What We Can Achieve Together:

The Culture and Engagement Director will help set the Business Unit’s strategic direction on internal culture and employee engagement and external equitable conservation. They will lead the implementation of the Business Unit’s Equity Blueprint, an internal action plan developed by staff that outlines the Business Unit’s culture and engagement direction, by coordinating cross‑departmental efforts, managing timelines and budgets, ensuring accountability for progress and taking a hands-on role in implementing key components. They will build and sustain relationships with communities and partners while identifying staff knowledge, skills, and expertise gaps and overseeing culture‑, engagement‑ and equitable conservation-related development. They will support and guide relevant employee groups and provide expertise on organizational change, inclusive leadership practices, and equitable conservation. They will collaborate closely with teams and colleagues throughout the Arizona Business Unit and across the organization to advance shared goals, share best practices and advance collective learning. The position reports to the Arizona Deputy State Director and serves as a strategic advisor to Business Unit Leadership and Board of Trustees.

** The preferred location for this position is Tucson; however, Phoenix may be considered as an alternative. **

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Foster a workplace grounded in belonging, psychological safety, and shared responsibility for equity;

• Coordinate implementation of and iteration on existing staff-developed Equity Blueprint across relevant departments and staff, managing budget, setting deadlines, and ensuring accountability for progress;

• Regularly evaluate the Equity Blueprint’s effectiveness and recommend updates based on data and staff feedback;

• Support and guide Arizona Business Unit staff in embedding equity across all aspects of our work to advance durable, holistic, and equitable conservation outcomes for people and nature;

• Facilitate relationships with strategic audiences, communities, and local partner organizations;

• Partner with the Learning and Organizational Development Team and other relevant teams as needed to identify staff knowledge, skills, and expertise gaps, and oversee staff development related to culture, engagement, and equitable conservation;

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Arizona Leadership Team on issues related to organizational/team culture, inclusion and belonging, and equitable conservation;

• Partner with the Legal Team and the Global Culture and Engagement Team in establishing any relevant Business Unit employee resource groups, and provide support and guidance to those groups once they are in place;

• Partner with Western US and Canada Division Human Resources Team to identify and address systemic barriers affecting staff retention and advancement;

• Provide guidance on relevant policy development, organizational change, and inclusive leadership practices ensuring compliance with TNC policies, procedures, and external (donor/legal/IRS) requirements; decisions may have organization-wide impact and bind the organization financially or legally;

• Present culture and engagement insights, progress reports, and recommendations to Arizona Leadership Team and Arizona Board of Trustees;

• Model collaborative leadership by influencing without authority and fostering alignment across interdepartmental teams to coordinate the work of peers;

• Work in close collaboration and coordination with the Global Culture and Engagement Team, the North America Region Human Rights and Equity in Conservation Team, the Western US and Canada Division Human Resources Team, the Learning and Organizational Development Team, the Arizona Engagement and Operations Director, the Arizona Conservation Director, and other relevant Western US and Canada Division colleagues and teams;

• Connect with counterparts in other business units across the organization to identify and share best practices, tools and resources to cultivate shared learning;

• Develop and track staff metrics to identify gaps, disparate experiences, and opportunities, and to assess program effectiveness; and

• Travel on short notice and work long and flexible hou