Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships

Are you a strategic fundraiser and relationship builder who thrives on turning big ideas into lasting impact? Cannabis for Conservation is seeking a Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships to lead the organization’s revenue strategy and expand the funding and partnerships that power our restoration, science, and education work across Northern California. This role sits at the intersection of conservation, collaboration, and growth: translating complex, on-the-ground projects into compelling funding opportunities and long-term partnerships.

Cannabis for Conservation (CFC) is a science-based 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit advancing ecological stewardship across private working lands in Northern California. We partner with landowners, communities, and public agencies to restore watersheds, improve forest health, and conserve wildlife for long-term rural resilience. Briefly, we manage a variety of grant-funded projects including assisting cultivators in obtaining state and county licenses, providing water collection and storage equipment to farms to decrease their reliance on surface water, and developing forest health plans to decrease landscape-level wildfire risk.

As CFC continues to scale, this position will play a key role in shaping the organization’s next phase by building a diversified funding pipeline through public agency grants, private foundations, philanthropic giving, and strategic partnerships. Working closely with leadership and program staff, you’ll help align funding strategies with project development, cultivate meaningful relationships across sectors, and position the organization for sustained impact in the years ahead.

The role focuses on securing public agency grants, coordinating collaborative proposals, building strategic partnerships, and expanding the organization’s funding pipeline. We are seeking a strategic and entrepreneurial candidate who is excited to help shape the next phase of growth for a rapidly scaling nonprofit. Over the past year, our organization has expanded by more than 250%, and we are looking for a leader who thrives in dynamic environments and is energized by building systems, partnerships, and fundraising strategies that sustain momentum.

The position also leads the development and implementation of CFC’s philanthropic giving strategy, including engagement with private foundations, individual donors, annual giving, and major donor opportunities. While philanthropic fundraising currently represents a smaller portion of CFC’s overall revenue, this work is intended to support the organization’s long-term funding diversification and financial resilience.

Working closely with program staff and leadership, the Director translates restoration and conservation projects into competitive funding proposals and cultivates partnerships with public agencies, nonprofit collaborators, and aligned stakeholders. The role requires the ability to interpret technical project information—such as streamcrossing designs, forestry practices, sediment management, and ecological monitoring—and translate technical concepts and project accomplishments into clear, compelling funding proposals.

The ideal candidate brings strong social awareness and emotional intelligence to their work, recognizing that successful fundraising is rooted in trust, authenticity, and meaningful relationships. While the Director leads the identification, development, and submission of funding proposals, grant management, compliance reporting, and project implementation are handled by CFC program and administrative staff.

The Director’s primary responsibility is maintaining sustained organizational and programmatic funding and securing resources that support future projects. This position plays a strategic role in identifying funding opportunities, shaping project concepts, and positioning the organization for projects that may be implemented one to three years in the future.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit administration, environmental studies, environmental policy, communications, business administration, or a related field
• Minimum of seven years of nonprofit development experience, preferably within environmental or conservation organizations, including experience working with organizations managing multi-million-dollar program or grant budgets
• Demonstrated experience securing large institutional grants
• Experience coordinating complex funding proposals involving multiple partner organizations
• Strong organizational, writing, and project management skills, including proficiency with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and project management tools

Required Skills:

• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex proposals simultaneously
• Strong writing and editing skills with the ability to translate technical information into compelling narratives
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with experience building collaborative partnerships
• Demonstrated ability to independently research, synthesize, and communicate complex information
• Strong financial literacy, including experience developing multi-year project budgets and understanding funding guidelines
• Ability to work independently and self-assign tasks while maintaining effective collaboration with internal teams
• Comfort working with interdisciplinary teams that include scientists, planners, engineers, and land stewardship professionals
• Strong communication skills and social literacy, group organizing, and stakeholder engagement

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within environmental restoration, watershed, forestry, or conservation programs, including familiarity with public funding programs such as the Wildlife Conservation Board, Cannabis Restoration Grant Program, or CalFire
• Strong familiarity with California state funding sources within the environmental or conservation sectors ● Experience developing philanthropic strategies or strategic giving programs for organizations with annual operating budgets of $2 million or more
• Experience developing earned-income initiatives or partnership-based projects
• Familiarity with California environmental and climate action frameworks, including the 30x30 Initiative and the California State Wildlife Action Plan
• Knowledge of current and historic environmental priorities affecting land conservation, watershed restoration, and biodiversity in California

Timeline and Hours

This is a full-time position (40 hours/week) with flexible scheduling to accommodate project timelines and deliverables, as well as candidate needs. This position is hybrid remote, with weekly required in-office time, and flexible remote time. Travel to conferences and other regional events will be required intermittently.

Reporting and Communication

The Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships reports directly to the Executive Director and works closely with program staff across the organization. This position does not supervise other staff but requires regular coordination with program directors, administrative staff, other CFC team members, and external partners to align development activities with project planning and implementation.

Regular weekly check-ins and updates will be required to ensure alignment with project goals, with progress tracked and managed using the project management platform Asana to maintain clear communication and accountability.

Benefits included with this position are: two weeks paid vacation plus specific federal holidays (vacation benefits increase with employment time accrued); paid sick, bereavement, and maternity/paternity leave; health care; 403(b) retirement plan; flexible schedule; opportunities for paid professional development.