The Director of Water Innovation Advocacy for Stormwater and Climate Adaptation Policy Innovation will play an active, hands-on role in Brightstorm’s Florida pilot to help identify, test, and refine the policy, regulatory, and institutional conditions needed for digital innovation in stormwater solutions to succeed at scale.

Working closely with water and policy experts in The Nature Conservancy’s Florida chapter, The Director of Water Innovation Advocacy focuses on understanding real-world implementation challenges—including permitting, trust building, and agency decision-making—and translating those insights into pathways for broader state and national adoption. Brightstorm’s long‑term impact depends on modernizing statutes, administrative rules, and regulatory guidance so digital and adaptive water solutions are explicitly enabled across jurisdictions. You will serve as an integral member of the team, supporting pilot implementation with insights gained through prior experience and cultivation of critical relationships within the public sector.

Responsibilities & Scope

• Identify barriers to scaling digital water solutions (policy, regulation, funding, governance, capacity) and develop practical strategies to address them.

• Support the transition from pilot projects to broader adoption by defining needed changes, key stakeholders, and next steps.

• Bridge technical innovation with real-world implementation conditions.

• Build and manage partnerships across government, utilities, NGOs, funders, and technical partners to drive adoption.

• Align Brightstorm’s pilot learnings with TNC’s Florida water strategy and broader outreach efforts.

• Represent Brightstorm in external discussions on scaling and systems change.

• Support development of policy, regulatory, financing, and programmatic pathways that enable wider adoption.

• Translate project insights into clear, actionable recommendations for decision-makers.

• Help partners understand what is both innovative and feasible.

• Capture lessons learned and develop practical resources (briefs, playbooks, case studies) to support replication.

• Create scalable, adaptable models for use across regions and partner organizations.

• Contribute to organizational strategy, identifying opportunities for growth and scaling impact.

• Support donor and partner communications by clearly articulating Brightstorm’s impact.

• Maintain focus on implementation, measurable outcomes, and sustained momentum.

• BA/BS degree and 5 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads and finances under deadlines.

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

• Experience negotiating.

Desired Qualifications

• Located in, or willing to re-locate to, Florida.

• Knowledge of Florida public policy landscape and relationships with key stakeholders that drive innovation within the state.

• Credibility in water, infrastructure, climate, environment, or public sector innovation.

• A strong interest in how policy, regulation, finance, and institutions shape real-world adoption.

• The ability to connect strategy to implementation.

• Strong partnership and coalition-building skills.

• Clear, persuasive writing and communication.

• Comfort working across sectors, disciplines, and stakeholder groups.

• A practical, adaptive mindset and bias toward action.

• Commitment to clear and consistent communication.

• Desire to lead in a dynamic and highly collaborative work environment.

• Enthusiasm for innovation, systems change, and TNC’s mission.

• Politically savvy.

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $ 77,000 - $100,000. 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.

Employees must submit their application by logging into Workday and applying via the Jobs Hub.

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.