Conservation Travel Director

Deadline to Apply: April 15th, 2026

Anticipated Start Date: June 1st, 2026 (this is flexible) 

Salary Range: US $60,000 - 75,000 per year & benefits (see below for details)

To apply: please send the following to Travel Manager Kristin Breen at kristin@seeturtles.org.

  • Cover letter (1-2 pages maximum) in English explaining your fit for the position

  • CV (4 pages maximum) 

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to send:     

  • Writing samples in English if available     

  • Two references including name, institution, position, and contact information

Job Description

SEE Turtles seeks a well rounded and dynamic tourism professional to lead the next phase of our Conservation Travel program. The Conservation Travel Director will help design tours, integrating and growing our newly acquired student travel program EcoTeach, lead trips, improve operations, and represent the organization to the public. The Conservation Travel program will be the engine that drives growth in our conservation programs including Billion Baby Turtles, Too Rare To Wear, and Sea Turtles & Plastic.

The Conservation Travel Director will have significant responsibility and independence to lead the program to new levels and will have support from and work closely with SEE Turtles’ staff. The position will require the ability to work independently, strong communication and organizational skills, the ability to travel several weeks a year, and experience in marketing, sales, and leading international tours. This position will also spearhead our growing efforts to improve the organization’s sustainability efforts.

Salary & Benefits

The job is a full-time salaried position, expected minimum 40 hours per week, with flexibility on location and when the hours are completed. The salary range is US $60,000 - $75,000 per year depending on experience with the possibility of annual bonuses and profit sharing in the future depending on program success. The director will have 3 weeks paid vacation time (accrued over the year), sick/personal time, as well as reimbursement for expenses and partial reimbursement of medical insurance (up to 50%). As the program grows, we expect the benefit package to grow including a 401k and medical benefits. The position will also have significant opportunities for training and skill building.

Job Requirements & Tasks

Required Skills & Experience:

  • At least 5 years working in the tourism field, preferably related to ecotourism, voluntourism, adventure travel, volunteer travel, experiential travel, wellness travel, or student travel

  • Demonstrated ability to craft itineraries, lead tours, & manage travelers

  • Strong writing and organizational skills

  • Experience in tourism planning, sales, and logistics,

  • Ability to participate in significant travel including leading tours, marketing events, and other travel as needed

  • At least a Bachelor’s degree in science or business

  • Fluency in English

Preferred But Not Required

  • Experience or training in storytelling, photography, or videography

  • Experience working with sea turtles, ocean conservation, or sustainable travel

  • Public speaking experience including presentations

  • Familiarity with the WeTravel booking platform

  • Tourism marketing experience

  • Experience with environmental / outdoor education

  • Spanish speaking ability

  • Based in the US

Tasks include but are not limited to:

Oversee SEE Turtles Conservation Travel Program including:

  • Collaborate on program strategy with the President

  • Improve organization’s processes including customer relationship management (CRM), booking management, and financial management and projections

  • Design new itineraries for adult tours and evaluate potential new destinations

  • Manage marketing of tours including writing copy, blog posts, and other outlets

  • Manage travelers including registrations, logistics, payments, & communications

  • Coordinate with local tour operators and conservation partners across our destinations

  • Explore the wellness market for potential new trips

  • Manage risk management and safety protocols

  • Explore innovative ways to increase program conservation impact and reduce environmental impact

Oversee EcoTeach Student Travel Program

  • Market student tours to schools in the US & Canada

  • Promote wholesale student tours to tour operators and institutions

  • Coordinate with teachers to support tour logistics

  • Develop new itineraries for the student travel market

  • Coordinate with program staff to develop educational content

Public Communications

  • Support communications team by giving input on content for social media, annual reports, and other communications

  • Participate in outreach efforts including webinars, trade shows, & events

  • Represent SEE Turtles at meetings & conferences

Organization Management

  • Provide input on organization strategy & growth

  • Administrative tasks including program budgeting, overseeing bookkeeping, and financial reporting

  • Prepare reports and updates for SEE Turtles board of directors

About SEE Turtles

SEE Turtles helps the sea turtle community connect, grow, and thrive by supporting community-based conservation efforts around the globe. Our award-winning programs provide hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in grants for our partner network in the Global South including more than 50 nesting beaches, efforts to clean plastic from sea turtle habitats, working to end demand for tortoiseshell products, and supporting coastal communities. Our programs reach millions of people every year and benefit more than 50 local partners around the globe.

Our Conservation Travel program offers unique experiences to see and work with sea turtles and other wildlife in 7 countries. To date, we have brought more than 1,700 travelers to our partner sites, generating more than $1.5 million for sea turtle conservation and coastal communities through our transparent Conservation Impact pricing. SEE Turtles recently acquired EcoTeach, a student travel company, which we expect to dramatically expand our travel program from an average of one hundred travelers a year to more than 500, including student groups. This growing program will support all our programs, stabilize the organization’s finances, and allow us to add new programs over the next few years.

The organization was co-founded in 2008 by Dr. Wallace J. Nichols and Brad Nahill, originally as a project of the Ocean Conservancy. The project was part of the Ocean Foundation and Oceanic Society before becoming an independent nonprofit in 2016. SEE Turtles’ innovative programs and global impact has been recognized with the Travel + Leisure Global Vision Award, the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Changemakers Award, and the Skal Sustainable Travel Award.

Questions? Contact us here.