a full-time, permanent position that will be responsible for developing community-serving green infrastructure assets in the Valley. This individual will champion creation of community forests, green corridors and other nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation that emphasize landscape connectivity and ecosystem resilience within the Valley’s fragmented landscape. This position will receive support and supervision from American Forests’ regional, Texas-based staff and additional guidance from USFWS staff based at the South Texas National Wildlife Refuge Complex and other regional partners. 

Frequent travel between sites in the Valley is expected (up to 40%). 

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS 

This position has no supervisory requirement. 

American Forests is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to provide access to all individuals along the continuum of human ability and experience.  

Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran/LGBTQ+ 
In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than English.