Operations Director

About San Diego Canyonlands: We are a community-based nonprofit organization based in San Diego with nearly 30 staff members. Our mission is to promote, protect, and restore the natural habitats in San Diego County's canyons and creeks. We do this by fostering education and ongoing community involvement in stewardship and advocacy and by collaborating with other organizations. We are focused on improving our local urban green spaces while providing equitable support for surrounding communities. Check out our website at www.sdcanyonlands.org and our Instagram page @sdcanyonlands to see more of the work we do!

Scope: The Operations Director will be responsible for operational and project management of the Restoration Program, Outreach Program, social media and communications, and all on-the-ground operations at San Diego Canyonlands. In addition to project management duties, the Operations Director will also partner with the Executive Director and Board of Directors on development and fundraising, and will be asked to represent the organization with crucial partners such as municipal and State agencies. The Operations Director must partner successfully with the Executive Director, Human Resource/Office Manager (who reports to the Executive Director), and with the Operations Director’s direct reports that include the Restoration Manager and Outreach Manager, as well as the 20+ team members currently working within those programs. Strong values for teamwork, environmental conservation, diversity, equity, and inclusion are necessary for success in this position.

Responsibilities:

• Direct all environmental project and community program work including restoration projects, educational and training programs, volunteer and community engagement (including support of a growing set of Friends of Canyons groups), social media campaigns and other community communications, as well as an emerging green workforce development program
• Manage project and program schedules and deliverables, partner with administrative and HR staff on project and program budget management, create and effectively manage annual work plans for all projects and programs under your direction that achieve grant requirements and other program goals
• Work with the Executive Director on strategic project development, fundraising, and program growth
• Directly manage the Restoration Manager and Outreach Manager; partner with your managers for program development, annual work planning, effective program implementation, and to build a positive, inclusive, and effective team ethos with all staff; partner with the Human Resource/Office Manager to conduct annual reviews of your program managers, and support managers in this duty for their own staff
• Provide the Human Resource/Office Manager and Administrative Team the information they need for effective management of payroll, budgets, professional development training, and other administrative needs not under the Operations Director work scope
• Partner with contracted technical consultants that support your work including but not limited to biologists, ecologists, GIS experts, and others
• Attend weekly Leadership meetings where project, program, and organizational needs are considered together, fostering effective program integration and a supportive team environment
• Attend monthly budget meetings where project and program expenditures are analyzed
• Manage the San Diego Canyonlands database of environmental information in ArcGIS, and manage Salesforce data applicable to your scope of responsibilities
• Attend monthly Board meetings, bi-annual Advisory Council meetings, and other San Diego Canyonlands events as requested by the Executive Director
• Represent San Diego Canyonlands in public meetings and public speaking engagements as requested by the Executive Director
• Perform miscellaneous duties as required

Required Qualifications:

• 3+ years managing environmental restoration projects
• 3+ years managing culturally diverse field teams (employees)
• 3+ years managing culturally diverse community volunteers

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual English/Spanish
• Restoration ecology experience in San Diego or Southern California
• Experience in nature education with underserved and BIPOC youth

San Diego Canyonlands, Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce.  

To apply, send resume + cover letter to info@sdcanyonlands.org