California Watersheds Program Officer

ABOUT Resources Legacy Fund (RLF):

Resources Legacy Fund (RLF) builds alliances that advance bold solutions to secure a just and resilient world for people and nature. We design and carry out programs and projects that promote smart policies, secure equitable public funding, and build strong constituencies for protecting nature, addressing the climate crisis, and advancing environmental equity and justice. Since RLF’s founding in 2000, we have partnered with philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, community groups, government, business, and academia to protect more than five million acres of land and ocean spaces, advance critical climate and environmental justice policies, and generate more than $30 billion in new public funding for conservation, equitable outdoor access, and climate initiatives.

We believe strategic philanthropy and thoughtful partnerships can achieve enduring, equitable outcomes at scale. Philanthropic partners trust us to manage complex, multi-year policy campaigns and philanthropic initiatives. As a grantmaker, we offer beyond-the-dollar support to strengthen grantees’ ability to meet ambitious goals. We also serve as fiscal sponsor to more than 20 projects across the nation and around the world that are doing remarkable work to advance biodiversity protection, climate resilience and mitigation, and justice and equity outcomes.

Our success is integrally tied to social equity, community health, economic opportunity, and a strong democracy. To safeguard our achievements to date and help prepare a favorable environment to face the daunting threat of climate change, we helped launch two partner organizations: Fund for a Better Future, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, and Shared Ascent Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity, to work in the intersecting areas of democracy, environment, health, and equity.

We are a multi-disciplinary team of political strategists, coalition builders, grant makers, communicators, and administrative professionals intently focused on delivering results. We are headquartered in Sacramento, California with staff distributed across the country.

Position Summary

RLF’s California team delivers programmatic and public policy outcomes for our planet and its people across the state. The team engages in fundraising, grantmaking, coalition-building, policy development, advocacy, and capacity-building.

The California watersheds program officer is a seasoned professional who, under the guidance of a senior program officer and the California director, leads RLF’s California freshwater-related programs including on-the-ground programmatic work, policy development, and advocacy and campaigns. The program officer uses grantmaking, contracting, direct engagement, and other tools to advance program outcomes.

This position focuses on advancing the health and restoration of California’s watersheds and waterways. They will have a portfolio that includes management and restoration of riparian systems, improving water quality, and barrier and dam removal.

This is a remote position with preference for a home base in or near Sacramento. The Program Officer will be required to travel regularly to Sacramento with occasional additional domestic travel as needed to fulfill duties. This full-time position is exempt and reports to the Senior Program Officer.

Duties include:

Program, policy, and advocacy development and implementation:

• Deliver significant outcomes on California freshwater priorities by designing and executing programs and advocacy campaigns.
• Ensure alignment and coordination of water policy strategy and implementation across RLF’s California programs.
• Build relationships with government officials, advocacy organizations, experts, Tribes, and researchers to identify shared priorities and determine where additional resources and expertise are needed, enabling more effective collaboration on California freshwater initiatives.
• Develop and guide California freshwater policy coalitions and other collaborative efforts aligned with water quality and riparian management, dam and barrier removal, freshwater policy, and related RLF priorities.
• Work with partners to develop new public policy solutions, provide policy analysis, and draft related collateral (public comments, bill language, etc.).

Grantmaking and fundraising:

• Structure and oversee grants and contracts necessary for the successful implementation of freshwater programs and campaigns in California. Work with program staff to track, measure, and evaluate the program’s progress and results, making improvements to impact over time.
• Assist with program fundraising.

Cross-cutting:

• Directly supervise a program manager.
• Represent RLF and its California freshwater work to external audiences.
• Perform research and analysis and prepare documents as requested.
• Create and edit appropriate materials for communication with the board, funders, and partners.
• Undertake special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Note: These qualifications are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, so if you have 75% of the qualifications listed, we encourage you to apply. Experience can include paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work and lived experiences that helped you to build the competencies, knowledge, and skills needed for this position. Applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.

• At least 7 years of experience in leading programs and/or policy/advocacy campaigns.
• Working knowledge of California policy, processes, and politics or a commitment to learning them.
• California freshwater expertise preferred, particularly in water quality, riparian restoration, watershed management, and/or dam and barrier removal work.
• Comfortable and eager to work within a complex policy, stakeholder, and political space, and familiar with environmental challenges and opportunities.
• Experience building relationships with stakeholders and diverse constituencies such as governmental decisionmakers, Tribes/Tribal communities, and non-profit partners.
• Experience building, supporting, and managing diverse coalitions and effective campaigns for administrative and legislative policy and funding outcomes.
• Commitment to working creatively and in collaboration with diverse partners across sectors to advance impactful California water policies and funding.
• Excellent composition, editing, and spoken communication skills. Ability to synthesize complex information from multiple sources into lucid, cohesive, and compelling written products.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a proven ability to build trust-based relationships.
• Experience supervising direct reports.
• Experience developing and executing program strategies.
• Previous fundraising and/or grantmaking experience a plus, including grant writing and reporting and donor engagement.
• Experience developing and tracking outcomes and metrics to understand program effectiveness is desirable.

Desired Applicant Attributes

• Ability to perform responsibilities with a high degree of judgment, discretion, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Self-directed in leading new bodies of work and highly collaborative in achieving outcomes.
• Flexibility in working style, marked by an ability to work closely with a wide range of personality and organization types and teams.
• Capacity to respond rapidly and appropriately to changing priorities, objectives, and situations.
• Sufficient technological ability and commitment to learn and consistently use RLF’s preferred information management and communication tools and adhere to confidentiality policies and procedures.

Commitment to Nondiscrimination

We are committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination, where all team members feel valued, respected, and included. We know that our work is enriched by the varied voices and perspectives of every staff and board member, so we are committed to making an earnest effort to recruit, welcome, train, develop, and retain talented individuals from all backgrounds. We believe that a welcoming culture expands our creative capacity to do our work and achieve greater outcomes for people and the natural world.

Compensation and Benefits

The Program Officer starting salary range is $127,000 - $157,000. Salary commensurate with related experience and qualifications.

We have an alternate Fridays off work schedule (employees work 40 hours one week, 32 hours the next week) and offer a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan with a 5% match, and generous paid time off. RLF also offers a technology allowance, student loan repayment assistance, the Calm app, mental health benefits and approximately 17 paid holidays per year.

To Apply

Please provide a resume and cover letter explaining how your skills fit this position.

Recruitment Schedule:

March 17 – Recruitment Launches

March 31 – Application deadline (applications received after this date may still be considered)

RLF participates in E-Verify, you can review the information here and here.

We have an alternate Fridays off work schedule (employees work 40 hours one week, 32 hours the next week) and offer a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan with a 5% match, and generous paid time off. RLF also offers a technology allowance, student loan repayment assistance, the Calm app, mental health benefits and approximately 17 paid holidays per year.