Senior Director
Organization: Coastal Quest
Position Type: Full-time
Location: Headquarters in Oakland, CA
Organization Description:
Coastal Quest is a 501(c)3 nonprofit working collaboratively with communities to build a more resilient coast by increasing inclusive, science-based planning, governance, financing, and project implementation for a just, prosperous, and sustainable future. Coastal Quest works around the world, from white water to blue water, on lakes and shorelines, and at the land-water connection. We provide project management, science, and technical expertise, connect partners with financial and human resources, contract management, grantmaking, and facilitation of public-private partnerships. We are purposefully nimble and designed to solve multifaceted and complex coastal issues. We are here to achieve resilience goals, reduce threats, and implement solutions.
Essential Functions:
This new leader will be a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director and will collaboratively lead the organization’s efforts to articulate and implement a 2024-2027 strategy to transform equitable multi-benefit coastal solutions philanthropy for people, nature, and climate that aligns with Coastal Quest’s theory of impact. The Senior Director will take a leadership role in organizing public and philanthropic partnerships to support the organization’s programs and shift the field’s resources toward strategies that achieve our mission.
The coastal ecosystems-focused Senior Director will provide support for Coastal Quest’s work to achieve our two goals – 1) build multi-benefit solutions for healthy and resilient coasts and 2) increase coastal resiliency for vulnerable communities and economies. The Director will support projects focused on building community-driven, resilient coastal ecosystems and nature-based solutions. The Sr. Director will lead and deliver on work – in coordination with the Coastal Quest team and our partners – to strengthen capacity and enhance coastal management for people, nature, and climate. The Sr. Director will lead and support the Organization as we grow and build innovative programs that tell compelling stories and enhance our impact in the coastal and climate space. This role involves overseeing and implementing existing projects and working with the Coastal Quest team and partners to grow additional projects to achieve our goals. The role involves being a representative for Coastal Quest, as well as overseeing and working on a wide range of projects and programs for the organization. The Senior Director will need excellent time management skills and the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously. Although this position works on cross-cutting coastal issues, expertise in sea level rise adaptation, water quality, restoration and management, blue carbon, as well as eDNA and other cutting-edge solutions is beneficial.
The Senior Director has outstanding leadership and development skills and the desire to help grow our team. They flourish in a collaborative, solutions-oriented, and nimble working environment and thrive in a position with a wide variety of partners, clients, projects, and job responsibilities.
The new Senior Director will be a politically astute partner who can bring in public financing and a philanthropic organizer who is excited by the opportunity to leverage the power of public financing and philanthropy in support of diverse, high-impact partners on the ground who will determine the ability of the coastal movement to make concrete progress over the next decade.
The main duties of the Senior Director include, but are not limited to:
- Providing strategy, vision, and leadership to the next-level build of a strategic partnerships function for Coastal Quest.The Senior Director will work closely with the Executive Director to lead a strategy centered around equity, nature-based solutions, and coastal resilience. The Senior Director will collaborate with the Executive Director to create and implement a multi-year public financing and philanthropy strategy to guide the organization’s growth and transform coastal climate adaptation philanthropy. They will develop close collaborative partnerships with ally organizations to ensure alignment with the needs of the organization and our mission, goals, grantees, and fiscally sponsored projects. The Senior Director will be a thought partner to the Executive Director and the programmatic staff and will be capable of developing and implementing partnerships and fundraising plans that align with Coastal Quest’s theory of change.
- Successful candidates will deeply value racial equity and justice and will ensure that all narrative building and fundraising strategies center the unique capacity of Coastal Quest to build the power of communities to successfully advance and implement ambitious and equitable multi-benefit coastal solutions for people, nature, and climate.
- Programmatic partnership, stewardship, and implementation.The new Senior Director will effectively leverage the Coastal Quest model to lift up the organization, Initiatives, grantees, and fiscally sponsored projects and establish relationships with a diverse array of partners who will both support the Coastal Quest’s internal development and its growing programs, grantees, and fiscally sponsored projects across California, the Pacific, and beyond. The Senior Director will identify emerging opportunities in the field for the cultivation of new aligned partnerships with public agencies, foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and other philanthropic entities. The Senior Director will encourage and support an environment of continuous learning across the organization. The Senior Director will set strategies and workplans for implementing large-scale initiatives and projects, as well as developing and maintaining multi-year plans that support lasting relationships between partners. The Senior Director will also provide guidance, vision and oversee implementation of workplans for complex grant-making and implementation projects. The person holding this position will also lead or support managing specific Initiatives as necessary, including the Intertidal Marine DNA Library, partnership with State Parks sea level rise adaptation, Orange County Climate Resilience Partnership, and other nature-based solutions and 30×30 coastal Initiatives.
Qualifications:
Strategic Vision and Core Knowledge:
- Broad knowledge of the public financing and philanthropy field and an understanding of the historical context, institutions, and systems.
- Ability to apply a macro view on relevant trends in environmental and climate change philanthropy and fundraising with a strong curiosity and interest in tracking the needs and developing areas of the field focused on coastal solutions.
- A proven thought leader who understands and can articulate the value proposition of an intermediary funder within the ecosystem it operates in.
- A track record of designing Initiatives and project funding strategies to raise resources at scale over multiple years and the ability to operationalize that strategy through aligned and engaged partnerships for 501(c)(3) programs.
- Demonstrated passion for and investment in advancing justice and equity. Highly developed critical consciousness and a combination of professional and lived experience aligned with Coastal Quest’s mission and values.
Programmatic Partner and Implementation Work
- A track record of building and maintaining strategic partnerships.
- Strong convening and facilitation skills and an authentic interest in listening to and learning from others; ability to establish trust with a diverse set of stakeholders and a commitment to honoring and elevating community expertise and wisdom.
- Demonstrated experience creating strong and sustainable relationships with a diverse array of stakeholders; adept at identifying and cultivating strategic public and private partnerships and funders.
- Superb communication and external relations skills and demonstrated success in building an organization’s profile and reputation in local, regional, national, and professional communities.
- Performing partner and program/project area oversight (including scoping, work planning, and budgeting).
- Manage programs and projects and ensure delivery on time and within budget.
- Performing projects tasks such as event and meeting planning, research, and writing.
- Present project findings and/or performing technical facilitation to various stakeholder groups, both informally and formally.
- Performing and coordinating QA/QC to ensure that the quality of deliverables is of the consistently high standard necessary to show achievement when reporting on grant goals and targets and obtaining more funding.
Management and Team Leadership:
- Experience mentoring, developing, and providing leadership to high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams and partners. Engage staff to achieve project/program goals.
- Prioritizes a relational work environment that builds trust and seeks to foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and integrity.
- Manage and develop junior- and mid-level staff to deliver programs and projects on time and within budget.
- Contract and grant management and oversight.
- Communicate and coordinate with the Director of Finance and Grant Administration on project operational needs.
- Commitment to creating a strong and healthy workplace that reflects internally the values of Coastal Quest externally and that centers on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Additional Qualifications:
- Ability to produce products in a timely fashion through collaborative processes.
- Strong written and oral communication skills and a working knowledge of all Microsoft Office programs, including Word, PowerPoint, and basic statistical functions in Excel.
- Excellent project management experience, including managing contracts and federal and/or state grant agreements.
- Proven track record of writing, winning, and overseeing the delivery of multi-million-dollar grant proposals and programs.
- Acts independently on assigned tasks and exercises independent judgments based on analysis, experience, and judgment.
- The ability to be a self-starter who assumes hands-on responsibility, balances competing priorities and deadlines, and demonstrates sound judgment and good problem-solving skills.
- Experience working with diverse and inclusive audiences.
- Ability to manage sensitive and proprietary information with discretion and confidentiality
- Strong personal commitment to realizing the mission of Coastal Quest.
Knowledge and Experience:
- Interdisciplinary training in natural and social science, resource conservation and management, communications, and/or policy. PhD or MS/MBA with at least 10-12+ years relevant experience.
- 15+ years’ related professional experience or equivalent combination.
- Experience in managing complex or multiple projects and timelines, including staffing, workloads, contracts, budgets, and finances under deadlines, and consulting experience is strongly preferred.
- Proven track record of managing public grants.
- Proven track record of managing grant-making and capacity-building programs.
- Experience using accounting and financial reporting systems.
- Experience managing and leading a growing programmatic team.
- Experience setting up and overseeing QA/QC systems and evaluation of impact.
- Proven track record of running and facilitating meetings.
- Experience researching, critically analyzing, and evaluating information from divergent sources and compiling it into cohesive reports and recommendations for strategy and action.
- Experience in partnership development with businesses, nonprofit partners, community groups, and/or government agencies.
- Proven track record of writing winning proposals and reporting on impact.
- Critical analytical thinking experience, including quantitative and analytical skills, problem-solving, and adaptability.
- Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experiences are appreciated.
Application Instructions: Please submit the following in one (1) PDF to info@coastal-quest.org:
- 1-page cover letter and resume
- 1 writing sample
- 3 references
Please write your subject line as “Coastal Ecosystem Senior Director”
Salary: $129,000-$160,000 depending on qualifications and experience, no relocation package
Benefits: Competitive package, including health, eye, dental, 401k, paid time off, holidays and sick leave
Date Review: We will start reviewing applications on November 22nd, 2024
Location: Headquarters in Oakland, CA
Coastal Quest is fully committed to attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified employees without regard to their race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by state or local law. We are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment and where employees are treated with respect and dignity.