What We Can Achieve Together:

The Director of Land Management leads strategic land stewardship and preserve access efforts in Connecticut, ensuring TNC lands contribute meaningfully and equitably to TNC’s ambitious goals for nature and people. This role provides both management and vision, guiding a team and fostering collaborative partnerships to advance the integrity of TNC’s portfolio, inclusive conservation outcomes, and climate resilience. The Director works closely with colleagues and partners to shape stewardship strategy, influence land management practices, and ensure lasting impact.

We’re Looking for You:

The Director of Land Management leads a geographically dispersed team to manage a portfolio of 110 easements and 50 preserves, including one of TNC’s most visited. They shape team direction and cultivate a culture of safety, collaboration, and innovation. The Director of Land Management also oversees stewardship activities to ensure they advance conservation impact while meeting ethical, legal, and accreditation standards. They will engage with external partners and colleagues across TNC to foster inclusive, climate-resilient outcomes and contribute to the organization’s goals and priorities.

Responsibilities and Scope:

• Lead stewardship staff and advise other conservation entities in the strategic management of preserves, ensuring integrity of ownership, advancing climate resilience, and driving progress toward TNC’s 2030 Goals. Integrate priority strategies--including accessibility, inclusion of Indigenous rights, access, and perspectives—into updated management plans for those preserves where strategic impact is achievable, and uphold legal, ethical, and accreditation standards.

• Lead a geographically dispersed team of 7+ land management professionals, guiding deployment of staff and resources. Set clear team goals, strategies, and priorities, and ensure staff safety while meeting deadlines. Foster resilience and adaptability in the team as they respond to unpredictable field conditions, shifting priorities, and urgent requests. Guide adaptive decision-making and cultivate a collaborative culture of learning, innovation, and problem solving. Provide oversight for performance review cycles and professional development. Guide the volunteer coordinator in strategically deploying volunteers to expand staff capacity and support stewardship goals.

• Oversee the team’s response to issues and requests, ensuring constructive relationships and compliance with standards. Ensure annual field monitoring is completed to uphold legal and accreditation standards, protect TNC lands, and address violations. Directly manage high-risk or complex projects and situations, applying legal and organizational guidance.

• Advance stewardship that reflects a broad spectrum of perspectives, needs and knowledge, and foster collaborative, cross-boundary partnerships with external partners including CT Department of Energy and the Environment, land trusts, tribes, other NGOs, and municipalities, to support inclusive conservation outcomes and climate resilience.

• Represent TNC’s mission and priorities externally, influencing land management practices through strategic engagement with governmental, land trust, tribal, and NGO partners. Explore and pursue opportunities for cooperative management arrangements that enhance impact and build shared capacity across entities. Stay current with science-based land management practices and innovations to reflect TNC’s role as a leading conservation organization and contribute meaningfully to external discussions.

• Serve on a team of Connecticut BU strategy leads, collaborating across areas of work on priorities, relationship building, and decision-making. Work closely with the Director of Conservation Programs to shape stewardship strategy and allocate resources, ensuring alignment of TNC lands and stewardship efforts with organizational goals and Northeast Division priorities.

• Systematically evaluate landholdings for strategic value and guide decisions on portfolio transfers and acquisitions, in coordination with land protection and legal teams, to focus resources on properties with the greatest conservation impact.

• Oversee annual budgets and component projects, ensuring strategic use of resources.

• Collaboratively develop and implement communications strategies that elevate stewardship initiatives and support outreach and fundraising objectives, including donor engagement and grant writing and reporting to build long-term sustainability of the stewardship program and the business unit.

• Represent the Connecticut Business Unit in TNC’s Northeast Division and North America Region stewardship and lands work groups. Stay connected to emerging ideas and innovations in land management by engaging with peers across the organization and externally, contributing to shared learning and bringing insights back to strengthen local strategies.

• Frequent travel domestically and/or internationally, evening and weekend hours.

• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.

What You'll Bring:

• BA/BS degree and 7 years’ experience in conservation practice or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including managing finances and coordinating the work of other professionals and partners.

• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.

• Experience with land management practices and ecological principles.

• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.

Desired Qualifications

• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.

• 7-10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Demonstrated experience successfully influencing, developing and implementing conservation policy and plans.

• Knowledge of current trends and practices in relevant discipline(s) and regions.

• Ability to develop practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.

• Knowledge of methods and standards of biodiversity information systems and initiatives or related field.

• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $104,000 – $113,000. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate's location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.

Who We Are:

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s many reasons to love life inside TNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. In addition to the requirements in our job postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job and consider each applicant’s unique experience. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and stay for the people.”

What We Bring:

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!

TNC offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our Benefits and Perks here.

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports of the health and well-being of the people we employ.

Our recruiting process includes a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we may review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role, so we highly encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to equal employment opportunity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.

Do you have military experience? Visit our U.S. Military Skills Translator to match your military experience with our current job openings!

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.