Job Description

About Texas Water Trade

Texas Water Trade (“TWT”) is an organization aimed at unleashing the power of markets and technological innovation to build a future of clean, flowing water for all Texans.

Our work focuses on deploying capital to clean water solutions for people and the environment, with an emphasis on leveraging water transactions to ensure healthy flows in Texas rivers and scaling up investment in net zero municipal water solutions.

Our FY21 budget is roughly $2.3 million. For more information visit https://texaswatertrade.org

 About the Position

The Conservation Finance Director will be joining TWT’s critical startup phase as a member of the leadership team responsible for setting and achieving the organization’s programmatic goals.

The Conservation Finance Director will lead TWT’s existing programs aimed at generating voluntary transactions to secure environmental water while also meeting agricultural, industrial and municipal needs. This includes managing TWT’s centerpiece program, Texas Water Market Makers (Market Makers), through which TWT pledges multi-year technical and strategic support to conservation partners to advance environmental water markets in their priority basins. The Conservation Finance Director will be expected to assist these conservation partners in securing and structuring financial packages to execute the transactions they design. Funding for these transactions will take a wide variety of forms, including multilayered stacks of grants, loans, family and institutional capital.

Beyond the Market Makers program, the Conservation Finance Director will be expected to offer creativity and innovation to TWT’s other priority market efforts. Those include land protection in critical watersheds, the market-based restoration of Comanche Springs and Net Zero water infrastructure to meet corporate and municipal demands. Each of these programs depends on vibrant and collegial relationships with nonprofit, corporate and municipal partners.

The Conservation Finance Director will be expected to assist TWT in diversifying our revenue stream, with a particular focus on earned income and investment-based income. Part of the Conservation Finance Director’s tasks will include securing earned income from municipal partners to secure subsidized state loans for nature-based solutions. As we pursue forms of financing with return on investment, the Conservation Finance Director will be expected to negotiate equity positions for TWT where appropriate.

For more information on the breadth of TWT’s programming, please see our 2020 Annual Report.

About You

The position will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and work in close tandem with the Director of Development, including fundraising activities. In addition, the Conservation Finance Director will oversee a Program Associate who will be responsible for providing data management, mapping, grant writing and reporting support and other programmatic and fundraising tasks.

Responsibilities will include:

Finance Design and Execution (40%):

• Creating and executing effective financing plans for TWT and our conservation partners
• Collaborating with TWT’s Director of Development and conservation partners to pursue grants supporting on-the-ground projects
• Completing loan applications for conservation partners through the Texas Water Development Board or other relevant entities
• Leveraging networks to identify appropriate return-seeking capital

Program Leadership and Management (40%):

• Managing at least one staff member responsible for data wrangling, project management, partner coordination and grant support
• Collaborating with the CEO to achieve organizational goals including total water secured and total funds invested in flows projects
• Consistently exceeding programmatic performance measures, goals and deadlines
• Cooperating with TWT’s Director of Development to develop and report on grants supporting the Conservation Finance program
• Participating in the annual organizational budgeting process
• Preparing reports for the TWT Board and Advisory Council
• Attending TWT Board meetings and presenting Board reports, as needed

Relationship Building (20%):

• Developing and stewarding relationships with conservation partners, donors and funders through network outreach, individual engagement and strategic events
• Communicating a compelling vision and purpose to all internal and external stakeholders
• Networking and interacting with people from different professional backgrounds – conservationists, donors, entrepreneurs, scientists, government officials, and engineers

Qualifications

Texas Water Trade will seek candidates who are steadfast and results-driven, with demonstrated project and team management abilities and an interest in water resilience.

Required Qualifications:

• An advanced degree, preferably in business, finance, economics or related field
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience managing complex projects and/or financial portfolios
• Experience working with corporate partners
• Familiarity with debt and equity capital originating from a variety of sources, such as foundations, government agencies, institutional lenders and family offices
• Management experience overseeing a team advancing shared goals
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong core computer skills in MS Word, Excel, Outlook & PowerPoint
• Ability to thrive in a demanding, dynamic and entrepreneurial setting
• Strong time management skills
• Strong interpersonal skills

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Interest in Texas springs, rivers, bays and estuaries, the future of urban water supplies, market-based conservation and transformative technology for clean water access
• Familiarity with Texas water players and/or industry.

The Conservation Finance Director must be located in Texas, with the ability to travel, including to Texas Water Trade’s Austin headquarters. No travel is currently required, due to COVID-19. Once the pandemic is under control, work travel will be required for conferences and meetings; on average, 1-2 trips per month. There are also occasional events after work hours.

Benefits and Compensation:

The salary for the Finance Director is up to $125,000, based on skills and experiences. We provide excellent benefits, including:

• 10 paid holidays per year. At the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer, the Texas Water Trade offices may be closed from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day, with all eligible staff receiving pay.
• 10 days paid vacation leave for the first year and 15 per year thereafter
• 5 paid get well days per year
• Up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family care, eligible following 12 consecutive months of employment at TWT
• Up to 4 weeks of paid maternity/paternity leave, eligible following 12 consecutive months of employment at TWT.
• 90% employer contribution to health insurance coverage
• Long- and short-term disability insurance
• Up to 6% match on employee 401(k) contributions
• Out-of-state relocation budget of up to $1,000

How to Apply

• Please submit inquiries, cover letter and resume including three professional references to [email protected]. Please do not contact Texas Water Trade directly. Resumes will be reviewed on receipt. Target start date is late January to early February 2021.
• We are especially excited about increasing applications from people who understand the value of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion including people with disabilities, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQ+. Read Texas Water Trade’s commitment to bringing clean drinking water to all Texans and especially communities of color who are disproportionately affected by the water crisis.
• We are proud to be an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran or military status or any other legally protected status.

Job Categories: Water. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 100,000 and above.

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