Project Development Manager or Senior Manager, Colorado

Preferred Application Deadline: July 26, 2024
Location: Remote, Colorado required
Reports to: Managing Director of Project Development

Direct Reports: 0-2

Salary: 

• Manager: $90k-$105k, dependent on experience

• Senior Manager: $105k-$120k, dependent on experience

Travel: Up to 25% - 50% of the time, primarily within Colorado and, to a lesser extent, other Colorado River Basin states

Preferred Start Date: September 16, 2024

Employment Status: 16-month term position mid-September 2024 - mid-January 2026 (extension pending funding and performance)

About Blue Forest

Blue Forest is a conservation finance non-profit founded in 2015 that is focused on advancing ecosystem restoration through scientific research, financial innovation, and collaborative partnerships. Since 2018, Blue Forest has managed investor capital through its flagship financial product, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), which deploys private capital to finance forest restoration projects to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. More recently, Blue Forest has also established Blue Forest Asset Management (BFAM), an investment management platform connecting investors to compelling, mission-aligned opportunities in a broader set of asset classes beyond FRB projects, such as private equity and private credit investments.

Blue Forest is made up of an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, foresters, finance, and communications professionals committed to the mission: “To accelerate ecological restoration through conservation finance, enabling climate resilience for ecosystems and communities”. Employees at Blue Forest are:

• Committed to Continuous Learning

• Driven by Collaboration

• Thoughtful Innovators for Impact

• Ground in Science

• Passionate about Restoring Earth’s Ecosystems

As we grow and develop new financial solutions to pressing environmental problems, we are seeking to amplify and collaborate with those historically excluded in conservation finance. We recognize that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization is not only vital but also a key driver of strength, resilience, and success.

Position Summary

Project Development Managers at Blue Forest lead the development and coordination of conservation finance efforts. This role involves being detail-oriented during day-to-day project operations and execution while also establishing project strategies and developing relationships with project partners. The Project Development Manager develops and implements strategies for individual projects, collaborates with the Blue Forest communication teams on project communication efforts, and fosters relationships with state agencies, non-profits, local research partners, beneficiary funders, and land managers for the region. This position will focus on FRB Project Development and partnerships across the Colorado River Basin, a new-to-Blue Forest geography which will require navigating ambiguity, taking initiative, and self-direction.

This position requires partnering with Director-level staff to develop big-picture strategies, leading project management and day-to-day project development, as well as supervising Analyst- and Associate-level project development staff immediately or in the future. Project and program management requires close collaboration with colleagues and partners across internal and external organizational departments, largely in a remote work environment; therefore, an ability to learn and collaborate interdisciplinarily is essential to success.

Position Responsibilities

FRB Project Development in Colorado (70%)

• Supporting the expansion of Blue Forest’s conservation finance project development work into Colorado and other Colorado River Basin states

• Managing the development of multiple conservation finance projects from conception to execution, bringing structure and processes to innovative and ambiguous projects. Project workstreams include:

  • Scoping the suite of conservation finance opportunities across the Colorado River Basin, with the goal of identifying 2-5 projects which have the highest potential for conservation finance success

  • Partnering with land managers (such as the Forest Service) to create implementation strategies for priority restoration projects

  • Researching and engaging potential project beneficiaries including utilities, corporates interested in nature based solutions, and local and state governments

  • Working with Blue Forest’s science team and science partners to quantify and communicate project benefits

  • Developing and maintaining relationships, crafting proposals, and securing funding commitments from beneficiaries (as described above)

  • Engaging, developing, and maintaining relationships with community stakeholders, Native nations, and potential project collaborators

• Developing and delivering project materials such as presentations, two-pagers, and memorandums to support project development

• Cultivating and managing relationships with key project development partners across a portfolio of project assignments

Regional Strategy and Partnerships in Colorado and other Basin states (20%)

• Establish, develop, and manage key relationships with state agencies, Region 2 of the U.S. Forest Service, Native nations, state and regional beneficiaries, and other Colorado River Basin-wide stakeholders

• Partner with the Blue Forest leadership team to identify opportunities to expand conservation finance models (like the FRB) to other sectors and ecosystems

• Integrate and enhance DEI and tribal engagement throughout the project development process

• Partner with the leadership team to build the pipeline of projects in Colorado, including identifying and managing revenue opportunities such as grant opportunities, consulting to public or private entities, or new business model generation

Staff Management and Growth (10%)

• Immediately or in the future, supervise analyst- and associate-level staff

• Regularly meet with direct reports to support staff development/growth and help build a culture where staff are empowered to bring their unique contributions to the team

• Be a champion for company culture, values, equity, and inclusion

Desired Qualifications & Experience

An ideal candidate will have 5+ years of relevant work or equivalent experience. Blue Forest will prioritize the following qualifications in the hiring process; however, we do not expect candidates to fulfill all criteria and encourage all interested candidates to apply.

• Project Management: Project management experience including scoping, managing, and executing multiple work streams simultaneously, meeting deadlines, overseeing budgets, and managing multiple external stakeholders. Excellent time management, prioritization, and knowledge management skills. Project management certifications are a plus.

• Navigating Ambiguity: Strategically minded and comfortable prioritizing competing needs, bringing structure to ambiguous situations, proactively researching and identifying solutions. Excitement to drive and execute both the day-to-day operations and strategy for individual projects. Experience working for a small and/or early stage company is a plus.

• Communication: Strong professional written and oral communication skills, including distilling and communicating complex ideas into presentations and written memos, facilitating multi-stakeholder collaborative discussions, creating effective storytelling products, etc.

• Partnerships & Collaboration: Experience collaborating with internal and external stakeholders and Native Nations to design effective solutions and projects. Strong relationship management skills, with demonstrated experience partnering with local, regional, and national partners. Experience collaborating in remote work environments is a plus.

• Conservation Finance, Ecosystem Services, Utilities, or Forestry Expertise: Passionate and understanding of conservation finance, modeling ecosystem services, water and electric utilities, forestry, or other relevant fields. Experience working with the USDA Forest Service or utilities is a plus.

• Continuous learner: Committed to continuous learning, including: seeking opportunities to incorporate feedback and learn from others, actively listening and taking note of opportunities to improve project development processes, documenting best practices, and exploring ways to promote engagement approaches anchored in historical place-based context that empower and support diverse communities within the conservation and financial communities.

Additional Information

Blue Forest is a fully remote company with staff located across all four continental U.S. time zones. You will generally be expected to be online during Mountain Standard Time standard working hours in order to collaborate with partners and other team members. Blue Forest also hosts an in-person team retreat each year.

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage; subsidized coverage for dependents

• Access to a 401k retirement plan with a 4% employer match

• Starting 3 weeks paid vacation and 17 paid holidays; paid sick leave and volunteer time

• 3 months of paid family leave

• Employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance

• Access to Dependent Care FSA

• Public Lands Exploration stipend (reimbursements for visits to National Forests, county parks, etc.)

• Monthly Home Office stipend or co-working space provided

• Travel and partial dependant care costs provided for business travel

• Additional stipends for health & wellness; home internet and cell service

• Financial support for professional development
  

Covid Vaccine Requirement

All Blue Forest staff are required to be “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines that term. Proof of full vaccination shall be a condition of employment and must be provided prior to starting work, except where prohibited by law. Blue Forest is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and the company will engage in the interactive process regarding reasonable accommodations for candidates who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability/medical condition; a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance; or a claimed exemption under applicable state law.

How to Apply

To apply to this position, please submit an application through recruitee. People from historically underrepresented populations and candidates with non-traditional career paths are especially encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and those submitted by 7/26/2024 will be given priority consideration.

If participating in the interview process would require you to incur additional expenses to participate, such as childcare, please let us know and we are happy to reimburse for reasonable expenses incurred up to $30/hour for twice the length of each interview in which you participate. There will be space to request this reimbursement upon offer of an interview.

Blue Forest provides equal employment and opportunities for advancement, compensation, training, and growth according to individual merit, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, genetic information, disability, veteran-status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable Federal, state, or local law. Applicants must have authorization to work in the United States.