Landscape Conservation Program Director

Organizational Mission:

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy ’s mission is to protect, manage, and advocate for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Position Summary

The Landscape Conservation Program Director reports to the Vice President, Conservation and Government Relations and provides strategic leadership for ATC's landscape conservation portfolio, aligning partners, investments, and conservation action to advance a conserved and connected Appalachian Trail landscape. The Director establishes program direction, mobilizes collaborative conservation efforts across multiple scales, and positions ATC as a trusted leader in landscape-scale conservation.

The Director oversees the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership, regional and place-based partnerships, the A.T. Communities Program, the Wild East Action Fund, and conservation decision-support initiatives. Working across departments and with external partners, the Director translates strategy into measurable conservation, partnership, funding, and policy outcomes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy

- Establish and continually refine ATC's landscape conservation strategy and long-term vision.

- Align staff, work plans, partnerships, and investments with organizational priorities.

- Represent ATC's landscape conservation vision with leadership, the Board, partners, agencies, and funders.

- Build organizational capacity and sustainable funding.

Partnerships

- Lead ATC's engagement in landscape-scale, regional, and place-based partnerships.

- Align partners around shared priorities and collaborative initiatives.

- Provide strategic leadership for the A.T. Communities Program as a gateway community recognition and grassroots engagement network.

- Cultivate partnerships that reinforce ATC's role as a trusted convener and driver of meaningful impact.

Investment & Prioritization

- Direct strategic deployment of the Wild East Action Fund and related conservation investments.

- Guide prioritization of high-value conservation opportunities using science, GIS, and partner knowledge.

- Promote practical decision-support tools.

- Advance innovation through research partnerships.

Leadership & Accountability

- Supervise staff and establish outcome-focused performance measures.

- Monitor performance and adapt strategies using data and partner feedback.

- Communicate accomplishments to leadership, funders, and the Board.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in environmental science, conservation, natural resource management, public administration, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- 5-7 years of experience managing collaborative conservation, land protection, or landscape-scale conservation initiatives.

- Minimum of three (3) years of experience leading staff, teams, programs, or significant crossfunctional initiatives, with demonstrated ability to establish priorities, develop organizational capacity, and drive accountability for results.

- Demonstrated knowledge of landscape-scale conservation principles, land protection strategies, partnership development, and collaborative conservation approaches involving public, private, nonprofit, and community stakeholders.

- Proven ability to provide strategic leadership across complex, multi-partner initiatives by influencing without direct authority, navigating competing interests, establishing shared priorities, and aligning diverse organizations and stakeholders to achieve measurable conservation outcomes.

- Experience managing and developing grants, funding agreements, or conservation incentive programs, including tracking deliverables and compliance requirements.

- Strong leadership presence and exceptional written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to communicate complex information, influence decision-making, and represent the organization effectively with internal and external stakeholders.

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