Grazing for Birds Program Leader
Title: Grazing for Birds Program Leader
Supervisor: Central Regional Director
Location: Flexible within the Great Plains (Texas to Montana/North Dakota)
Salary: Estimated at $92,000*; Based on experience
Term of Position: May 2026 to May 2031; This position is supported through outside funding commitments and is subject to periodic reviews to confirm the continuation of funding. The role may include collaboration with our Development team to help ensure sustained support; however, ongoing employment is contingent upon the availability of grant funding and partner commitments
Application Deadline: May 8, 2026; Open until filled.
Position Summary:
This is a limited term position with American Bird Conservancy (ABC). American Bird Conservancy is a fast-growing, results-focused nonprofit seeking employees with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to make a difference for birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Inspired by the wonder of birds, ABC achieves lasting results for the bird species most in need while also benefiting human communities, biodiversity, and the planet’s fragile climate.
We’re looking for someone to lead a large, multi-year effort focused on grazing and grassland resilience across the Great Plains. This role brings together strategy, coordination, and day-to-day leadership for a seven-year project working across more than 400,000 acres of working lands.
The Program Leader will support a growing, geographically distributed team and build strong, respectful relationships with ranchers, partners, and agencies. This is a role for someone who can move between big-picture planning and on-the-ground work—whether that’s helping a team think through implementation challenges, meeting directly with producers, or making sure conservation practices are working as intended in the field.
Why this job matters:
Grassland birds are among the fastest-declining groups of birds in North America, and much of their future depends on how working lands are managed. This role sits at the intersection of conservation and ranching—supporting healthier grasslands, resilient operations, and thriving bird populations.
This is a rare opportunity to help build and shape a grassland conservation program at scale—working with a strong foundation, but with real room to influence how the work grows, how teams operate, and how conservation is delivered across the Great Plains.
Project Overview:
This project builds on ABC’s established approach to large-scale grassland conservation. By working alongside ranchers and partners, we aim to improve outcomes for birds, vegetation, rangeland health, and rural livelihoods across one of North America’s most threatened ecosystems.
Over seven years, the project will support grazing and grassland management across more than 400,000 acres (including over 150,000 acres in the first three years), with benefits for wildlife habitat, soil health, water resilience, and working lands.
Primary Duties:
Project Leadership & Coordination
- Provide overall leadership for the project, coordinating strategy, implementation, and delivery of outcomes
- Work with leadership and grants staff to manage budgets, timelines, and reporting
- Contribute to proposal development and reporting, and engage with funders, including corporate partners
- Keep project work aligned with ABC’s BirdScapes framework and partner priorities
Staff Support & Team Development
- Supervise and support a team that may include a Project Manager, Grazing Specialists, and contract staff
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive team culture across a multi-state program
- Support staff growth through mentorship, shared problem-solving, and field-based learning
Rancher & Partner Relationships
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with ranchers and land managers
- Engage directly with producers when helpful, bringing practical experience in grazing systems and conservation
- Coordinate with partners such as NRCS, BLM, state agencies, Joint Ventures, NGOs, and universities
Conservation Delivery & Technical Guidance
- Guide implementation of adaptive grazing and grassland management practices
- Support staff and partners in connecting producers with Farm Bill, state, and NGO programs, as well as manage Financial Assistance resources through ABC.
- Ensure practices are implemented and documented through site visits, photos, and other tools as appropriate
Monitoring, Data & Learning
- Oversee tracking of conservation practices, acres, and outcomes
- Coordinate bird, vegetation, and soil monitoring where applicable
- Support clear, timely reporting to funders, partners, and ABC leadership
Position Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in rangeland management, wildlife biology, ecology, agriculture, or a related field—or equivalent lived and professional experience
- 7–10 years of experience in grassland conservation, grazing management, or working lands conservation (graduate work can count toward this)
- Experience coordinating complex projects with multiple partners across large geographies
- Working knowledge of grazing systems, rangeland ecology, and conservation on private lands especially through technical assistance and financial assistance programs
- Experience building trust and working with ranchers and rural communities
- Experience supporting or leading teams
- Strong organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills
- Willingness and ability to travel regularly across the Great Plains
- All remote and hybrid employees are required to have a stable and high-speed internet service provider in place prior to beginning work for ABC. Our distributed work force relies heavily on cloud technologies, Zoom, and other automations to successfully complete our day to day work. The ideal speeds are 30-40 Mbps for downloads and 10-15 Mbps for uploads.
- You may be required to use your personal cell phone to access ABC systems remotely.
- Authorized to work in the US or Permanent Resident
- Occasional air and car travel may be required with this position.
- Background screening required
Preferred Experience
- Advanced degree in a related field
- Experience with Farm Bill programs (e.g., EQIP, CSP) or similar state programs
- Familiarity with monitoring, verification, or adaptive management approaches
- Experience working in Joint Ventures or other large landscape initiatives
Salary
Estimated at $92,000*; Based on experience
Benefits:
American Bird Conservancy fosters a mission-driven, collaborative, and supportive workplace where staff are respected, empowered, and connected by a shared purpose. ABC offers strong benefits, a 35-hour work week, generous leave policies, and flexible, remote-friendly work arrangements that support a healthy work-life balance.
- Excellent benefits package includes medical, dental, flexible spending accounts, and employer-matched retirement savings, flexible schedule, etc.
- Paid vacation days (starting at 15 days annually and increasing to 20 days after 1 year of employment), paid holidays (including both US holidays and additional ABC holidays) and sick leave.
- Lodging, meals, and transportation covered for work-related travel away from home where applicable.
- Rental vehicle or personal mileage reimbursement where applicable.
To Apply:
Please apply online at Paylocity: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/4091693/America...
If you have any difficulties uploading your resume and cover letter, then please send them as ONE document to [email protected]
* American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is committed to promoting fairness and equity in all partnerships. We collaborate with external partners to advocate for competitive and equitable funding rates in future agreements.
At American Bird Conservancy, we believe that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills makes us more effective. We are committed to creating a respectful and inclusive work environment for all of our employees.
As an equal opportunity employer, ABC is committed to ensuring that employees and applicants for employment have equal opportunities regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other factor unrelated to the requirements of the position.