Business Development Specialist I

Who We Are:
The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube or on Glassdoor.

Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. In addition to the requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of inclusion! Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote myriad TNC staff members, “you’ll join for our mission, and you’ll stay for our people.”

What We Can Achieve Together:
The Business Development Specialist I is a member of the Business Development team within the Worldwide Office External Affairs division. This position will support proposal preparation and contribute writing for U.S.-based public funding proposals. The Business Development team provides centralized services to TNC teams for public funding proposal development within the Conservancy. This position will be focused on proposals within the North America Region for funders such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Forest Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. The team’s goals include: (1) to increase public funding through dedicated business development capacity and expertise, and (2) to facilitate and prioritize a learning culture around public funding proposal development, through which individuals can connect across the Conservancy. The Specialist will collaborate with the Business Development and conservation teams to achieve these goals.
The Specialist will provide coordination and other support to keep multiple proposals moving in a timely manner, meet deadlines, and manage other deliverables required for proposals. In consultation with internal collaborators, this position will develop and maintain proposal management plans and calendars, organize proposal resources, coordinate team inputs and reviews, identify and support resolution of proposal development issues, contribute to the production of proposal deliverables, and facilitate proposal follow-up and lessons learned. They will seek and synthesize information and communicate in a convincing and succinct form to all stakeholders. The Specialist supports the maintenance of a system to identify and prioritize funding proposal support requests and TNC’s information database for public funding proposals. This position will also ensure proposal compliance and responsiveness and the quality of proposal deliverables with the goal of persuasively communicating TNC’s mission and programs to potential public funders to bring in public funds in support of our conservation mission.

The Business Development Specialist may also serve as a writer/editor with the responsibility of outlining, writing, and/or editing sections of public funding proposals that make a strong connection with The Nature Conservancy’s key audiences, and persuasively communicate TNC’s mission and programs to potential public funders to bring in public funds in support of our conservation mission. The Specialist utilizes their excellent writing, analytical, and research skills to craft public funding proposals in a clear and compelling manner.
We’re Looking for You:
Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I make a difference?”, but you don’t know where to go or have the time to do it? Welcome to The Nature Conservancy where you can pointedly make a difference every day!

By joining our Business Development team, you will become part of a group that is a force to be reckoned with; a force for nature, a force for people, and a force for our planet. Our team consists of a dedicated group who are leading the Conservancy’s effort to leverage public funding in support of conservation on multiple fronts and who expertly bring strategy and action together.

We’re looking for a self-motivated, detail-oriented, and highly organized individual with experience coordinating and writing, editing, and proofreading successful large-scale (> USD 1mil) public funding proposals, especially proposals to United States funders and agencies such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Forest Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. This individual will have proven analytical and research skills alongside excellent communication skills. They’ll be passionate about leveraging their writing and editing experience to make a difference for nature and people. Come join TNC and apply today!

What You’ll Bring:
• Bachelor’s degree in related field and 5 years related experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience organizing and coordinating multiple projects.
• Experience with the competitive proposal processes and the role of a coordinator and/or proposal writer in those processes.
• Experience coursework, or other training with state, federal, and/or multilateral public funding agencies and funding opportunities
• Experience with budgets as they relate to grant proposals.
• Experience with manipulating, analyzing and interpreting data.

What We Bring:
Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on. Through grassroots action, TNC has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff, we impact conservation throughout the world!

The Nature Conservancy offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including: health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan including employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work wellbeing benefits. Learn more about our benefits at in the Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a work-environment that is supportive of the health, wellbeing, and flexibility needs of the people we employ!

This description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for this job.