SARSI Program Associate Coordinator

Overview

Description National Forest Foundation (NFF) is pleased to offer an exempt, full-time position to a candidate who will be an integral part of the NFF field team working with partners to restore imperiled ecosystems and implement forest restoration in the Southern Appalachians, providing strategic collaboration, content, and overall program support.

About the NFF As the official national partner to the US Forest Service (USFS), the National Forest Foundation was chartered by Congress in 1993. 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.

The NFF, in partnership with the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI) and the United States Forest Service (USFS), requires focused capacity to expand the pace and scale spruce restoration work across Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee on federal, state, tribal and private lands. The SASRI Associate Coordinator will support SASRI coordination and restoration project implementation. The Associate Coordinator will report to, and work closely and take direction from, NFF’s Southern Appalachian Program Manager, and SASRI leadership.

The Coordinator will work with NFF staff across other departments as needed.

• Assist with and participate in SASRI meetings to maintain group cohesion and progress, including agenda development, meeting preparation, meeting facilitation, note taking, resource gathering, and follow up by tracking action items, deliverables, and commitments established during the meeting.
• Support in-field restoration project coordination and implementation
• Manage document sharing platform (Box folders and/or SASRI website in conjunction with website holder), including updating SASRI member records, uploading meeting notes, and adding resources brought up during meetings.
• Coordinate and organize update of 2014 SASRI Red Spruce Restoration Plan.
• Lead and coordinate grant writing among SASRI partners.
• Facilitate SASRI Sky Island Team and Sub-Committee meetings and their implementation of the SASRI Restoration Plan.
• Coordinate restoration planning among several public land management agencies (USFS, NPS, NC state agencies), and the spruce restoration initiative in the central Appalachians.

NFF expects the SASRI Program Associate Coordinator to possess the following educational and experiential qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, natural resource management, forestry, planning, public policy, or related field.
• A minimum of three (3) years’ experience with proven results in community outreach, partnership development and forest restoration and/or land management.
• Proven results in facilitation, program support and coordination, and/or partnership development.
• Prefer familiarity with U.S. Forest Service land management policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

NFF expects the Conservation Southern Appalachians Red Spruce Restoration Associate Coordinator to possess the following proven abilities and skills:

• Ability to work with a wide range of people with differing and sometimes conflicting opinions, and to always maintain neutrality.
• Ability to work independently, managing a variety of projects and tasks effectively, with minimal oversight, in a remote environment.
• Ability to represent the NFF with diverse partners and donors clearly and professionally through excellent written and oral communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build collaborative and partner relationships by communicating the NFF mission and Conservation Connect Program…