Partnerships Manager

Our client, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is the nation’s most effective environmental action organization. We use law, science and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our staff helped write some of America’s bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, and many of the implementing regulations; our water enforcement cases played a major role shaping current water policy throughout the country. Today, our staff of more than 500 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy and communications experts, and others, work out of offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bozeman, Montana, and Beijing.

Position Summary:

NRDC seeks a Partnership Manager to work with the International program’s Canada project. The Partnership Manager will help advance NRDC’s campaign to protect Canada’s boreal forest. The role will focus on supporting the efforts of Indigenous communities to advance Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), building relationships with strategic stakeholders in the Canadian boreal forest and advocating for NRDC’s Canadian federal and provincial policy agenda to protect carbon rich ecosystems, preserved biodiversity and advance Indigenous sovereignty. The successful candidate must have excellent communication and problem solving skills and the ability to write effectively for audiences in the government, media, business community and general public.

• This position would either be based in, or spend a significant portion of time in, Ontario and Quebec to coordinate with our Indigenous allies in the boreal and support NRDC’s federal and provincial advocacy strategies.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with NRDC’s Canada team to advance campaign strategies that support the creation of IPCAs, the protection of primary forests ecosystems and the preservation of the climate, biodiversity and cultural values of Canada’s boreal forest;
• Work closely with Indigenous allies to support their efforts to establish IPCAs and advance their leadership on their traditional territories;
• Work with a network of NGOs and other stakeholders to advocate for federal and provincial policies that advance IPCAs and the protection of primary forests;
• Build and strengthen relationships with Indigenous allies, NGO partners, labor and other stakeholders;
• Represent NRDC with NGO partners, Indigenous allies, Canadian and U.S. policymakers, media and other stakeholders;
• Work with allies to develop strategies and build alignment between diverse networks of actors spanning decisionmaker engagement and outside pressure tactics;
• Research and write on a variety of issues including Indigenous rights, forest and climate issues, wildlife conservation and alternate economic models in the forestry sector;
• Ensure robust coordination between work advancing Indigenous rights in the Canada Project and related work occurring in other parts of NRDC;
• Travel to meet with Indigenous allies, Canadian federal and provincial decisionmakers, NGO partners and to represent NRDC at international fora.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS NEEDED:

• Bachelor’s degree required;
• At least 5 years of experience working in a related field with experience working with Indigenous communities and operating in, or running, coalition efforts;
• A collaborative mindset and a track record of working effectively in alliance with diverse stakeholders;
• Robust interpersonal skills to interact with Indigenous allies, decision-makers in government, other non-profits, labor and the business community;
• Ability to participate on teams that work collaboratively toward shared outcomes across programs and organizations;
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to handle multiple work streams;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• French language skills are an asset but not required.
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming a diversity of voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet’s most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with skills and experience. Salary minimum is CAD 133,360; salary midpoint is CAD 146,000. Salary may be higher as appropriate for the selected candidate, with internal equity considerations taken into account.