POSITION OVERVIEW

The Tribal Wood Markets Specialist is a full-time (35 hours), exempt, non-supervisory role on the Wood Markets Team. SNW has worked closely with tribes across the Pacific Northwest for 30 years, seeking to support tribal sovereignty and stewardship of our region’s amazing natural resources. 

This position will lead our Tribal Wood Markets work with support from the Wood Markets Director and the five staff in the program. This position is supported by secured funding and clear program needs for several years, as well as freedom to identify need and opportunity to innovate beyond those immediate plans. Your desire to help conservation make economic sense, to organize new efforts, and to lead with trust will create amazing opportunities within this role and across the region.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Branding and Marketing Research and Innovation

• In the first year of this position, lead the Tribal Wood Branding and Marketing Feasibility Study research, detail for which can be provided by the SNW hiring team. This includes stakeholder engagement, contractor management, steering committee coordination, research design, implementation, and write-up. This position will lead this work, with significant support from the Tribal Wood Advisory Board and several colleagues within SNW.
• Collaborate with partners to identify market opportunities and strategies to promote transparent wood supply chains that support visibility and value for tribal wood producers.
• Professional writing of RFPs, business and grant proposals, reports, and communications materials.
• Identify opportunities to support tribal partners through marketing and storytelling efforts led by SNW or in coordination with other organizational partners.
• Support building project teams interested in buying wood linked to Tribes. 

Partnerships Management and Development 

• Set a high standard for relationship building with tribal partners by maintaining transparent communication, openness to feedback and learning, and disciplined coordination among internal staff and external partners to ensure consistency in messaging.
• Maintain an existing and grow network of tribal partnerships centered around tribal forestry, wood products, and supply chains.
• Document network within Wood Markets team existing systems.
• Attend or participate in conferences, conventions and meetings hosted by tribes or intertribal organizations.
• Host recurring meetings with Tribal Wood Advisory Board, and develop other structures to ensure that we maintain an open channel for feedback and learning.
• Work with SNW colleagues to develop trusting relationships along the entire wood products supply chain to foster innovation and opportunity in support of tribal forestry and wood products.

Tribal Forestry Incentive Fund Management

• Implement plan to distribute $3.25M in payments to 5 tribal forest managers adopting and expanding Climate Smart Forestry practices under an award from USDA.
• Work within tribal partnerships on a spectrum from quite new to well established to enroll in the payment program through contracting and planning processes.
• Work with forest managers to complete documentation enabling NRCS approval of forest practice compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• Coordinate SNW’s efforts under this fund with support provided by other partnering organizations.
• Develop, communicate, and maintain invoicing and reporting systems with all tribes supported through this fund.

Market Development

• Work with Tribal communities, wood products companies, and certification bodies, to develop transparency protocols that establish pathways to differentiate Tribal wood in U.S. markets.
• Pilot and refine the transparency protocols across the U.S. to demonstrate viability and value, and achieve buy-in necessary for successful implementation from wood products companies and industry partners.
• Create and test methods for Tribes to gain improved access to green building markets and potential premiums paid for Tribal wood. 
• Create long-term value within U.S. based green building certifications and pathways to recognize Tribal wood within existing third-party wood and building certification systems.

Grants Management

• Working with SNW colleagues and external partners, develop systems to effectively administer federal funding awards.
• Develop necessary reporting mechanisms and 
• Facilitate and coordinate internal and external meetings and projects with partners to ensure administrative processes are in place to support effective grant implementation.

Program Development

• This position has secure funding for several years and strong prospects beyond that. The Specialist will be central to shared efforts to grow and develop this program for the future.
• As time allows, identify potential foundations giving unrestricted funds, support other grant research, writing, submission, and reporting activities.
• As time allows, maintain and organize general documents and language frequently needed for a variety of communications needs, such as “about us” language, financial management language, annual budgets, list of major funders, etc.