VP – Eastern Region

Description

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s leading conservation organization working to care for and recover rivers and streams and their trout and salmon populations. We bring people together across the country to be champions for their rivers and help make our water cleaner and our communities healthier. 

Founded by a band of Michigan anglers in 1959, we have grown into a national organization with more than 350 staff, 400 chapters and 300,000 members and supporters.

Our conservation efforts are driven by science and focused on protecting, reconnecting and restoring more than 200 Priority Waters across the country. The work we do builds trout and salmon strongholds for the long term, while at the same time providing healthy water for communities and agriculture, helping landscapes adapt to and recover from flooding and wildfire, creating family-wage jobs in local communities, and powering America’s trillion-dollar outdoor economy. 

From Oregon to Michigan to Maine, our people live in the communities where they work. TU’s staff are conservationists restoring rivers and streams, scientists providing the data and tools that make for effective conservation, policy professionals mobilizing anglers and outdoors enthusiasts to advocate for healthy rivers, wild and native trout and salmon, clean water, and public lands. Our volunteers are community leaders and business owners who dedicate more than 700,000 hours each year to TU’s mission, inviting and inspiring others in their communities to care for their waters. 

We have a long track record of success. We were instrumental in removing the Klamath dams in California and Oregon and the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec in Maine. We led the charge for a new law making it easier to clean up abandoned mines. We helped our tribal partners beat back the proposed Pebble mine in Bristol Bay and spearheaded protection of more than 38 million acres of public lands. We invest millions of dollars in communities across America to restore rivers and fisheries, address crumbling road infrastructure, and mitigate threats from wildfire, drought, and floods.  

This work adds up: Every year, Trout Unlimited protects hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, conserves hundreds of miles of streams, and restores more than a thousand miles of rivers. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Member of the Executive Leadership team that plans and oversees the TU strategy, works collaboratively within and among senior leadership across the organization to drive operational success, define organizational policy (operational and programmatic), and communicate TU strategies and successes in a way that builds inclusion and support for all parts of the organization. 
• Coordinate with TU’s Science team and Eastern Conservation staff to use science to inform and evaluate our conservation strategies. 
• Participation in TU board of trustee meetings, as requested. 
• Management of Regional Directors, which includes aligning work plans and performance expectations within and between teams, performance accountability, and creating a positive work environment. 
• Coordination with leadership in other functions and departments to ensure alignment across functions, such as science, finance, human resources, communication and development, operating within the region.  
• Oversight of accomplishing priority waters objectives, supporting alignment between national and state chapters/councils, inclusion of relevant communities, and ensuring an ongoing and iterative process for the identification and execution of TU’s priority water initiatives. 
• In collaboration with Regional Directors, coordinate with Government Affairs on national policy agenda, especially those that affect the Eastern region such as abandoned mine cleanups, regional programs such as the Great Lakes, Delaware Basin, and Chesapeake Bay, the Farm Bill, and hydro issues.  
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with key decision makers and partners. 
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with TU’s grassroots leaders in the Eastern region, specifically Council chairs and National Leadership Team representatives. 
• Pursue effective strategies to engage local communities, members, and supporters in priority waters work, and assist in growing and engaging larger numbers of volunteers and members to add to TU’s base of support.  
• Consider and make recommendations on litigation requests. 
• Work with Development and Marketing teams to ensure that development and marketing objectives are met. 
• Work with the Policy and Communications team to ensure effective storytelling in their state/region. 
• Work with Finance and Accounting to develop and manage budgets and promote the financial health of programs and the organization. 

This is not an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities.

Requirements

As a prerequisite, the successful candidate shall support the mission, vision, and values of TU. The ideal candidate will also have experience with and a passion for addressing multistate and national environmental issues affecting coldwater fisheries and watersheds across the Eastern region. The final candidate will have the following experiences, skills, and personal attributes. 

Experience 

• Seven to ten years’ experience in natural resource conservation policy or management, with a minimum of five years of senior leadership experience at a public or private organization. 
• Demonstrated success in building, leading, and managing highly functional teams. 
• Demonstrated success in managing complex budgets. 
• Broad experience in working with state, federal, and local agencies and other partners to reconnect and restore watershed health.  
• Experience in policy advocacy at the state or federal level, and a working knowledge of policymaking across government.  
• Passion for trout/salmon conservation and angling; fly-fishing experience is a major plus. 

Skills 

• Proven ability to fundraise, working with government agencies, foundations, major donors, and corporations. 
• Proven ability to identify opportunities to develop and execute complementary strategies to achieve conservation success at scale and tell powerful stories. 
• Proven ability to build consensus across diverse interest groups. 
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgment in managing people, projects, and tasks in a demanding, fast paced, and dynamic work environment. 
• Proven ability to lead collaboratively and manage conflict effectively. 
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills. Excellent presentation skills and executive presence. 
• Strong strategic thinking skills with extensive strategic planning experience. 
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage budgets at the project, program, and organizational levels 
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time. 

Knowledge 

• Extensive knowledge of coldwater conservation needs and opportunities within the region, particularly around trout and salmon fisheries. 
• Solid understanding of politics and socio-economic conditions relevant to TU’s mission within the region. 
• A strong professional network and a demonstrated ability to build and maintain strategically important relationships. 
• Extensive knowledge of issues relevant to watershed health. 
• Knowledge of watershed ecology and fish biology a plus. 
• Bachelor’s Degree required, advanced degree in relevant discipline is a plus. 

Salary and Benefits 

Staff and leadership at TU understand that life outside of work is important to personal health, and we strive to create a healthy and family-friendly atmosphere. This is a full-time position with a full benefits package. 

At TU, we are committed to building space for all people to participate in our work to care for trout and salmon and clean our shared waters. 

How to Apply 

Please upload a resume and cover letter using TU's Paylocity application system linked below.