About Native Plant Trust
Native Plant Trust leads the movement to conserve native plants in the wild and use them in designed spaces. We do this to increase the beauty and resilience of New England and the planet. From our base in Massachusetts, staff and trained volunteers work throughout New England to monitor and protect rare and endangered plants, collect and preserve seeds to ensure biological diversity, detect and control invasive species, conduct research, and offer a range of educational programs. 
We welcome visitors from all over the world to Garden in the Woods, our renowned native plant botanic garden in Framingham. We also operate a nursery at Nasami Farm in western Massachusetts and manage six plant sanctuaries in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont that are open to the public. Native Plant Trust is the nation’s first plant conservation organization, the only one solely focused on New England’s native plants. Please visit www.NativePlantTrust.org for more information.

Native Plant Trust is entering an exciting time of transition and expansion. 2025 is our 125th anniversary, and the board and staff seek to elevate the visibility and impact of the organization with an anticipated doubling of staff and organizational impact in the next five years. Doing so requires strategically investing in staff, systems, programs, and partnerships that facilitate organizational growth, and growth in the movement to protect native plants in the wild and use them in the built environment. 

Position Summary

The Director of Conservation leads and shapes one of the nation’s most unique and influential plant conservation programs with a growing emphasis on applied conservation that leverages the organization’s resources–a rare plant seed bank, herbarium, 30 years of rare plant demographic data, plant sanctuaries, and skilled staff–and networks of volunteers, conservation practitioners, and nonprofit partner to restore habitats, reintroduce rare species, develop species management and protection plans, update extinction risk assessments, and inspire the next generation of plant conservation practitioners. 

The Director of Conservation, in partnership with a team of 5 conservation staff, lead signature regional initiatives including the New England Plant Conservation Program–a 6 state consortium of conservation practitioners who collectively monitor and report on the status of rare species in New England, our dedicated Plant Conservation Volunteers who monitor hundreds of populations of rare plants each year, and a seed bank of globally and regionally rare species. Native Plant Trust’s conservation staff have contributed to the restoration of hurricane-ravaged coastlines, restored the top of Cadillac Mountain, and facilitated the de-listing of a federally endangered species through restoration and reintroduction work.

• The Director of Conservation will also be joining an organization focused on innovation and steady growth, and thus will have the opportunity to develop new strategic initiatives to fulfill the organization’s mission with a focus on:
• Creating more partnerships with land trusts, state and federal partners, and conservation-focused nonprofits engaging in rare plant research, conservation, and habitat restoration;
• Accelerating the work of the New England Plant Conservation Program and Plant Conservation Volunteers to expedite reporting on the extinction risk of rare plants in the region;
• Leveraging monitoring data and institutional knowledge to improve the plight of rare plants, develop and implement conservation strategies, guide regional land conservation, and facilitate reintroduction and restoration work;
• Evolving the core programs and the tools we use to fulfill our mission; and
• Ensuring conservation best practices inform our approach to ecological horticulture, contract grows for restoration projects, and retail sales and marketing.

Primary Responsibilities

Program development, strategy, and assessment (50%)

• Evolve, assess, and implement strategies that accelerate rare plant monitoring throughout New England. Work with New England Plant Conservation Program, Plant Conservation Volunteers, Natural Heritage programs, and other partners to increase the number of rare plant populations monitored each year, expedite reporting and synchronization of partner data, and ultimately accelerate the publication of Flora Conservanda.
• Develop, guide, grow, and disseminate Native Plant Trust’s research, which may include studies of seed storage, rare plant propagation, taxonomy and systematics (e.g. Flora Novae Angliae and Go Botany!), population biology, pollination biology, and/or ecology. Undertake and encourage the publication of research findings and documents that enrich the profession, enhance scientific dialogue, and provide vital information for public and private landowners. Actively recruit research partnerships that utilize Native Plant Trust’s sanctuaries, floras, seed banks, data, and networks. 
• Develop priorities and secure funding that supports conservation action to find, protect, save, and/or restore rare plant species and their habitats. Oversee the collection, preservation, and testing of seeds of rare and common species for permanent storage in the seed bank. Oversee the ecological management and conservation of rare plants on the Society’s sanctuaries.

Program Management and Administration (20%)

• Manage the department’s 5 regular staff and daily operations of the department to ensure timely and efficient delivery of services.
• Work with the Director of Finance and Operations to develop and execute annual departmental budgets, develop multi-year budget projections, and assess opportunities for increased profitability and capacity-building investments. 
• Oversee recruitment, hiring, onboarding, management, and review of staff and interns. Assist with volunteer management. Manage contractors and the grant-funded seed collection team.
• Secure and manage state, federal, and private grants and contracts. Assist with grant management by preparing progress reports and tracking expenses while ensuring projects are satisfactorily completed.

Organizational Leadership (30%)

• Serve as a senior member of the leadership team, shaping the strategic growth of the organization and serving as a representative with board, supporters, partners, and government officials. 
• Participate and take a leadership role in regional and national initiatives related to the conservation of native plants and in landscape-scale conservation initiatives addressing climate change. Participate in formulating policies at the state and federal level that enhance protection for native plants.
• Work closely with the Director of Horticulture in developing guidelines and policies and on the seed collecting and restoration programs.
• Aid the Director of Philanthropy with donor stewardship, grant writing, and grant management.
• Shape the culture of Native Plant Trust by modeling exceptional leadership and instilling in all staff a sense of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated significant history of work experience in plant science and conservation, with at least 3 years in a supervisory role required.
• Master’s degree in botany, plant conservation, environmental science, environmental horticulture, or a related field required. Peer-reviewed publication record preferred.  
• Demonstrated success in managing people, projects, partnerships, strategy, and budgets. 
• Excellent knowledge of the flora of New England, experience with field-based research and applied conservation tactics, and a versed knowledge in current research in plant science and conservation in both the academic and botanic garden communities.
• Familiarity with regional, national, and international conservation initiatives, organizations, best management practices, and protocols for plant conservation.
• Excellent writing and public presentation skills.
• Demonstrated success in grant writing, grant management including state and federal grants, and experience assisting philanthropy staff with fundraising. 

This is a full-time, exempt, benefitted, year-round position based at headquarters in Wayland, MA. The starting salary will be $85,000 - $105,000.