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Fire Learning Network Manager

This job is no longer available

Durham, NC, USA
Full-time

The Fire Learning Network (FLN) Project Manager will be a member of the North America Fire Initiative team, which leads the North America Region’s Living with Fire priority strategy and administers the Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together Phase II: Collaborative Engagement, Collective Action and Co-ownership of Fire (PERFACT II) Cooperative Agreement between TNC, USDA Forest Service and the Department of Interior agencies. This agreement supports four national learning networks - the FLN, the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network, the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network (IPBN), and a Coaches Network to support the Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (TREX) - as well as other training, capacity-building and targeted implementation work. These networks and strategies touch down through people and place in 30 states, including at least 26 national forests, and are led by staff from over 70 organizations.

Since 2002, our team and partners have led the way in making progress on the three interconnected goals now embodied in the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. From coast to coast, we support site-based practitioners, scientists, traditional ecological knowledge keepers and communities who are working together to increase the capacity and social capital needed to make ecosystems and communities more resilient to wildfire. Our work creates conditions for local people to be empowered and navigate their own pathway toward a better relationship with fire, while we connect them with other people, programs, tools and ideas that they can adapt and use to tackle their challenges. We learn from their work—carrying their lessons to other people and places to advance change at larger scales. Our portfolio is implemented in partnership with staff from the Watershed Research and Training Center, the University of California Cooperative Extension, the Conservancy’s Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team and the USDA Forest Service’s Landscapes and Partnerships Program

Areas of Responsibility: 

The FLN Project Manager works with TNC staff, key sub-recipients, and agency and private partners to coordinate and support a U.S. Fire Learning Network of 10-15 multi-landscape regional networks, 30-40 landscape collaboratives and associated innovative projects. Fire Learning Networks are composed of multi-stakeholder project teams working collaboratively to accelerate the restoration of landscapes that depend on fire to sustain both natural and human communities. The FLN Project Manager serves as an advisor and coach to project teams on effective strategy, integrated fire management, restoration, resilience, collaboration skills, and conservation planning issues. 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE 

  • Manage annual request for proposals, work plan development and budget allocations for FLN regional networks, large landscapes and innovative projects.
  • Liaise with FLN regional network and landscape leaders on routine basis, assist with work planning and reporting, and travel for in-person support as needed.
  • Provide leadership in design and facilitation of FLN workshop objectives, agendas, work assignments and evaluations, including planning annual network leaders workshop.    
  • Work with regional FLN leaders and agency partners to communicate best practices and key lessons learned through presentations, workshop summaries, working papers, peer-reviewed journal articles, blogs, social media or other publications. 
  • Assist with preparation of annual workplan and budget for FLN and other PERFACT networks and strategies.
  • Prepare semi-annual and other routine reporting and summarization of FLN accomplishments and track progress of fiscal and programmatic goals. 
  • Support growth of Burned Area Learning Network and strategies to improve post-fire preparedness and response from a single-state pilot to multiple geographies.  
  • Prepare and manage contracts and agreements for services.
  • Develop network evaluation projects (such as social network analysis) and other feedback opportunities. 
  • Work behind the scenes to empower and enable members to lead the network
Educational Background: 
Bachelor’s Degree in natural or social sciences and 5 years of professional experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. 
Skills/Experience: 
  • Experience managing projects and budgets independently.
  • Experience developing relationships with team members that are geographically dispersed.
  • Experience with administrative skills including planning, administering, and recording results of work-team meetings and activities. 
  • Experience with Microsoft Office suite.  

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • 7-10 years’ experience in conservation practice, natural resources management and network building.  
  • Experience working with natural communities, ecosystems, ecosystem processes and the restoration of fire adapted ecosystems.
  • Experience with cloud-based storage systems such as Google Drive or Box. Familiarity with cloud-based collaborative platforms and project management workspaces such as Podio or Trello.   
  • Ability and willingness to travel regionally or nationally 10-12 times per year.
  • Excellent active listening, and verbal and written communication skills. 
  • Commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Experience with workshop design, meeting facilitation and event planning. 
  • Experience facilitating connection and collaboration within and across diverse groups of people.
  • Experience proactively sharing information and knowledge across a broad and diverse membership using relationships, technology, and other tools.
  • Demonstrated success leading collaborative projects that have produced tangible conservation results. 
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities, with assignments sometimes coming from a number of sources and work independently.
  • Knowledge of current trends and practices in network theory, facilitative leadership and collaborative strategic planning including the Open Standards for the Practices of Conservation.
  • Firefighter Type II certification (or ability to obtain) including Introduction to ICS (I-100), Human Factors on the Fireline (L-180), Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior (S-190), Firefighting Training (S-130), and one training burn serving under the supervision of a qualified FFT2.  Specifics can be found in the Conservancy Fire Management Manual at: http://www.tncfiremanual.org.

Organization Info

Nature Conservancy

Overview
Headquarters: 
Arlington, VA, United States
Annual Budget : 
More than $500M
Founded: 
1954
About Us
Mission: 

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Our vision is a world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives.

How do we achieve this mission and vision?

Through the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff, including more than 600 scientists, all of whom impact conservation in 69 countries.

With the help of our many partners, from individuals and governments to local nonprofits and corporations.

By using a non-confrontational, collaborative approach and staying true to our five unique core values.

That's how The Nature Conservancy has done more than anyone else to advance conservation around the world since our founding in 1951.

Listing Stats

Post Date: 
Mar 27 2019
Active Until: 
Apr 27 2019
Hiring Organization: 
Nature Conservancy
industry: 
Nonprofit