Conservation and Sustainability Manager

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The Conservation and Sustainability Manager will serve as a thought leader on conservation and sustainability. This role will manage projects, develop programs, and build capacity related to conservation and sustainability at Moody Gardens, through the development and management of projects, programs, partnerships, staff training, and evaluation. In addition, the Manager will support the development of relationships and partnerships that advance these goals and will also engage in grant writing, event planning, fundraising, and administrative tasks–at times supervising interns, contractors, or temporary roles.

• Support the strategic vision for Moody Gardens conservation work. Lead or assist in designing, implementing, and evaluating new and existing programs and resources to help implement community-centered conservation activities and incorporate equitable principles into all aspects of their organization.
• Lead or assist in the implementation of training and networking programs, including evaluating topics, speakers, and locations for training events, developing new offerings to reflect known training needs, and assisting with the design of innovative and efficient ways to deliver training to the organization.
• Dedicate time to trust, shared learning, and relationship building across sectors, including within the organization and externally. Build and maintain local, regional, national, and international partnerships that support advancing conservation and sustainability for Moody Garden.
• Represent Moody Gardens as a spokesperson at select conferences, events, coalition meetings, gatherings, and other venues as warranted. Communicate Moody Gardens' strategic priorities through messaging that presents a coherent, united organization.
• Partner with Moody Gardens leadership and staff to identify and cultivate relationships with key partners, individuals, and public agencies, conducting research and writing grant proposals and reports.
• Assist and, in some cases, lead in managing budgets, grants, and contracts. Lead or assist with grant program administration. Plan meeting logistics, mailings, reporting, and other administrative responsibilities as assigned.
• This position may supervise interns, contractors, or temporary roles.

• Any and all other duties as assigned; duties are subject to change as management deems necessary to best serve the needs of Moody Gardens

EDUCATION/ EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree preferred
• 5 years of experience working in community engagement capacity building, community-based conservation, or a related field, or a relevant combination of education and experience
• Strong project management experience includes a minimum of two years of experience delivering community-facing programs; and
• Minimum of two years of budget and grant management experience.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Must be reliable and responsible
• Must be a strategic, interdisciplinary thinker with experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain work teams and multi-stakeholder collaborations in internal and external contexts.
• Must have principles of budget preparation and oversight, and principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation
• Must have knowledge of modern safety procedures and hazardous material handling
• Must have knowledge of pertinent Federal, State, and local laws, codes and regulations
• Must be able to plan, implement, adapt, and improve programs based on evaluation and adaptive management practices.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Must be accurate, timely, and discrete
• Ability to work well under pressure, take the initiative on problems, and be flexible and cooperative
• Self-motivated and organized, able to follow projects through to completion
• Must be organized, self-motivated with eagerness to complete all projects
• Must be willing to participate in public education and interaction
• Must be prepared to work odd or unscheduled hours including weekends.
• Must be able to travel as needed including domestic and international.
• Must represent Moody Gardens in a professional manner with all guests
• Ability to work around animals that may sting, bite, or pose other risks

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to lift 50 pounds or more
• Ability to work in all weather extremes
• Ability to remain on feet standing or walking in adverse environments for long periods of time