Conservation Programs - Special Projects Lead

National Forest Foundation (NFF) is pleased to offer a part-time (no more than 30 hrs./week) position that supports Conservation Program leadership with strategic operations and high-priority special projects.

About the NFF: As the official national partner to the US Forest Service (USFS), the National Forest Foundation was chartered by Congress in 1990. Today, the NFF advances forest resiliency, healthy watersheds and wildlife habitat, and recreation for all by working with communities and organizations across the country. The Foundation has grown significantly in the last few years in programmatic impact, revenue and support, and organizational capacity. NFF leads with impact, deploying roughly 90% of its expenses towards projects and programs across the country’s 193-million-acre National Forest System. NFF is forward-thinking and innovative, with ambitious strategies and goals to advance and prepare forests for a new economy.?

Position Function: The Special Projects Lead for Conservation Programs serves as a strategic and operational partner to the Chief Conservation Officer and conservation leadership team at the National Forest Foundation. This role leads high-priority special projects that advance conservation goals, supports cross-functional execution, and helps ensure that complex initiatives move from concept to completion. The Special Projects Lead helps drive coordination, project management, leadership communications, and organizational effectiveness for NFF’s Conservation programs, advancing wildfire resilience, land and watershed restoration, and recreation enhancement.

Position Duties and Responsibilities: The Special Projects Lead is expected to: 

• Partner with the Chief Conservation Officer and conservation leadership team to identify, prioritize, and advance high-impact special projects and strategic initiatives.
• Develop and manage systems that improve communication, accountability, and decision-making across the Conservation team.
• Prepare briefing materials, presentations, agendas, and talking points for internal meetings, board interactions, partner engagements, and external events.
• Facilitate project planning and leadership coordination meetings by shaping agendas, documenting action items, monitoring progress, and surfacing risks or bottlenecks early.
• Lead and manage special projects that support organizational growth, conservation impact, and operational excellence, ensuring clear objectives, timelines, ownership, and successful delivery.
• Facilitate the development of systems and processes that capture qualitative and quantitative metrics that help internal and external audiences understand the NFF’s conservation impacts.
• Collaborate with advancement and program staff to cultivate corporate relationships, shape partnership concepts and proposals, and secure financial contributions that align business sustainability objectives with measurable conservation outcomes.
• Represent conservation leadership in selected meetings and partnerships, and help maintain strong relationships with public agencies, nonprofit partners, funders, and community stakeholders.
• Support preparation for strategic planning, annual budgeting, team retreats, and other organizational planning processes.

Education and Qualifications: NFF expects the Special Projects Lead to possess the following educational and experiential qualifications:

• Commitment to conservation, public lands, and the mission of the National Forest Foundation.
• Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, public administration, nonprofit management, business, natural resources, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit leadership, conservation programs, strategy, operations, project management, or a related field.
• Experience in conservation, forestry, land management, watershed restoration, wildfire resilience, outdoor recreation, or closely related fields.
• Experience working with federal or state agencies, especially in partnership-oriented environments.
• Demonstrated success leading complex special projects and managing cross-functional initiatives from planning through execution.
• Strong understanding of organizational strategy, operational systems, and performance management in a mission-driven environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations, plans, and presentations.
• Exceptional project management, organizational, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and ability to handle sensitive or confidential information with professionalism.
• Ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across teams, functions, and external partners.
• Familiarity with nonprofit fundraising, grants management, donor reporting, or public-private partnerships.
• Experience supporting distributed teams and leading change management or process improvement efforts.

Travel: This position requires occasional domestic travel to attend meetings, trainings, convenings, and related events. The travel estimate for this position is up to 10% per year.

Location: The location for this position is flexible throughout the lower 48 continental United States. This position is a remote/work-from-home position and requires reliable internet access and a dedicated workspace.

Compensation: Compensation: NFF offers a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects our total rewards strategy. The starting salary range for this position is $90,000 to $101,250, with the ability to grow based on performance outcomes over time and assessed annually. 

Benefits: NFF is proud to offer our staff: 

Health and Wellness:

• Medical and dental insurance paid at 75% by the organization for you and any dependents. 
• Vision insurance paid 50% by the organization for you and any dependents. 
• Health savings account (HSA) with employer contributions between $1,878-$3,750 per year, predicated on coverage type. 
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA). 
• Employee assistance program (EAP) at no cost. 

Financial Wellbeing:

• 403(b) retirement plan with a 5% employer match after one (1) year of service. 
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance at no cost. 
• Basic life and AD&D insurance at no cost, with voluntary life insurance options. 
• Whole life insurance at a discounted rate

Flexibility and time off:

• Employees start with 35 days of annual leave, sick leave, personal leave and holidays (annual leave accrual rates increase with years of service) 
• Family & medical leave for up to sixteen (16) weeks with up to four (4) weeks paid. 

Personal Development:

• Training & Development Programs  
• Professional development reimbursement for up to $1,000 per year. 

Journey of a Lifetime:

• The opportunity to support an incredible mission and travel to / work in spectacular locations.

To Apply: Applications must include both a cover letter and resume. Incomplete packages will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting will close on September 28, 2026, or earlier if filled. Please visit our careers site to apply online.

The National Forest Foundation is an equal opportunity employer – meaning we provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law. Further, we prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, and termination. We strive to foster a work environment where every individual is respected, valued, and treated fairly. This statement reflects our unwavering dedication to fairness, respect, and equality in employment practices and sets the foundation for a positive work environment.