Conservation Manager

Company Description

The Forest Stewards Guild, a national organization of foresters and allied natural resource professionals, is dedicated to practicing and promoting responsible forestry as a means of sustaining the integrity of forest ecosystems and the human communities dependent upon them. We use innovative, science-based solutions to meet the challenges of forest conservation and management. The Guild has over 700 members, over half of whom are professionals who manage over 42 million acres of forestland in the United States and Canada. The Guild maintains regional offices in New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Job Description

Job title: Conservation Manager

Location: Based in New Mexico, with frequent travel across the northern portion of the state to project hubs.

Status: Full Time Term -Current funding for the position covers three years, with the possibility to extend.

Application deadline: November 2nd at 6:00 pm MST.

Supervisor: Southwest Associate Director

Compensation range: $28.69 – $36.35/ hour

The Forest Stewards Guild seeks a highly motivated and collaborative Conservation Manager to support a three-year initiative that advances natural resource conservation and community leadership in rural New Mexico.

The initiative seeks to connect community members across four hubs in northern New Mexico to conservation opportunities that support practices such as soil health management, water conservation, pollinator habitat, wildfire preparation, riparian restoration, and forest management. The program will also assist community members in implementing these practices through access to assistance programs, demonstration projects, community outreach events, and youth corps involvement.

The Conservation Manager will serve as the backbone of the initiative, managing outreach, training, and partner engagement with the support of ambassadors that are recruited and hired specifically to support this program, in addition to Guild, Asekia, and NRCS staff.

Key Responsibilities

Program Coordination and Implementation (25%)

• Lead implementation of a three-year initiative, that seeks to promote conservation practices and connect rural landowners and managers to conservation assistance programs, ensuring activities meet program goals and timelines.
• Recruit, onboard, and train four Community Conservation Ambassadors.
• Oversee ambassador microgrants, ensuring accountability, timely reporting, and community impact.
• Collaborate with Guild Youth Program Manager and Forest Stewards Youth Corps (FSYC) Intern to align ambassador efforts with Cuba FSYC crew activities.

Community and Partner Engagement (25%)

• Build and maintain strong relationships with rural community members, underserved producers, and local organizations in project hubs (Cuba, Grants, Las Trampas, Cebolla).
• Serve as a liaison between community members, ambassadors, NRCS, SWCDs, conservation NGOs, and other agencies to promote adoption of conservation practices.
• Ensure culturally appropriate outreach, including translation into Spanish and adaptation of materials.

Training, Education, and Outreach (20%)

• Plan and host community outreach events with assistance from Ambassadors, including Conservation Resource Days, peer learning sessions, and demonstration projects.
• Develop and deliver training modules on NRCS programs, climate-smart conservation practices, and effective community outreach.
• Co-create outreach materials with ambassadors and partners, including bilingual print, digital, and social media content.
• Support ambassadors and partners in storytelling, documentation, and showcasing conservation successes.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (15%)

• Track program outputs and outcomes, including event participation, producer engagement, and conservation practice adoption.
• Collect and synthesize evaluation data (surveys, interviews, enrollment statistics) for annual and final reports.
• Lead documentation of program lessons learned and contribute to the development of a sustainability toolkit.

Other duties as assigned (approx. 15%)

Qualifications

What You'll Bring – Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in natural resources, environmental science, forestry, agriculture, or related field; or equivalent professional experience
• At least 3 years of experience in project coordination, community outreach, or conservation program delivery
• Strong facilitation and communication skills; ability to work effectively with diverse communities and partners
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, timelines, and stakeholders
• Willingness to travel frequently to rural communities across New Mexico
• Valid driver's license

Desired Qualifications:

• Spanish language proficiency
• Familiarity with NRCS conservation programs, watershed health, and climate-smart land management
• Experience with nature resource practices such as range management, riparian restoration, collaborative conservation, wildfire mitigation, community engagement, or landscape-scale partnerships
• Master's degree in science communication, forestry, environmental science, or other applicable field, or seven years equivalent experience of professional work
• Forestry and conservation experience in Southwest forest ecosystems

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits Package

The salary range $28.69 – $36.35 per hour depending on experience with a 35 to 40 hour a week schedule.

In addition, the Guild offers a competitive benefits package. Paid leave, regular and sick, is accrued hourly from the first day of employment, with an additional 12 paid holidays a year. Employer-sponsored comprehensive health and dental care coverage is available after 30 days and the Guild covers 80% of the cost. Short and long-term disability policies, accidental death/dismemberment, life insurance, and family leave are paid by the Guild. Participation in a retirement plan with an employer match is available after 90 days.

The Guild is dedicated to providing an open, transparent, and just organization and workplace. We foster a work culture that recognizes the inherent value of our employees, supports a healthy work-life balance, and fosters personal growth. The Guild is an equal opportunity employer.

Schedule & Location:

This position will be part of the Guild's Santa Fe regional office team with the option to work remotely from across northern New Mexico with approval. A hybrid work schedule is acceptable and frequent travel throughout northern New Mexico is required. Some overnight travel is required if travel distances make it necessary. All travel costs from the Guild office in Santa Fe are covered, including the use of a Guild vehicle.

Projects may require working 10-12 hour days and/or outside of normal business hours, including working during weekends. Flexible work schedules will be considered to accommodate family or other commitments.

How to apply

Interested applicants should visit the job posting on Smart Recruiters to submit a resume. An additional cover letter, writing sample, three professional references, and earliest available start date is required to be emailed to samforestguild (dot) org to be considered for this position. All application materials are due November 2nd 2025 at 6:00 pm MST. Incomplete applications or auto apply applications will not be considered.

The writing sample format is flexible. It can be on a natural resource subject of your choice; it can be a press release, policy brief, newsletter article, research brief, or other sample of your writing capabilities.

If you are having trouble submitting materials on Smart Recruiters, contact samforestguild (dot) org.

DEADLINE: November 2nd at 6:00 pm MST.

Contact us

Questions about this position can be directed to Sam at samor

The Forest Stewards Guild strives to create a collaborative, supportive, and respectful setting for all employees and partners. To meet this goal, we recognize and celebrate the wide range of differences that characterize our members, employees, partners, and collaborators. Indeed, it is those differences that enhance our organization and help us to meet our mission and vision.