Job Title: Senior Policy Manager

Location: Washington, DC (Potential Remote)

Reports to: Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy

About us

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) unlocks the power of family forests as a climate solution while helping thousands of landowners care for their land and improve forest health. Through its Family Forest Carbon Program, AFF expands access to the voluntary carbon market for family forest owners from all walks of life while producing high quality forest carbon credits to help companies reach their net zero goals. The organization's strategic direction seeks to enable family forests to capture and store one billion tonnes of carbon by 2050.

We do not do this alone. AFF works across a broad coalition of conservation partners, corporations, and policymakers to equip family forest owners with financial and technical support to implement sustainable forest management practices on their lands and activate their forests as a critical tool in the fight against climate change.

AFF is in a mode of complex problem solving and rapid iteration. All teams at AFF are working to discover solutions to the planet's most pressing climate issues through developing and iterating viable and scalable models for impact. AFF is driven by values of our shared purpose, measurable and verifiable results, and learning for continuous improvement to tackle big conservation challenges.

About the Role

The Senior Policy Manager will work with the Policy Team and consultants on advancing AFF policy priorities at the federal and state level. The Senior Manager will focus on engaging Members of Congress, federal agencies, state agencies, and stakeholders in policy strategy that delivers natural climate solutions and advances forest carbon sequestration. The Senior Manager will also be responsible for advancing federal-level legislation that supports our conservation work to help family woodland owners sustainably manage their forests to ensure clean water, support quality wildlife habitat, and stimulate local economies.

Responsibilities

• Track federal policies that focus on climate mitigation goals, wildfire risk reduction, disaster recovery, markets for wood products, and more.
• Ensure state and federal policies support AFF's Family Forest Carbon Program and AFF's regional conservation work.
• Advocate at the federal level for policies that support family forests conservation and management, with a focus on policies that help family forest owners contribute to climate mitigation.
• Provide analytical support on specific issues related to climate change and forest carbon sequestration, and wildfire mitigation.
• Research policies on carbon taxation, climate mitigation policy, natural climate solutions, that support action on family forests for climate and wildfire mitigation.
• Advance both federal and state government policy and funding that empowers family forest owners to take action on issues like climate change, biodiversity protection, and wildfire risk reduction.
• Support regional conservation work by engaging in policy that relates to incentive-based programs, proactive tax policies, and forest product markets.
• Develop and cultivate relationships with state partners and coalitions, especially those already advocating in the state, exploring where AFF can add value to existing work.
• Cultivate key legislative targets, and government agencies relevant to above noted policy issues
• Other duties as assigned

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, in public policy, environmental policy, or natural resources degree with policy experience preferred.
• At least 4 years of experience
• Experience successfully managing program(s) or project(s)
• A proven ability to develop strategy for programs.
• Experience managing program budgets.
• Experience working effectively with volunteers, customers and staff.
• Ability to analyze processes and information, identify problems and trends, and develop effective solutions and strategies.

Core Competencies

• Agility - Thriving in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments by anticipating and responding to changes with swift, focused and flexible actions.
• Collaborating with Others - Working together with others in a cooperative and supportive manner to achieve shared goals.
• Ensuring Accountability - Holding yourself and others to high standards of accountability, creating an infrastructure and transparent organization culture that supports and measures personal and organizational responsibility and accountability.
• Problem Solving - Identifying problems and the solutions to them. Your contributions and leadership will be appreciated. Our staff is passionate, dedicated and good at what they do, and will be deeply grateful for your efforts to create and preserve an environment that is both fun and fair.

Job Function Competencies

• Policy and Standards Design Development - Designing and developing effective and transparent policies aligned, with the strategic direction and operation of the organization.
• Reconciliation and Analysis - Reconciling and analyzing financial information to inform decision-making in the organization.
• Analytical Thinking - Analyzing and synthesizing information to understand issues, identify options, and support sound decision making.
• Project Risk Management - Identifying, assessing, prioritizing, documenting and managing risk and its impact.

What's Attractive to the Right Candidate

• You have the unique and exciting opportunity to work with amazing colleagues, partners and landowners to help connect forest landowners with technical and financial assistance to better steward their land and achieve vital landscape-scale conservation impacts.
• Your contributions and leadership will be appreciated. Our staff is passionate, dedicated and good at what they do, and will be deeply grateful for your efforts to create and preserve an environment that is both fun and fair.
• We offer a flexible work environment that respects your life outside of work.
• Salary is commensurate with experience.
• AFF offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package.