ABOUT US

American Forests is a national non-profit organization committed to creating healthy and resilient forests from cities to large landscapes, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife. We advance our mission through forestry innovation, place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests, and movement building. We envision a world in which the significant environmental, societal and economic benefits of forests are fully realized and equitably available to all people. Established in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national non-profit conservation organization in the U.S. working to restore urban forests and forested landscapes.

American Forests is proud to be a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible workplace. These are our shared values. We welcome individuals who bring a variety of backgrounds and experiences to be a part of our team to help make a difference individually and collectively as we work toward achieving our mission. We are committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming and respectful and provides opportunities for advancement and professional growth for every team member.   We hope you find your future with us.

PROJECT SUMMARY:  

America’s forests are a critical natural climate solution. Reforestation/afforestation offers the most immediate and ample carbon removal solution. There are many opportunities for this in the U.S., with as many as 148 million acres suitable for reforestation (ReforestationHub.org). Yet deployment of quality reforestation at scale has been limited by high upfront costs that are out of sync with the timeline for carbon removal. 

American Forests’ Reforest America Carbon Program (RACP) is designed to address the financing challenges associated with reforestation/afforestation and advance the highest quality climate-adapted projects. Over the past year, American Forests has worked with landowners, forest carbon experts, carbon registries, and businesses to design RACP to help meet the country’s growing reforestation needs. 

We are currently developing a unique portfolio of climate-adapted reforestation projects with public land management agencies, Tribal Nations, and underserved private landowners who do not have access to the necessary funding to reforest severely burned lands in the western United States and other lands suitable for reforestation in other geographies throughout North America.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

The two primary focuses of this role are to (1) support the development of reforestation needs and opportunity mapping, and (2) support the adoption of climate change adaptation approaches and strategies into American Forests’ reforestation carbon and biodiversity focused projects. The Sr. Manager will support the Resilient Forest’s team climate adaptation work including reforestation opportunity, needs and eligibility mapping, and assisting with the origination, development, and implementation of carbon financed reforestation/afforestation projects that include traditional and new approaches.

Reforestation Needs and Opportunities Mapping (45%)

• Work with state agencies, Tribal Nations, and other stakeholders to develop an analysis framework to identify underserved landowners with reforestation opportunity who may be eligible for carbon markets, and geographic areas where underserved landowners may benefit from outreach and support. 
• Lead and complete geospatial analysis and modeling necessary to implement the landowner identification framework(s) to produce geospatial layers to facilitate outreach to underserved landowners with reforestation need or afforestation opportunity.
• Collaborate with the Director of Forest and Restoration Science and Sr. Manager of Restoration and Geospatial Science, as well as external partners including Spatial Informatics Group (SIG) to develop and deploy a web application to support efforts by American Forests and partners to conduct outreach to underserved landowners.
• Other work to support landowner outreach and eligibility analyses as needed.

Support Climate Adaptation Framework (40%)

• Support the mainstreaming and development of climate change adaptation activities and best practice across American Forests’ and partner’s field projects and programs, including through the design, evaluation and scaling up of frameworks, strategies, and tools and through awareness raising and capacity building. 
• Act as the main focal point within American Forests for providing climate adaptation advice to field-based projects and programs.
• Develop frameworks, strategies and tools; providing training; developing and disseminating learning including through case studies and working with projects and programs to develop strategies and plans.
• Working in collaboration with our partner National Indian Carbon Coalition (NICC) to integrate the climate adaptation benefit quantification elements into their Tribal Carbon Co-Benefits tool.
• Lead our climate adaptation and resilience planning work including climate vulnerability assessments, tree species selection, reforestation planning and project development, development of climate adaptation projects, climate, and community resilience. 
• Monitor and disseminate emerging best practice on climate change adaptation strategies, planning and practice, relevant scientific research developments, particularly as they affect or address biodiversity, ecosystems and vulnerable people and their livelihoods.
• Continuously build personal professional knowledge in climate adaptation and resilience by keeping up to date with emerging issues, trends, and best practices, including through participation in an expert capacity in professional and technical associations that focus on climate adaptation and resilience. 

• Support the Reforest America Carbon Program with the origination a portfolio of high-quality nature-based reforestation carbon projects and supporting staff engaging with a broad range of stakeholders including Tribal Nations, underserved private landowners, consulting foresters, project developers, and NGOs.
• Design and preparation of project proposals and budgets. 
• Other related work as needed.

Program Administration (15%)

• Track and manage the development of a portfolio of relationships, scopes of work, and projects.   
• Develop work plans, track progress to program goals, and manage time and resources appropriately.   
• Participate in American Forests and Resilient Forest program actions and meetings as appropriate.   
• Help develop and manage budgets in partnership with American Forests’ program and finance departments.

QUALIFICATIONS

While we do not expect any one candidate to possess all of these qualifications, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal skills and qualities:

• A sound background in forestry, natural resource management, biodiversity, climate change and/or the demonstrable ability to understand complex scientific issues and to communicate and apply them at project and program level. 
• Demonstrated experience linking ecosystems, biodiversity, human well-being, and climate change in an NGO or the public or private sector. 
• A broad understanding of the various aspects of climate change adaptation, particularly frameworks, strategies, and tools for implementation. 
• Strong geospatial scripting, processing, analysis, and modeling skills in ArcGIS, R, Python, Google Earth Engine, or similar.
• Ability to collect and aggregate disparate data sources and manage a variety of data types.
• Knowledge of and/or experience working in natural climate solutions, climate adaptation, and carbon markets and project development are strongly desired.  
• Ability to influence and engage a wide range of partners and build long-term relationships. 

EDUCATION:

A BA/BS degree in conservation, forestry or natural resource management or economics, Environmental Science, public policy, or related field and at least 3 years of experience in a relevant field with advanced degree highly preferred.

LOCATION & WORKING CONDITIONS

This is a hybrid position that is primarily remote (70%) and requires frequent travel (up to 30% of time) within the western United States to engage in key stakeholder meetings, program events, and projects as funded. American Forests’ headquarters is in Washington, DC; occasional travel may be required to engage with colleagues.  

Subject to applicable laws, American Forests requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. We will consider requests for accommodation to this vaccination requirement during the recruiting process. Any requested accommodation(s) must be reviewed and approved (if applicable) in advance of your start date. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The individual must be comfortable with prolonged periods of sitting and/or standing at a desk and working on a computer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to provide access to all individuals along the continuum of human ability and experience. 

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS

This position does not have any supervisory requirements. 

BENEFITS 

Benefits for full-time American Forests employees include:  

Medical, Dental, and Vision 

• Multiple medical plans with affordable monthly premiums are available along with standard vision and dental plans. 
• A Flexible Spending Account is available for employees to contribute pre-tax dollars to cover the costs of approved health related expenses. 

Disability and Life Insurance 

• Short-Term Disability 
• Long-Term Disability 
• $150,000 Basic life and AD&D insurance 

Retirement Plan 

• Employees have the option to participate in a 401(k) retirement plan offered by American Forests, which provides a 6% match. Employees can contribute a pre-tax portion of their salary to this plan.  

Paid Leave 

• 16 paid holidays 
• 12 vacation days (accrued) 
• 13 sick days (accrued) 
• Parental leave 
• Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) 
• Bereavement leave 
• Military leave 
• Summer Friday hours (partial workday) 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness 

• As an employee of American Forests, a not-for-profit organization, if you meet the qualifying criteria, you may be eligible to receive student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. 

Pet Benefit 

• Employees have access to discount pet services, including veterinary care, prescription medicine, and pet products.  

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

American Forests is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to provide access to all individuals along the continuum of human ability and experience. 

Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran/LGBTQ+

In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than English.