Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wetland Program Director

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires an experienced Wetland Program Director to lead a multidisciplinary program focused on wetland protection, restoration, mitigation, monitoring, and policy implementation. The ideal candidate combines technical wetland science (delineation, hydrology, habitat restoration, monitoring) with demonstrated leadership in program development, regulatory compliance (Clean Water Act, Section 404, state wetland laws), grant and contract management, cross-sector partnership building, and clear public and legislative communication. This role is responsible for strategic planning, fiscal stewardship, staff supervision, and delivering measurable conservation outcomes at landscape and jurisdictional scales.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Wetland Scientist / Senior Restoration Ecologist with program-level responsibilities
Natural Resources Program Manager or Watershed Program Manager
Regulatory Compliance Specialist or Environmental Permitting Lead with wetland focus

Advancement To:

Director of Conservation Programs
Chief of Natural Resources / Chief Conservation Officer
Senior Director, Regional Restoration & Resilience Programs

Lateral Moves:

Regulatory Affairs Director (state or federal agencies)
Mitigation Banking or Environmental Markets Program Manager
Watershed or Coastal Resilience Program Director

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide strategic leadership and vision for the wetland program, developing 3–5 year program plans, clear workplans, measurable objectives and performance indicators to increase wetland acreage, improve habitat quality, and achieve water quality outcomes across jurisdictions.
Lead development, submission, and management of federal, state, and private grants and contracts (e.g., EPA wetland grants, NOAA, NRCS funding), including preparing technical proposals, budgets, deliverables schedules, and ensuring compliance with funder reporting requirements.
Oversee wetland permitting coordination and regulatory compliance activities, serving as the organization's primary liaison with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, state environmental agencies, and local permitting authorities; interpret and apply Clean Water Act Section 401/404, state statutes, and relevant guidance.
Manage program budget, fiscal forecasting, and resource allocation; prepare annual budgets, monitor expenditures, and ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget.
Supervise, mentor, and evaluate a multidisciplinary team (wetland scientists, restoration ecologists, GIS analysts, monitoring technicians, outreach specialists), fostering professional development, performance management, and cross-training.
Design and oversee large-scale wetland restoration and mitigation projects from concept through construction, including site assessments, feasibility studies, engineering coordination, permitting, contractor procurement, construction oversight, and final acceptance.
Establish and implement rigorous monitoring and adaptive management programs, developing sampling designs, QA/QC protocols, indicator frameworks (vegetation, hydrology, water quality, wildlife), data management plans, and long-term monitoring strategies.
Develop and maintain technical standards, wetland delineation protocols, restoration design guidelines, and mitigation performance monitoring criteria that align with best practices and regulatory expectations.
Lead stakeholder engagement and partnership development with municipalities, tribes, NGOs, landowners, developers, utilities, and academic partners to align priorities, leverage resources, and implement collaborative wetland protection and restoration projects.
Serve as the public and legislative spokesperson for wetland issues; prepare executive briefings, public presentations, technical reports, and testimony to support program objectives and influence wetland policy and funding at the municipal, state, and federal levels.
Oversee mitigation banking and in-lieu fee programs: assess market opportunities, oversee bank site selection, ensure legal and regulatory compliance, monitor success criteria, and coordinate credit accounting and sales.
Ensure NEPA/CEQA coordination and integration into project planning, assisting project teams with environmental assessments (EAs), environmental impact statements (EISs), and supporting documentation for permitting.
Direct the design and implementation of climate resilience strategies for wetlands, addressing sea-level rise, hydrologic regime changes, and nature-based solutions that provide co-benefits for water quality, flood attenuation, and biodiversity.
Coordinate acquisition, easement, and landowner agreements for priority wetland protection projects; negotiate terms, manage title/closing processes, and integrate stewardship provisions into conservation transactions.
Manage consultant selection and oversight, developing scopes of work, reviewing technical deliverables, ensuring contractor performance, and integrating consultant products into program deliverables.
Develop and implement community outreach, environmental education, and volunteer stewardship programs to build public support for wetland conservation and foster long-term community engagement.
Oversee data systems for wetland inventories and monitoring: maintain GIS databases, remote sensing analyses, wetland restoration tracking tools, and ensure interoperability and open-data practices where appropriate.
Analyze regulatory trends, scientific literature, and monitoring results to adapt program priorities and to recommend policy or rule changes that improve wetland outcomes at scale.
Produce high-quality technical and non-technical deliverables, including annual reports, scientific manuscripts, manager’s summaries, maps, decision-support tools, and dashboards to communicate program impact.
Ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental policies during field work and construction activities, developing safety plans, permitting of access, and contractor safety oversight.
Lead internal program evaluation and continuous improvement efforts using performance metrics, cost-benefit analyses, and lessons-learned processes to optimize restoration success and program efficiency.
Secure and steward multi-year funding streams; cultivate philanthropic, municipal, state, and federal funders; prepare donor-facing materials and stewardship reports to sustain program growth.
Provide technical assistance and training to staff, partners, and stakeholders on wetland delineation, restoration design, monitoring protocols, and regulatory compliance to build capacity across partner organizations.
Integrate equity and environmental justice considerations into program planning and project prioritization to ensure underserved communities receive wetland benefits and participation opportunities.
Manage cross-jurisdictional coordination for regional projects, aligning planning across river basins, counties, and coastal zones to maximize landscape-scale conservation outcomes.

Secondary Functions

Maintain and curate a comprehensive wetland GIS inventory and spatial analytics to inform prioritization, grant applications, and partner outreach.
Support ad-hoc technical reviews, data requests, and exploratory analyses to respond to partner, funder, or regulatory inquiries in a timely manner.
Contribute to organizational strategic planning and participate in cross-program initiatives (e.g., watershed, fisheries, climate resilience).
Participate in advisory committees, technical workgroups, and regional coordination forums to represent program interests and integrate regional science and policy advances.
Assist with development of communications materials including social media posts, newsletters, case studies, and lesson-learned summaries to amplify program achievements and lessons.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expertise in wetland science: wetland delineation, hydrology, vegetation/habitat assessment, and restoration ecology.
In-depth understanding of wetland-related laws and regulations, particularly the Clean Water Act (Section 404), Section 401 water quality certification, and relevant state wetland statutes and guidance.
Proven grant writing and grant management experience: developing competitive proposals, managing award conditions, and delivering timely reports.
Project and program management skills, including project planning, budgeting, contract management, procurement, and performance measurement.
GIS and spatial analysis proficiency (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS), including mapping, remote sensing, and prioritization analytics for conservation planning.
Monitoring design and statistical skills: sampling design, data QA/QC, trend analysis, and interpreting ecological indicators (familiarity with R or Python preferred).
Experience with mitigation banking, in-lieu fee mechanisms, or other compensatory mitigation approaches and credit accounting systems.
Familiarity with NEPA/CEQA processes, environmental impact assessment, and integrating permitting with project delivery.
Technical writing and reporting: preparing scientific reports, management plans, policy briefs, and public-facing summaries.
Contract and consultant management experience: developing scopes of work, evaluating bids, and overseeing deliverables.
Experience with databases and data management systems for monitoring and compliance tracking; ability to develop dashboards and decision-support tools.
Knowledge of climate adaptation strategies for coastal and inland wetlands, including modeling sea-level rise impacts and hydrologic regime shifts.

Soft Skills

Strategic leadership and visioning: set priorities, drive program growth, and align partners around shared goals.
Strong verbal communication and public speaking skills for community outreach, stakeholder meetings, and legislative briefings.
Relationship-building and negotiation skills to secure partnerships, landowner agreements, and interagency cooperation.
Team leadership and staff development: mentor multidisciplinary teams and create a collaborative culture.
Analytical problem-solving and adaptive management mindset; ability to synthesize science and policy into actionable solutions.
Political savviness and diplomacy when navigating regulatory, municipal, and tribal contexts.
Time-management and organizational skills; able to juggle multiple projects, deadlines, and funding requirements.
Commitment to equity, inclusion, and community-centered conservation practices.
Resilience and flexibility for field conditions, travel, and variable workload.
Customer service orientation when working with partners, funders, permittees, and the public.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, Biology, Wetland Science, Natural Resources Management, Hydrology, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or higher in Wetland Ecology, Restoration Ecology, Hydrology, Environmental Science, Conservation Biology, or related discipline.
Additional certifications (e.g., Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS), Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner) are a strong plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wetland Ecology / Restoration Ecology
Environmental Science / Natural Resources Management
Hydrology / Watershed Science
Conservation Biology / Ecology
Geographic Information Science (GIS) / Spatial Analysis

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressive professional experience in wetland science, restoration, regulatory coordination, or conservation program management.

Preferred:

10+ years of combined experience leading wetland restoration or conservation programs, with at least 3–5 years in a senior supervisory/leadership role.
Demonstrated success securing multi-year grants, managing complex budgets, and delivering measurable ecological outcomes.
Prior experience interacting with federal and state regulators (USACE, EPA, state agencies), managing mitigation banking or in-lieu fee programs, and working with diverse stakeholders including tribes and municipalities.