Sr. Manager, Northern Rockies

Our Mission in Action

Trees play a vital role in solving some of the most pressing issues facing our communities, our society, and our world today. For 150 years, American Forests has stood boldly at the forefront of the conservation movement, working collaboratively and innovatively to ensure that all people have access to the benefits of trees. As we look ahead to the next 150, continued collective action will be essential to securing a healthy, climate-resilient future for all. To support this work, we are looking for a Senior Manager, Northern Rockies (Montana) to join our Forest Restoration department.

What You’ll Do

The Senior Manager, Northern Rockies will support our work with the USDA Forest Service (FS) in the state of Montana thru developing and executing projects and partnerships; working in close collaboration between American Forests (AF) and USDA FS staff; overseeing program and field logistics; supporting grant and agreement administration, including invoicing, reporting, and grant writing; managing field staff supported by the USFS Agreements; and other relevant grants and agreements within their Region, including recruitment and hiring as applicable.

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Project Management (60%)

• Work with the Region Director to advance regional reforestation activities and related partnerships primarily on National Forest System (NFS) lands.
• Manage and support reforestation and forest resilience partnerships, including facilitation of and/or attendance at partner meetings, grants and agreement reporting, and budgeting.
• Advance new forest restoration projects, plans, partnerships, and agreements to grow our work in the region.
• Oversee implementation of reforestation-related activities on NFS lands. Implementation actions could include planning and unit layout; contract administration; field implementation and quality control, including for site preparation, planting, release, and other restoration actions; and monitoring including surveys and inventory.
• Coordinate with relevant American Forests staff regarding field data collection, analysis and adaptive management actions.
• Oversee field and safety logistics for Region staff, ensuring that field staff have the requisite safety training, and that field safety practices are aligned with organizational requirements.
• Coordinate with relevant USDA FS and AF staff on common field protocol, templates, and best practices.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of trends, best practices, scientific research, and new developments in silviculture, reforestation, forestry, and natural resource management.
• Build and maintain relationships on behalf of American Forests with key agencies and regional stakeholders.
• Assist the Region Director with regular coordination between the USDA FS and partner organizations to prioritize workplans and agree on standards for work performed.

Supervisory Duties (20%)

• Supervise seasonal and/or full-time permanent employees, including timesheet and leave approvals, performance assessments, assistance with administrative processes, etc.
• Lead recruitment, hiring, and training for additional staff as needed.
• Provide in-field supervisory support for AF staff, field crews, and field support personnel as needed and appropriate.

Grant Management/Administration (15%)

• Collaborate with Resilient Forests’ Program Operations & Administration team on various grants and agreements administrative tasks, including reforecasting of project budgets, preparing invoice documentation, submitting payment requests, documenting match, and submitting grant and agreement modifications.
• Support the Regional Director in frontline relationship management and oversight of contractors.

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

• Assist American Forests’ staff in the delivery of relevant in-person meetings, conferences, and events.
• Conduct public presentations at conferences and meetings.
• Plan and lead site visits and field tours as appropriate.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry or natural resources with at least three (3) years of experience; or a Master's degree in forestry or natural resources with at least two (2) years of experience.
• Field forestry and/or reforestation experience, specifically: planning and implementing forest management actions on federal lands, including conducting fieldwork and implementing field-based projects.
• Experience supervising teams of people, ideally in field-based and remote environments.
• Working knowledge and experience in project and partnership management. Partnership or project experience with USDA Forest Service preferred.
• Strong organization, project management skills, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Possession of a state forestry license and/or Society of American Foresters Certified Forester certification preferred.
• Possess a current First Aid certification or be willing to be sponsored in obtaining.
• Experience with GPS and GIS including AGOL, field maps and Survey123 used for mapping and geospatial data analysis.
• Experience in contract oversight and administration preferred.
• A valid driver’s license, as frequent travel to work sites is required.
• Ability to speak Spanish preferred.

We don’t expect you to check every single box. If this role excites you, we want to hear from you! We’re interested in your ability to learn, collaborate, and bring fresh perspectives.

Our Core Competencies

Attitude • Communication • Organization • Problem-Solving & Creativity • Representing the Organization

Reporting and Supervision

The Senior Manager reports to the Director, Northern Rockies. The Senior Manager may supervise up to five (5) direct reports, primarily field-going, who may have full-time permanent or seasonal status. This position will directly supervise or support a program with a mix of full-time permanent and seasonal status; and may include close coordination with other partner organizations. The Senior Manager will support their direct reports in completing on-the-ground project planning and implementation-related tasks.

Compensation, Benefits & Working Conditions

This is a full-time, salaried exempt position. The budgeted salary range is between $60,000 and $80,000 annually.

This is a remote position based within 2 hours of Missoula, Montana. Other locations within Western Montana may be considered for highly qualified candidates. Up to 25% of travel throughout the state to work sites and field locations, across the U.S. and/or to American Forests’ headquarters in Washington D.C. may be required.

The individual must be comfortable with prolonged periods of sitting and/or standing at a desk and conducting computer-based work, including, but not limited to, recordkeeping, contract administration, attending meetings, writing reports, and emailing. In the field, the Senior Manager will be expected to stand, walk, or sit for long periods of time and requires lifting materials weighing up to 40 lbs. Field work includes exposure to various risks, including, but not limited to: varying terrain, dense vegetation, and wildlife risks (exposure to bears, mountain lions, snakes, ticks, poison oak/ivy, mosquitos, etc.), hot, wet, and cold conditions. Reasonable accommodation may be made to provide access to all individuals along the continuum of human ability and experience.

Our benefits package includes:

The Resilient Forests Team

The Resilient Forests department connects the best available science, networks, and place-based implementation to protect and restore landscapes threatened by a wide variety of stressors for the benefit of people, water, wildlife and climate. Through our partnership with the USDA Forest Service, American Forests is addressing reforestation needs in multiple regions of the United States.

About Us

American Forests is a national non-profit organization committed to creating healthy and resilient forests from cities to large forest landscapes, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water, and wildlife. We advance our mission through forestry innovation, place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests, and movement building. We envision a world in which the significant environmental, societal, and economic benefits of forests are fully realized and equitably available to all people. Established in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national non-profit conservation organization in the U.S. working to restoring urban forests and forested landscapes for over 150 years.

American Forests is proud to be a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace. These are our shared values. We welcome individuals who bring a variety of backgrounds and experiences to be a part of our team to help make a difference individually and collectively as we work toward achieving our mission. We are committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming and respectful and provides opportunities for advancement and professional growth for every team member.

American Forests is an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. Reasonable accommodation may be made to provide access to all individuals along the continuum of human ability and experience.

Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran/LGBTQ+ Encouraged to Apply

In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at View phone number on aiapply.co (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at View phone number on aiapply.co. Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than English.