WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Title: Specialist, Great Plains

Job Family/Level: Program/ Specialist

Reports to: Director, Great Plains Wildlife Initiative

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Must be based within the Great Plains, preferably in western South Dakota or eastern Colorado. 

Date: November 2025

Overview

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Program Officer (PO) to join its Great Plains team to support the Great Plains Wildlife Initiative (GWPI). Working closely with other WWF staff, the PO will cultivate and maintain relationships with key partners engaged in locally led efforts to restore and conserve bison, black-footed ferrets, prairie dogs, beavers, and their habitats within the U.S. portion of the Great Plains ecoregion. These partners may include Tribal, federal, and state agencies, private landowners and managers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), elected officials, academic institutions, and private enterprises. The PO will provide technical and financial assistance to key partners as well as contribute to WWF’s and partners’ fundraising efforts toward our shared wildlife conservation goals. This position will focus primarily on bison restoration with opportunities for black-footed ferret and beaver restoration.

Responsibilities

• Supports the GPWI team in advancing the Great Plains Wildlife Initiative strategic goals to restore bison and other keystone or endangered species within the Great Plains.
• Identifies, initiates, sustains, and strengthens new and ongoing relationships with local communities, landowners, and land managers expressing interest in WWF collaboration on wildlife and habitat restoration projects.
• Engages with local partners and with agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions to implement projects in a manner that is culturally, ecologically, and economically sustainable.
• Supports partners with technical assistance, strategic guidance, implementation, monitoring, fundraising, communications, data management, and project evaluation—in collaboration with GPWI team and other WWF staff.
• Tracks progress and provides input for strategic bison and other keystone or endangered species program planning and review.
• Participates in the development of innovative solutions for meeting priority conservation goals with a variety of partners and identifies opportunities and incentives for achieving those goals.
• Develops, drafts, and reviews short- and long-term work plans, program materials, and reports.
• Prepares scopes of work, budgets, and administrative documentation for contracts, ensuring compliance with donor requirements.
• Assists in drafting funding proposals and progress reports to support program sustainability.
• Represents WWF at regional and national meetings and workshops.
• Supports coordinated advocacy and lobbying for wildlife restoration locally, regionally, and nationally.
• Assists in communicating projects to diverse audiences through public presentations, public outreach, written materials, and other outreach channels.
• Manages various consultants, contractors, grantees, support staff, and/or interns as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies

• Interpersonal communication and collaboration
  • Actively listens to local partners to ensure opinions and ideas are incorporated or addressed and conservation actions are co-created.
  • Builds positive, inclusive relationships with diverse partners.
  • Effectively communicates and works collaboratively with multiple partners to identify and achieve shared goals.
  • Resolves conflicts constructively and values diverse perspectives, ensuring all participants feel heard.

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of professional experience, or 2+ years with an advanced degree in natural resources management, wildlife ecology, environmental studies, or a related field; relevant work experience is required.
• Demonstrated experience managing conservation projects in the Great Plains, with a strong understanding of regional ecology.
• Proven ability to collaborate with Native nations and rural communities, with cultural sensitivity and respect.
• Strong working knowledge of conservation practices and principles.
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-partner projects involving diverse interested groups.
• Experience in proposal writing, grant management, and donor engagement.
• Skilled in strategic thinking and incorporating input from varied collaborators and critics.
• Strong research, analytical, and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including public speaking and presenting ecological topics to diverse audiences; able to clearly convey complex issues in both individual and group settings.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Experience overseeing external consultants, contractors, grantees, and internal interns or technicians.
• Excellent organizational and time management abilities; capable of prioritizing tasks and producing high-quality work under deadlines.
• Self-motivated with initiative to pursue new projects and fundraising opportunities.
• Willingness to travel up to 25–50% within the Great Plains region, including to remote locations.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.
• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values:
  • COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
  • INTEGRITY – We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
  • RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
  • COLLABORATION – We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

• Supports the GPWI team in advancing the Great Plains Wildlife Initiative strategic goals to restore bison and other keystone or endangered species within the Great Plains.
• Identifies, initiates, sustains, and strengthens new and ongoing relationships with local communities, landowners, and land managers expressing interest in WWF collaboration on wildlife and habitat restoration projects.
• Engages with local partners and with agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions to implement projects in a manner that is culturally, ecologically, and economically sustainable.
• Supports partners with technical assistance, strategic guidance, implementation, monitoring, fundraising, communications, data management, and project evaluation—in collaboration with GPWI team and other WWF staff.
• Tracks progress and provides input for strategic bison and other keystone or endangered species program planning and review.
• Participates in the development of innovative solutions for meeting priority conservation goals with a variety of partners and identifies opportunities and incentives for achieving those goals.
• Develops, drafts, and reviews short- and long-term work plans, program materials, and reports.
• Prepares scopes of work, budgets, and administrative documentation for contracts, ensuring compliance with donor requirements.
• Assists in drafting funding proposals and progress reports to support program sustainability.
• Represents WWF at regional and national meetings and workshops.
• Supports coordinated advocacy and lobbying for wildlife restoration locally, regionally, and nationally.
• Assists in communicating projects to diverse audiences through public presentations, public outreach, written materials, and other outreach channels.
• Manages various consultants, contractors, grantees, support staff, and/or interns as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies:

• Interpersonal Communication and Collaboration: Clearly communicates with colleagues and external partners, including landowners, Native nations, NGOs, and agencies. Listens carefully to different perspectives and works with others to design and implement conservation actions together.
• Partner Relationship Development: Builds and maintains strong, trust-based relationships with communities, partners, and agencies. Shows cultural awareness and responds to partner needs to support lasting, sustainable conservation outcomes.
• Innovation and Strategic Thinking: Demonstrates ability to implement current plans and projects while also considering, recommending, and implementing adaptations to successfully achieve longer-term goals.
•  Independence and Initiative: Proactively identifies opportunities to advance individual work plan and GPWI team strategic plans. Manages work independently when appropriate, while including collaborative approaches when beneficial. Understands the strengths and limitations of both methods and applies them effectively.
• Organizational Effectiveness and Accountability: Establishes and regularly reassesses work plans and short-term goals. Adapts to changing priorities by managing workload strategically. Consistently tracks and manages multiple workstreams and tasks simultaneously over extended periods.

• 4–6 years of professional experience, or 2+ years with an advanced degree in natural resources management, wildlife ecology, environmental studies, or a related field; relevant work experience is required.
• Demonstrated experience managing conservation projects in the Great Plains, with a strong understanding of regional ecology is preferred. 
• Proven ability to collaborate with Native nations and rural communities, with cultural sensitivity and respect required. 

• Coordinates complex, multi-partner projects with diverse stakeholders and integrates feedback from collaborators to inform strategic decisions.

• Knowledge of proposal writing, grant management, and donor engagement is a plus.

• Strong research, analytical, and project management skills; highly organized with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.

• Excellent written and verbal communication, including public speaking and presenting ecological topics to varied audiences.

• Works effectively both independently and collaboratively; committed to fostering an inclusive team culture.

• Willing to travel 25–50% within the Great Plains, including remote locations.

  Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).

• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values:

  • COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
  • INTEGRITY – We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
  • RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
  • COLLABORATION – We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

To Apply: 

• Submit cover letter and resume through our Careers Page, Requisition #26035 

• Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to respond to inquiries via phone 

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) promotes equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals regardless of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.