Community-Centered Conservation Program Manager
Land Trust Alliance
Location: Flexible within the United States, near a major airport preferred
The Land Trust Alliance is the voice of the land trust community. As the national leader in policy, standards and education, we work passionately to support land trusts across America so they can save more land and better serve their communities.
Our natural places and working lands are a lifeline to clean air, water, food and good health. These lands also bring us together, inspire us and provide opportunities to recreate and recharge. With important places under continual threat, land trusts need access to the best tools, information and policy advocates. With a diverse network and valuable resources, the Alliance is the land trust community’s source for the knowledge and capabilities they need to reach their goals. From tax and funding policies on Capitol Hill to innovative ideas, partnerships and initiatives, we ensure our land trust members can always be heard and achieve more. The Alliance is seeking to elevate land conservation as a priority nationwide. We envision a reenergized, more relevant conservation movement in which land trusts join with communities and partners that have not traditionally identified as conservation organizations.
The Alliance is committed to ensuring that the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion are incorporated into all aspects of our conservation work. This includes a commitment to advancing Community-Centered Conservation, a practice that is rooted in trust and relationship building in the service of equitable, people-focused outcomes and more effective conservation impact. Community-Centered Conservation ensures that people who have been harmed or excluded by racism and other forms of oppression are prioritized in relationship-building efforts across our movement. This requires us to center the expertise of, prioritize the needs of and strive for impact with Black, Indigenous and other People of Color, LGBTQIA+ people and people with disabilities among others, and consider other aspects of social identity such as low-income populations and those experiencing food or housing insecurity and vulnerability to climate change. At its best, CCC leads to deep, lasting conservation impact, promotes the health, resilience and cultural vibrancy of our communities and improves access to and strengthens relationships between people and the land.
The Land Trust Alliance, in our commitment to ensure that all Americans benefit equitably from land conservation, has dedicated resources to establish a Community-Centered Conservation Department. This commitment builds on years of listening and planning, including our Common Ground Initiative. In 2022 the Alliance hired a Director of Community-Centered Conservation to lead this body of work, and in 2023, the Alliance is adding a second full-time staff to support the Department. The Department advances CCC in our movement by structurally weaving CCC into all aspects of the Alliance’s work, developing new partnerships and delivering programming and other support for the Alliance’s 950+ member land trusts in growing this body of work in diverse local and regional contexts across the nation. The department works closely with other staff within the organization to ensure coordination between this external work and ongoing individual and organizational DEI work.
Position Summary
The Community-Centered Conservation Program Manager role provides the opportunity for an innovative, driven and collaborative individual to help shape and sustain a new department at the Land Trust Alliance dedicated to advancing equitable, community-centered conservation within our organization and across the land conservation movement. This role will serve as a thought leader on community-centered conservation and an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. The Program Manager will develop and manage programs related to community-centered conservation at the Alliance and help build capacity for this work across member land trusts through the development and management of grant programs, webinars, trainings, peer groups and other resources. The Program Manager will support the development of relationships and partnerships that advance these goals. The Program Manager will also engage in fundraising and administrative tasks, and at times, supervise interns, contractors or temporary roles.
Specific Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Director of Community-Centered Conservation and in collaboration with relevant Alliance departments, key partners and member land trusts, the Program Manager will be responsible for the following.
Program Development and Management. Help set a strategic vision for the Alliance’s community-centered conservation work. Lead or assist in the design, implementation and evaluation of new and existing programs and resources to help land trusts implement community-centered conservation activities and incorporate community-centered principles into all aspects of their organization.
Trainings: Lead or assist in the implementation of training and networking programs, including evaluating topics, speakers, and locations for training events, developing new offerings to reflect known training needs and assisting with the design of new and efficient ways to deliver training to land trusts.
Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program: Manage the recruitment, programming and alumni engagement for the Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program, a career and leadership development program.
Relationship building. Dedicate time to shared learning, and trust and relationship building across sectors including with organizations focused on social justice, health, affordable housing, and more. Build and maintain equitable regional and national partnerships that support land trusts in meeting community needs in their local context.
Ambassadorship Represent the Alliance as a spokesperson at select conferences, events, coalition meetings, land trust gatherings and other venues as warranted. Communicate the Alliance’s strategic priorities through messaging that presents a coherent, united organization.
Fundraising. Partner with Alliance development staff in identifying and cultivating relationships with key foundations, corporations, individuals, and public agencies, conducting research, and writing development proposals and reports.
Administrative. Assist and in some cases lead in managing budgets, grants and contracts. Lead or assist with grant program administration. Plan meeting logistics, mailings, reporting and other administrative responsibilities as assigned.
Supervision. At times, this position may supervise interns, contractors or temporary roles.
Other related duties as assigned.
This is a full-time position requiring 37.5 hours per week, with 15-20% of time spent on travel nationwide, as well as occasional work-related travel, meetings and events on evenings and weekends.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree preferred; and a minimum of five years’ experience working in community engagement capacity building, community-centered conservation or a related field. Equivalent combinations of education and work experience will be considered.
Strong project management experience including a minimum of two years of experience delivering community-facing programs; and a minimum of two years of budget management and grant management experience.
Personal commitment to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, and demonstrated track record of integrating these principles into a work context.
Equitable relationship building experience, lived experience in, or a demonstrated track record working with Black, Indigenous and/or other Communities of Color, LGBTQIA+ people and/or people with disabilities.
Strategic, interdisciplinary thinker.
Demonstrated ability to build and sustain work teams and multi-stakeholder collaborations, in both internal and external contexts.
Exceptional oral and written communication skills and ability to manage program communications.
Proven ability to plan, implement, adapt and improve programs based on evaluation and adaptive management practices.
Some experience with non-profit fundraising including grant proposal writing and reporting preferred.
Ability to manage consultants and other contractors.
Ability to travel up to 20% including evenings/weekends.
Compensation
The budgeted salary range for this position is $80,000 – $90,000, commensurate with skills, years of experience, location and unique background and qualifications of the candidate.
The Land Trust Alliance offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, vision and other health coverage; life and disability insurance; paid vacation, personal, sick and holiday leave; and 403(b) retirement benefits.
Contact
Send resume and cover letter via email to careers@lta.org. If email is not an option, applications will be accepted by mail to Human Resources, Land Trust Alliance, 1250 H St, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005.
