Hiring: Beaver Coexistence Program Manager

The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) is an 80-acre demonstration, education and advocacy center and organic farm located in western Sonoma County, California. Now in our 30th year, OAEC’s work focuses on cultivating ecological literacy and building the capacity of civic and social movement leaders and organizations to guide their communities toward an ecologically regenerative, economically viable, and socially just future. Founded in 2004, the WATER Institute has been leading a Bring Back the Beaver Campaign to integrate beaver (Castor canadensis) restoration into California policy and regulation in order to optimize aquatic resource conservation, listed species recovery and climate change adaptation strategies. Our campaign has played a pivotal role in the establishment of the state-led Beaver Restoration Program and a policy requiring landowners to carry out beaver coexistence practices to resolve conflicts.

With a recent $2 million dollar grant award from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), OAEC will design and launch a three-year Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program to facilitate beaver coexistence education and implementation across the state. This program will provide workforce development training for installers, accessible coexistence information, and technical and financial assistance to landowners to facilitate the best possible outcome for beavers and humans alike.

JOB SUMMARY: 

OAEC seeks a talented and passionate individual to join our WATER Institute staff and Bring Back the Beaver Campaign in leading the design and implementation of a statewide Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program. The Beaver Coexistence Program Manager will be responsible for carrying out this program successfully, in line with grant guidelines and objectives over a three-year timeline (position could be extended if warranted by the project and additional funding is secured) to produce tangible results for landowners, beaver, and the watersheds that depend on them. We are looking for a strong interdisciplinary leader with excellent grant, project, and fiscal management skills. As the public face of this inaugural program, this person will also need to be highly skilled at collaborating and building relationships with a diversity of partners and constituencies (landowners, agencies, tribes, etc.) in a diplomatic and professional manner.

• Lead the planning, design and implementation of a new Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program, including coordinating with WATER Institute Co-Directors and overseeing grant partners (including CDFW and the Beaver Institute) and other subcontractors.
• Manage a $2 million dollar CDFW grant and other funding sources, meeting all reporting requirements and deliverables while continuously monitoring and adapting the program for effectiveness.
• Gather, analyze, and summarize observational data to inform program design, addressing issues related to human and beaver conflicts.
• Partner with the Beaver Institute to recruit and guide select participants through their BeaverCorps Program, including the production of two webinars and two in-person training sessions on installing various beaver deterrence strategies.
• Lead the development and launch of a California Beaver Help Desk website to provide technical and financial assistance to landowners and managers seeking to coexist with beavers.
• Produce educational materials for the website, presentations, and other media about the program.
• Create a system for executing subcontracts and managing subcontractors, including tracking deliverables and invoicing. 
• Establish and manage a fund that provides stipends to landowners for coexistence installation materials, including designing an online application and defining criteria for funding distribution. 
• Conduct targeted outreach statewide by attending conferences, trainings, meetings, and site visits, with a focus on priority counties (Butte, Colusa, Merced, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin).
• Work with WATER Institute staff on a variety of related programmatic projects. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

(Please do not apply if you do not meet the following requirements)

• A minimum of five years experience in managing the design, implementation, and monitoring of a multi-faceted program (preferably landowner assistance and/or conservation related). Experience managing a multi-million dollar state grant is a plus. 
• Proficiency in creative systems thinking and very strong administrative and organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to craft and adapt content to a range of formats and audiences.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work, self-motivate, and self-manage as this role will require working both independently and in collaboration with WATER Institute Co-Directors and program partners.
• Skilled at engaging diverse partners with cultural sensitivity, maintaining confidentiality and conducting effective outreach amongst state and federal agencies, tribal entities, landowners, water managers, conservation organizations and others.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a sense of humor and a positive attitude, and an interest in and ability to help resolve conflicts within organizational relationships.
• Proficiency working with Microsoft Office (Excel and Word) and in the Google Drive environment (Sheets and Docs). OAEC staff use Apple Mac computers. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Possessing a degree from an accredited academic institution in natural resource management or related environmental/science-based disciplines appropriate to the position. Experience in human-wildlife conflict resolution is advantageous.
• Basic ecological literacy and knowledge of conservation or restoration fields are a plus, otherwise demonstrated capacity to learn quickly on the job.
• Have great enthusiasm for the WATER Institute and OAEC’s broader mission and programs that work to restore and protect biological and cultural diversity, and to create just and sustainable communities.
• Proficiency with written and spoken Spanish language skills.

COMPENSATION, LOCATION AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

• The annual salary for the Beaver Coexistence Program Manager at 40 hours/week is $90,000 per year.
• This position is funded for three years, although it could be extended if warranted by the project and additional funding is secured. 
• OAEC offers a paid health and wellness benefit, currently set at 100% of the value of a Kaiser Permanente Silver HMO Plan for each employee, as well as an employee-only contribution 401(k) option, and a cell phone plan stipend of $50/month.
• OAEC offers generous paid time off: a total of 5 weeks and 3 days per year of vacation and floating holidays combined, as well as 10 paid sick days off.
• Position is primarily remote with an initial need to come to the OAEC site for multi-day onboarding/training and occasional in-person meetings as needed (OAEC will provide travel reimbursement, onsite lodging and meals). The candidate must be based in California with the ability to travel for meetings, trainings, conferences, and project site visits (monthly travel expected).
• Participate in OAEC staff information sharing and governance, including occasional attendance at Staff Meeting (remote okay) and participation in our annual planning process which includes budgeting, work planning, and peer review process.

HOW TO APPLY:

• Qualified applicants should email a single PDF that includes a cover letter, resume, and list of three to five references to “Hiring Manager” at with the subject: “Beaver Coexistence Program Manager Position.” Resumes without cover letters will not be considered. Please do not contact OAEC directly with questions or inquiries, but refer to this Job Announcement on the OAEC Jobs web page for information.
• We are accepting applications until 5:00 pm PDT, October 13, 2024. Early application is encouraged as applicant screening will begin before the deadline. The Beaver Coexistence Program Manager start date is flexible, but will start by mid-January 2025 at the latest.