Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America’s largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state and territorial affiliates and more than seven million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stripes. The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world. We advance this mission through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, advancing environmental justice, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.
The Vice President of Program Operations for the National Wildlife Federation is a senior leadership role responsible for advancing NWF’s mission, strategic plan and amplifying NWF’s impact. The VP will oversee key support of programmatic teams and assist in the management of the $80+ million programmatic budget. The VP will be a leader in helping create efficiencies and operational excellence, while ensuring NWF has the infrastructure, operational strategy and systems to support the Federation and aims of its mission and newly developed strategic plan.
A trusted adviser to the COO, the VP will need to be a strategic, inclusive, and innovative leader who can influence and build consensus across the Federation and broader community.
Key Relationships:
Reports to:
- Chief Operating Officer
Direct Reports:
- Sr. Director of Operations for the National Advocacy Center
- Directors of Program Operations
Other Relationships:
- Executive Leadership Team
- Administrative and Operations Leadership Team
- Programmatic Teams
Key Responsibilities:
- Set the goals and strategic direction of the Program Operations Team to ensure the program teams have the support needed to achieve the goals of the strategic plan. Help develop an understanding across the Federation of how Program Operations is part of an integrated whole helping drive the success of the Federation.
- Serve as a member of the Administrative and Operations Leadership Team to serve as a bridge between Programs, Operations, Finance, Philanthropy, Legal, People, Equity and Justice, Communications and other essential departments. Particular focus on presenting accurate information and maintaining a high-level understanding of organizational functions, policies, and plans in order to achieve the goals of the strategic plan.
- In collaboration with the COO and broader leadership teams, ensure the establishment and operation of the appropriate systems, practices, and policies to drive and cement change. Take calculated risks and generate support for transformation. Focus on efficiency, effectiveness, and continuous improvement of operational processes and create a standard of excellence and empowerment within the team.
- Work alongside programmatic teams to assist with budget development and active monitoring of progress against budget. Particular focus on overseeing institutional and federal grant management and interplay between restricted and unrestricted funding sources.
- Assist with the evaluate of new programmatic and funding opportunities to identify needs to properly support programmatic delivery.
- Contributes to the creation of a diverse, equitable and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.
Skills & Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, etc.).
- 8+ years of experience.
- Proven experience in nonprofit management, including roles with increasing responsibilities managing people, budgets, and grants.
- Strong understanding of nonprofit regulations, governance, and best practices.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
- Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
NWF Values:
Your actions are expected to reflect the staff values of the National Wildlife Federation: collaboration, mindfulness, empowerment, inclusivity, and mission focus. Your competencies should include:
- Being motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized.
- Consistently bringing a high level of empathy and social skills to work and interpersonal interactions.
- Actively seeks feedback, direction, and guidance from all team members and keeps staff informed of decisions that impact them.
- Being dedicated to advancing NWF’s internal equity transformation and compelling partners and allies to incorporate equity into their work; and
- Passion for and commitment to NWF’s mission
Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s required equity competencies at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.
Travel Requirements:
This position will involve regular travel between the Federation’s Virginia and DC offices and involve regular domestic travel to regional, affiliate and stakeholder offices (up to 20%).
Location and Work Mode:
The National Wildlife Federation is committed to a flexible and empowered work environment with an authentic community of care for all staff. This hybrid position will be based in either our Headquarters in Reston, VA, or our National Advocacy Center in Washington, DC. For more information on Work Modes, please review the benefits section of our careers page: https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers
Compensation and Benefits:
The salary range for this position $130,000 – $145,000 annually, commensurate with experience, plus additional executive compensation and benefits. Executive education may be available.
We are proud of our designation by Mogul as a Top 100 Workplace with the Best Benefits, and by Forbes as one of America’s best small employers! We value work-life balance and a family-friendly atmosphere with flexible scheduling. We want you to be able to integrate work and personal life with attention to your self-care, so that your work schedule is not depleting. We offer benefits so you feel restored and fueled through the day and week.
We offer these supports to help manage your mental, emotional, and physical health:
- Paid time off: Vacation that starts off at three weeks accrual, unlimited wellbeing (this time can be used for physical, spiritual, emotional, cultural, religious or financial wellbeing for yourself, a partner, or family member – including pets), 10 holidays, and 3 floating holidays
- We close down for a paid winter break between December 25 to January 1 to recognize end of-year stress, and time for reflection, rejuvenation, and spending time with family.
- Up to 16 weeks of fully paid Family and Medical Leave
- Low-cost health, dental, and vision insurance options – all outpatient mental health is covered at in-network rates
- Therapist available at no cost
- Pet insurance and discount perk program
- Annual wellbeing allowance
In addition to your salary, we offer the following supports to your personal finances:
- Retirement plan with immediate match and vesting
- Annual year end retirement contribution
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Adoption and Surrogacy assistance
- Pet adoption stipend
- Student Loan management
Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s benefits package at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.
Application:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.
For more information on our recruiting process, please review our Careers page: https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers
We strive to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world. We recruit, employ, train compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at nwf.org/equity.
We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job, therefore our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Your experience, which may include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, helps build the competencies and knowledge that translates to our openings. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of excellence. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions.
Please let us know if you require accommodations during the application or interview process by reaching us at hrhelp@nwf.org or 703-438-6244.
If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.