Senior Manager, Southern Rockies (Colorado)

Application Deadline:

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

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, Southern Rockies (Colorado) to join our Forest Restoration department. 

What You’ll Do 

The Senior Manager, Southern Rockies will support our work in USDA FS Region 2 (Rocky Mountain Region) in developing and executing projects and partnerships; working in close collaboration between AF and USDA FS staff; oversee program and field logistics; supporting grant and agreement administration, including invoicing, reporting, and grant writing; managing field staff supported by the USFS Agreement; 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 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 development, contractor selection, and administration; field implementation and quality control, including for site preparation, planting, release, and other restoration actions; and monitoring. 
• 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 Forest Service and American Forests 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.

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 
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. 

• 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 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.

Our Core Competencies 

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

Reporting and Supervision 

The Senior Manager may supervise up to five (5) direct reports, primarily field-going, who may have full-time permanent or seasonal status. In certain regions, this position could 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 and will report to Regional Directors.

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 1 hour of Fort Collins, Colorado. Other locations within Northern Colorado may be considered for highly qualified candidates. Up to 25% of travel throughout 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: