• Job Description

  Req#: 479116

  The National Parks Conservation Association seeks a Senior Regional Director for the Midwest region – the Midwest region has the greatest number of states among NPCA’s 11 regional offices, spanning 11 states that are home to 52 national park sites. The Midwest Senior Regional Director position is a powerful platform from which an innovative, visionary and dynamic person can shape national policy, protect national parks, drive conservation strategy and outcomes, mentor and grow the leadership of the regional staff, participate at a higher level in the departmental operations, and continue to build on and establish unique authentic relationships with communities and leaders in the region.

  Organizational Background

  With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is the voice of America’s national parks, working to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations. Since 1919 NPCA has been advocating for the national parks on the ground, in the courtroom and on Capitol Hill. Working through national headquarters in Washington, D.C. and 11 regional offices nationwide, NPCA calls on program and policy experts, committed volunteers, staff lobbyists, community organizers and communications specialists to inform and inspire the public and to influence decision makers to ensure that our national parks are well protected.

  The Senior Midwest Director Position

  The Midwest region contains remarkable natural and cultural resources and stories protected and interpreted by the National Park Service. These parks protect the beauty and remaining wildness of the Great Lakes and northern Prairies, incredible human history spanning thousands of years into the present, and important and difficult stories about the history of our nation. NPCA works to protect and enhance these remarkable places through advocacy work, campaigns and building community.

  The Senior Regional Director is a leader in the region and within NPCA, responsible for setting vision, prioritization, guidance and empowerment of staff. The Senior Regional Director works in partnership with communications and development departments and brings forward their own unique contributions and lived experience to support partners, community, and continue to build and strengthen NPCA’s culture. The person in this position will also serve at a leadership level in the Regional Program Department, with heightened levels of expectations related to fundraising, mentorship, management, and strategic thinking.

  The diversity of this region’s parks means that the staff might spend one day fighting for the continued survival of wolves in the wilderness of Isle Royale National Park and the next day working to improve public transit at Chicago’s first national park, Pullman National Historical Park. Because parks do not exist in isolation, the Midwest team works with the National Park Service and many landowners to protect parks in their landscapes. For example, at Indiana Dunes National Park on the shores of Lake Michigan, NPCA brings public and private land managers together to solve conservation challenges such as controlling invasive species and managing wildlife and nature in the highly industrialized landscape in light of staff shortages and a lack of funding. In the urban environment, after advocating diligently for the designation of Pullman, the team is working with hundreds of Chicago residents, businesses and government agencies to implement the award-winning vision, Positioning Pullman.

  The Midwest regional team is based in Chicago, with field offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Suttons Bay, Michigan. The Midwest regional team includes five professional staff. NPCA has recently been recognized as a top workplace by an independent firm – a fact reinforced by the longevity of employees. The Midwest team is supported by a regional council that is designed to provide an avenue for counsel, leadership and support for regional and national initiatives.

  Essential Functions

  Leadership and support of Midwest Region (70% of time):

  • Lead, mentor and support Midwest staff.
  • Build and grow the strategic direction of key campaigns and programs and support coalition work.
  • Build/Maintain key relationships with partners, elected officials, National Park Service leadership, regional council, community leaders and donors.
  • Provide administrative oversight and direction of the region’s budget, grants, staff and resources.
  • Work with development team to fundraise for regional and organizational programs, within the Midwest region and beyond.
  • Serve as a respected and trustworthy public figure who works with media, shares information, and includes stakeholders in meaningful ways.

  Support of NPCA operations and culture (20% of time):

  • Play a leadership role in the regional director cohort.
  • Mentor NPCA staff, including possibly another Regional Director, and/or support organizational growth and learning.
  • Support and possibly lead NPCA teams, roles, and our justice, equity, diversity and inclusion efforts.
  • Support organizational campaigns that speak to the greater good.
  • Serve as a thought partner to the Regional Program Department Leadership Team

  Learning, Leadership and Growth (10% of time):

  • Spend time in the field with staff and partners to listen and learn to build knowledge and relationships – resulting in a deep grassroots understanding of the people they are working with and the places NPCA is working to protect.
  • Lead regional learning about the history and human experiences in the region, bringing forward diverse voices, including from BIPOC perspectives.

  Core Competencies

  The Senior Regional Director position requires a set of core competencies to perform the functions outlined above.

  Strategic Direction and Management of Campaigns and Programs

  • Has experience structuring and running fast moving and complex programmatic and policy campaigns and programs
  • Demonstrated skills working on policy with decision makers and identifying and coalescing a community of support for campaigns and programs and understands how the various political, policy, public and programmatic pieces fit together
  • Experienced with building internal support for campaigns and programs, demonstrating the value to organization-wide mission and objectives
  • Strength with developing benchmarks before launching an initiative and capturing stories to report on progress/impact

  Administration and Human Resources

  • Experienced with developing budgets, tracking expenses, and being accountable to grant/donor deliverables and expenditures
  • Skilled with ensuring policies, practices and facilities that support a high performance team
  • Experienced at building and managing a diverse and professional staff and providing direction and coaching for staff and is willing to receive the same
  • Has a track record of championing professional development for self and staff
  • Experienced with cultivating working relationships with inter-departmental colleagues who can expand the reach of staffing expertise needed to implement campaigns or programs

  Asset Development

  • Partnerships: Proven experience building strong and authentic relationships externally that contribute to positive programmatic outcomes
  • Volunteers: Skilled at attracting and sustaining people who volunteer their time and talent to support programmatic and campaign design and goals
  • Donors: Experienced and skilled at identifying and cultivating full range of funders including major donors, foundation officers and corporate sponsors

  Personal Attributes

  • Confident in their leadership abilities
  • Exhibits active listening skills, timely follow-up and accountability
  • Works quickly without sacrificing quality or collaboration
  • Comes prepared to all meetings and responds to requests in a timely manner
  • Is clear and concise when communicating
  • A caring, committed, and empathetic person who shares NPCA’s core values of commitment, inclusion, integrity, and respect.

  Work Environment, Salary and Benefits

  The Senior Regional Director reports to either John Adornato, Deputy Vice President, Regional Programs, or to David Lamfrom, Vice President, Regional Programs.

  The Senior Regional Director can be located anywhere in the Midwest region, provided they have easy access to Chicago, where the regional home office is located, along with major funders and partners. Employing the most advanced human resource management techniques, NPCA has moved to a four day work week. Significant regional travel required for meetings and events. Out-of-region travel generally required 2-4 times a year for meetings and retreats.

  Salary range for this position is $110,000-140,000

  Benefits include:

  • 4-day work week
  • Flexible work location, with easy access to Chicago
  • Low cost health (BlueCross BlueShield), vision and dental plans
  • NPCA pays 8% of salary to a retirement fund with 20% vested each year, 100% vested by year 5
  • Reimbursement for continuing education
  • Starting vacation time of 3 weeks
  • After 7 years, a fully-paid 6-week sabbatical, with expenses
  • Paid parental leave policy
  • Work cell phone, laptop computer and other equipment provided for remote work
  • Life insurance and disability is provided
  • 12 Observed Holidays, 2 personal floating days, 2 volunteer service days

  Search and Application Process

  NPCA has contracted with SAL Consulting. Inc to support this search. The search process will remain open until filled. Note: applicants will be considered on a rolling basis and interested parties are encouraged to apply early. Interested and qualified candidates please submit a cover letter that speaks to the core competencies listed above and resume through the NPCA careers page.

  #LI-DNI

• About the company

  The National Parks Conservation Association is the only independent, nonpartisan membership organization devoted exclusively to advocacy on behalf of the National Parks System.

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