Vice President for Ranger Rick Brands & Engagement

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state and territorial affiliates and more than seven million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stripes. The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world. We advance this mission through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, advancing environmental justice, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

The Vice President for Ranger Rick Brands & Engagement will develop and lead the implementation of a comprehensive brand strategy that enhances NWF’s market share and drives future growth and impact across five award-winning children’s titles. This role requires a visionary leader and capable team builder who brings a record of accomplishment in marketing and engagement, ideally in working with children’s products, media or publications. They will lead a talented team of professionals in further establishing the brand on a sustainable path forward and scaling its reach. In so doing, the Vice President will drive collaborations across teams, ensuring alignment with NWF’s core values, while modernizing product offerings and substantially growing revenues and engagement toward our mission of inspiring young conservationists.

Principal Duties:

The Vice President will oversee the Ranger Rick brand and its publishing enterprise at a pivotal moment. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Vice President’s key partners and direct reports will include the respective Editors-in-Chief and Senior Directors of Children’s Publishing, the Senior Director of Marketing and Engagement, and the Senior Director of Production and Fulfillment. The Vice President will:

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive brand strategy that aims to position Ranger Rick for future growth and impact.
• Direct a talented and capable senior management team, fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity and accountability that inspires and motivates the same throughout our ranks.
• Drive efforts to spur revenue growth and market share by expanding audiences and by introducing new products and engagement opportunities.
• Ensure brand consistency in messaging, tone, tenor and visual representation across editorial, product development, and an array of marketing and engagement touchpoints.
• Guide teams in optimizing acquisitions and renewals strategies to maximize revenues and further improve retention.
• Identify opportunities to enhance operational and cost efficiencies, modernizing and right-sizing our approaches and investments accordingly.
• Continually evaluate performance, analyze trends, and conduct market research to inform decision-making and tactics, course-correcting and fine-tuning strategy implementation as necessary.
• Further build a culture of belonging, ensuring role clarity and responsibility across the team while harmonizing efforts and ensuring staff capacity and expertise align with operational needs and functions.
• Foster renewed transparency and rigor in financial forecasting and reporting.

Required Competencies, and Desired Skills and Qualifications:

• 12+ years of relevant leadership experience in publications, marketing, brand management or product development, ideally engaging children. Conservation or education experience is highly desirable. A former Ranger Rick kid or family member is a plus.
• Proven ability to lead talent and inspire teams to new levels of success.
• Demonstrated success in growing revenues, expanding audiences, and increasing market share.
• Direct experience in creating large-scale brand partnerships and earned media opportunities.
• Seasoned business management acumen and direct experience administering multimillion-dollar operations, ideally across multiple offices and product lines.
• Entrepreneurial self-starter, with a growth mindset, and a high tolerance for complexity and evolving conditions. Experience in a fast-paced, deadlines-orientated environment. Adaptability and resourcefulness will serve this position well.
• Proven experience in expanding digital ecosystems and a record of driving innovations to enhance engagement and streamline operations is required.
• Superior communications skills and political savvy, paired with winning negotiation and relationship building skills.
• Strong understanding of the evolving publications and media landscape.
• Exemplary project planning, management and organization skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products.

NWF Values:

Your actions are expected to reflect the staff values of the National Wildlife Federation: collaboration, mindfulness, empowerment, inclusivity, and mission focus.  Your competencies should include:

• Being motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized;
• Consistently bringing a high level of empathy and social skills to work and interpersonal interactions;
• Being committed to deepening an environmental justice approach in policy priorities, program development and partner engagement;
• Actively seeks feedback, direction, and guidance from all team members and keeps staff informed of decisions that impact them;
• Being dedicated to advancing NWF’s internal equity transformation and compelling partners and allies to incorporate equity into their work; and
• Passion for and commitment to NWF's mission

Physical Requirements of the Job:

Remaining in a normal seated or standing position for extended periods; reaching and grasping by extending hand(s) or arm(s); dexterity to manipulate objects with fingers, for example, using a keyboard; communication skills using the spoken word; ability to see and hear within normal parameters; ability to move about the workspace. The position requires mobility, including moving materials weighing up to several pounds (such as a laptop computer or tablet). 

Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this position with reasonable accommodation. Requests for reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Please Note:

This job description sets forth the job’s principal duties, responsibilities, and requirements; it should not be construed as an exhaustive statement, however.  Unless they begin with the word “may,” the Essential Duties and Responsibilities described above are “essential functions” of the job, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Travel Requirements: 

There may be occasional overnight travel, approximately 10-12 nights per year on average.

Location and Work Mode: 

This position is based out of our headquarters in Reston, VA. The National Wildlife Federation is committed to a flexible and empowered work environment with an authentic community of care for all staff. In this position, the employee may work in the office, in a hybrid manner, or fully remote, to be decided jointly with their supervisor in the final stages of the interview process. For more information on Work Modes, please review the benefits section of our careers page: https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers  

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $140,000 - $160,000, commensurate with experience.

We are proud of our designation by Mogul as a Top 100 Workplace with the Best Benefits, and by Forbes as one of America’s best small employers!  We value work-life balance and a family-friendly atmosphere with flexible scheduling.  We want you to be able to integrate work and personal life with attention to your self-care, so that your work schedule is not depleting.  We offer benefits so you feel restored and fueled through the day and week.

We offer these supports to help manage your mental, emotional, and physical health: 

• Paid time off: Vacation that starts off at three weeks accrual, unlimited wellbeing (this time can be used for physical, spiritual, emotional, cultural, religious or financial wellbeing for yourself, a partner, or family member – including pets), and 10 holidays.
• We close down for a paid winter break between December 25 to January 1 to recognize end of-year stress, and time for reflection, rejuvenation, and spending time with family.
• Up to 16 weeks of fully paid Family and Medical Leave
• Low-cost health, dental, and vision insurance options – all outpatient mental health is covered at in-network rates
• Therapist available at no cost
• Pet insurance and discount perk program
• Annual wellbeing allowance

In addition to your salary, we offer the following supports to your personal finances:

• Retirement plan with immediate match and vesting
• Annual year end retirement contribution
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Adoption and Surrogacy assistance
• Pet adoption stipend
• Student Loan management

Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s benefits package at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

Application:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  Candidates should submit a cover letter and resume.

We strive to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world. We recruit, employ, train compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at nwf.org/equity.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job, therefore our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules.  Your experience, which may include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, helps build the competencies and knowledge that translates to our openings.  Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of excellence.  Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions. To be eligible for this role you must be a U.S. citizen or have valid work authorization to work in the U.S.

Please let us know if you require accommodations during the application or interview process by reaching us at hrhelp@nwf.org  or 703-438-6244.

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.