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The Science Director for the Conservancy's Freshwater Program in California provides strategic, technical and scientific leadership and manages a multidisciplinary team to drive the science, scientific products and scientific collaborations needed to inform and inspire ambitious surface water and groundwater conservation initiatives both in and beyond California. The Nature Conservancy's California Water Program focuses on achieving resilient and healthy rivers, thriving wetlands and sustainable groundwater-dependent ecosystems by transforming California into a hub of innovation and leadership in conservation. Our team of scientists, technologists and conservation practitioners utilizes place-based demonstration, policy and science to drive California to a sustainable water future. WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER The Science Director for the California Water Program in TNC's California Chapter provides science-based leadership to the Conservancy's teams and initiatives to increase the pace and scale of biodiversity conservation in and beyond California. They work with multidisciplinary teams to identify priorities and strategies for conservation engagement, and to ensure the delivery of the science needed to execute those strategies. They lead and manage a team of scientists to ensure that the Conservancy's limited science capacity is focused on the most essential issues and at the most strategic level of engagement on those issues. They are a key partner with their counterpart in the Conservation Programs department, the Water Program Director, working to align and integrate the Conservancy's science, policy, and place-based conservation work, including by collaborating on budgeting, annual planning and developing the team's culture. They coordinate and collaborate with scientists internal and external to the organization to efficiently address priority questions and position the organization for influence and impact. They themselves advance research initiatives relevant to the Program's primary strategies and a scientific body of work that models productivity, effective collaboration, thought leadership, and high impact science. They represent TNC and TNC Science externally in various fora, and routinely engage both technical and non-technical audiences including partners, stakeholders, industry, community groups, donors, and the media. They lead and assist in development of funding proposals to advance Conservancy strategies. RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE Develop innovative scientific ideas and products to advance the Conservancy's mission, including by leveraging the platform provided by TNC California's network of land and water holdings. Lead, manage and mentor science staff and have responsibility for performance management and professional development. Work collaboratively, internally and externally, to develop conservation strategies. Maintain, strengthen, and leverage a network of external scientific collaborators in academia, government, for-profit and non-profit sectors to deliver the science needed to advance the Conservancy's conservation strategies. Foster partnerships with a high degree of professionalism, interpersonal skills and awareness of partner differences. Work collaboratively within multi-disciplinary teams, and support program objectives by working in a matrixed organization environment. Support development of clear strategic theories of change, and the internal systems to adaptively manage implementation and refinement of those plans. Persuasively represent TNC externally as a freshwater science expert. Deliver tools, biodiversity data, field services and training for staff and partners. Provide guidance and support for research, project development, and monitoring, including research conducted by partners, contractors, and grantees. Design and implement field surveys, experiments, and assessments. Draft project reports, manuscripts for scientific publication, and other science products, and oversee product development for direct reports. Develop and manage grants or contracts and write requests for proposals. Co-develop budgets and track spending. Work across geographic and ecosystem boundaries in California and collaborate with the science community to enhance the conservation practices of others to further TNC California's reputation as a global leader in conservation science. Persuasively convey verbally and in writing the mission of TNC to diverse groups including senior leaders, donors, board members, business leaders, and elected officials. Ability to travel up to 50% of the time, varying seasonally, in the US and/or internationally and may work in variable weather conditions at remote locations, hazardous terrain and/or under physically demanding circumstances.
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