Southern Region Director

National Forest Foundation (NFF) is pleased to offer a regular, full-time position that will lead restoration, conservation, recreation, and forest health programs across the Intermountain Region. The Southern Region Director will facilitate collaborative efforts, manage complex funding mechanisms, supervise program staff, and oversee NFF’s broader program work in the Intermountain Region.

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 Southern Region Director reports to the Senior Director of Conservation Programs. This is a leadership position responsible for developing, implementing, and managing conservation programs with the U.S. Forest Service, other state and federal agencies, communities, conservation NGOs, and private sector partners to support the NFF’s strategic initiatives and long‑term goals in working with National Forests across the Southern Region (VA, KY, AR, OK, TX, LA, MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, and Puerto Rico).

The Director will lead priority projects and will be responsible for supervising staff within the Southern Region.

• Oversee, advance, and continue to grow the NFF program of work across numerous National Forests in the Region.
• Build and develop a close and mutually beneficial relationship between the U.S. Forest Service, the NFF, and other state, federal, local government, and NGO partners in the Southern Region to implement effective forest health, wildfire mitigation, outdoor recreation, and community‑based conservation projects.
• Directly manage ongoing programs of work in the Southern Region including NFF’s role in the hurricane recovery efforts, recreation initiatives, and other community‑collaboration priorities.
• Develop new programs and support the implementation of conservation projects with public and private sector partners that support the NFF’s strategic initiatives and long‑term goals across the Southern Region.
• Directly supervise field staff positions and their respective programs of work within the Intermountain Region and provide oversight, coaching, and regular guidance for a broader team of staff across the Region.
• Provide guidance and coordination among NFF field staff positions within the Region and other integrated NFF positions to support the comprehensive delivery of NFF’s programs and services in the Intermountain Region.
• Organize, manage, and facilitate regular Southern Region team meetings, and develop processes and systems for effective and efficient operations across the Southern Region staff team.
• Expand the base of private sector supporters and partners by actively pursuing funding opportunities and creating new development opportunities.
• Support the development and management of program and project‑level budgets.
• Review and provide due diligence for incoming and outgoing grants, contracts, and agreements associated with the program of work in the Southern Region.
• Effectively communicate with and engage the public in caring for their National Forests and Grasslands through community‑based conservation initiatives.
• Maintain a breadth of knowledge about current trends, emerging issues, policy interventions, and innovations in the field of conservation programming to enhance the NFF strategic efficacy.
• Serving as a point of contact in conservation and development activities in the Southern Region.

• Postgraduate degree in a natural resources‑related field, or equivalent experience.
• Five to ten years…