Program Director - Global Ecological Outcome Verification

The Savory Institute is seeking a Director for our Global Ecological Outcome Verification program who is passionate about creating a more regenerative world through the stewardship and advancement of Savory’s ecological monitoring protocol and platform.

About Savory

We are a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to facilitate the large-scale regeneration of the world’s grasslands and the livelihoods of their inhabitants through Holistic Management. With over 100 million acres under management across six continents, Savory’s strategy centers around equipping land managers with the knowledge, tools, and support to improve their ecosystem function and profitability. 

About EOV

Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) is Savory Institute’s proprietary outcome-based monitoring protocol for grassland environments. EOV evaluates both leading and lagging indicators to provide a holistic assessment of ecosystem function. EOV was designed to be farmer-first, adaptable across geographies, and to provide actionable insights based on land health trends.

About the Role

As a core member of the Savory team, the Director of Global EOV (the “DEOV”) is a service-oriented leader passionate about building a robust and reliable land monitoring protocol that helps catalyze regeneration and holistic land management on a global scale. The DEOV works at the intersection of science, data, technology, and community impact. Surrounded by a network of passionate innovators committed to regenerating our global landscape, this role carries both strategic influence and hands-on ownership. 

Core Responsibilities

• Lead the EOV program end-to-end: define goals and success metrics; manage program priorities and budgets; act as the internal and external subject‑matter expert on the EOV program; ensure the program drives measurable outcomes.
• Strategic direction: formulate strategic roadmaps; align EOV goals with Savory’s ecosystem‑wide strategies; balance immediate needs with long‑term innovation; secure resources to realize EOV’s evolution; drive value for a global network of stakeholders.
• Program management: lead ongoing EOV program improvement; prioritize needs and initiatives; manage EOV projects; serve as the central point of contact; ensure EOV’s work informs (and is informed by) other Savory programs.
• Team leadership: manage the priorities and collaboration of the internal EOV team; partner with Savory leadership on team design and resource needs; ensure effective delineation and communication between roles; escalate and resolve team roadblocks.
• Stakeholder engagement: develop and manage relationships with advisors, funding partners, and key internal and external stakeholders; steward a global EOV professional network; manage Savory’s response to feedback and innovation from stakeholders. 
• Communications: lead the communication strategy for EOV assuring proactive and effective channels of communication; respond to inquiries from Savory teams, brands, and producer partners; lead development of internal and external EOV communication content.
• Protocol evolution: guide the evolution of the EOV methodology; convene and steward a committee of advisors to advance the science and practice of EOV; stay current on MRV methodologies and technologies in the marketplace; monitor market and stakeholder relevance and competitiveness of the protocol.
• Technology: provide strategic oversight of the EOV tech platform ensuring its evolution is consistent with the overall EOV strategy and priorities; evaluate market‑leading solutions and strategic tech partnerships to accelerate platform capabilities; work with the EOV Platform Lead to steer the continuous enhancement of EOV technology stack.
• Quality: assure the overall integrity and quality of the EOV program; develop standards and procedures to maintain program caliber and effectiveness; work with the Global QA Lead to ensure a timely and effective QA process and maintain the quality of EOV resources. 

About You

You have a deep love for ecology and are passionate about Savory’s work. You have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to be part of something creative and impactful. You are driven by big ideas and grounded in practical execution. You thrive in an emergent environment while bringing a strong capacity for building and maintaining structure. You seek excellence in all that you do. You are collaborative and team-oriented with a passion for stewarding large programs.

Desired Characteristics

You:

• Understand the work of Savory and Holistic Management.
• Are ecologically literate – able to understand and speak with scientists and vet and integrate ecological recommendations. 
• Are technologically literate – able to understand technology and data platforms and vet the importance and priority of technical recommendations.
• Are a service-oriented leader with desire to work collaboratively towards large goals and possess a demonstrated track record of managing cross‑functional teams.
• Have strong program and project management skills with a proven track record of managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Are customer centric and carry a strong commitment to work that carries a deep purpose for those who our mission serves.
• Are strategic and innovative, capable of translating big visions into actionable roadmaps.
• Are selfless, highly organized, and self-motivated.
• Are hands-on, highly adaptable, and able to prioritize effectively.
• Possess a high level of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and maturity.
• Have a passion for problem-solving, particularly for incorporating  innovation.
• Are budget savvy and able to assess the marginal reaction of potential opportunities.
• Are a clear and proactive communicator who is highly collaborative, resourceful in finding answers, and able to provide timely support for various stakeholders including field teams, senior leadership, funders, and scientific partners.
• Have a natural ability to understand acceptable levels of risk.
• Approach failure as a learning opportunity and can implement processes and measures that allow failure to be fast and small.
• Thrive in cross-cultural and remote work settings.

Desired Experience

You have:

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• 5+ years of experience in an operational or program leadership role with a demonstrated capacity to handle multiple projects/activities simultaneously – ideally within ecological monitoring, sustainability services, or ag‑tech.
• A demonstrated ability to rapidly learn new technologies and SaaS tools.
• Project management experience including scope, specifications, RFP, vendor selection, and implementation of systems.
• A demonstrated ability to lead teams through collaborative leadership.

It is also preferred, but not a requirement that you:

• Have prior experience in a nonprofit organization.
• Have international experience.
• Are proficient in Google Workspace and Salesforce.
• Possess cross-cultural collaboration and communication skills.
• Speak multiple languages.

About Your Future Team

Savory is not only a global leader in the world of regenerative agriculture, but also a leader in regenerative organizational behavior and culture. We experience very low employee and contractor turnover, with employees and partners pointing to the meaningfulness of the work as well as the positive organizational culture.

The Savory team is highly nurtured, challenged, balanced, and supported to create the future we envision. We are inspired by the global impact of our work knowing that we are achieving our purpose through understanding, honesty, inclusion, and intelligent collaboration.

Location and Hours

Savory is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, but the team works virtually while co-creating multiple opportunities to work together in person. The DEOV must be regularly available during normal US working hours, which is ideal for interacting with a global network from the Americas to Europe and Africa, to Australia and New Zealand.

Travel

The DEOV must be able to travel on average three times per year for team meetings, network gatherings, and hub visits – sometimes internationally – for up to ten days per trip.

Compensation and Benefits

Savory strives to design compensation and benefit packages to be mutualistic between the organization and the individual, allowing each person to thrive in their role with autonomy, support, encouragement, and energy.

Some examples of the benefits offered to team members include, but are not limited to:

• 100% contribution to employee and family medical, dental, vision and AD&D life insurance
• Unlimited PTO
• Flexible schedule design
• Personal technology reimbursements
• Strong compensation
• Potential for global travel
• Strong focus on personal health and wellbeing

The starting salary range for this position is $95,000 – $105,000, commensurate with experience.