Maine Land Protection Project Manager (location within Maine flexible)
Portland, ME
Trust for Public Land (TPL) creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, Trust for Public Land has preserved more than 3.7 million acres, connected 9.3 million people to the outdoors, created or transformed more than 5,100 parks and playgrounds, and developed more than 2,000 miles of trails across the United States. TPL’s vision is to connect everyone to the outdoors. We believe that access to the outdoor is a fundamental human need and essential to our health and well-being. We’re committed to creating more places that bring us outside – parks, trails, playgrounds, and lands.
TPL’s Maine team is looking for a dynamic and dedicated professional to advance the organization’s current Strategic Plan to ensure more equitable, healthy, and climate resilient communities. This person will use a broad spectrum of nonprofit land acquisition techniques to produce tangible, lasting, on-the-ground results.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Manages all phases of land protection projects including community outreach and engagement, project identification, development of project structure and strategy, landowner negotiation, supervision of appraisers, surveyors, and other consultants, and ultimate sale and conveyance to a public agency, non-profit partner, or other long term steward.
Develops and conducts community outreach and engagement.
Builds and maintains trust-based relationships with community organizations, non-profit partners, tribal partners, governmental agencies, private property landowners, elected officials, and other key partners.
Works closely with TPL’s Government Relations, Marketing, Philanthropy, Legal, and Finance teams.
With team support, takes a leadership role in securing interim financing and permanent funding for land protection projects through public and private funding sources. Writes competitive grant applications for project funding.
Builds public awareness and understanding of TPL through outreach events, leading meetings, public speaking engagements, fundraising efforts and creating a public presence for TPL.
Informs and helps establish TPL’s programmatic focus and direction in Maine and New England.
QUALIFICATIONS
3-5 years of land conservation experience.
Real estate transaction and community engagement experience preferred.
This position requires moderate travel. Occasional evening and weekend work should be expected.
SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Effective listener and communicator with strong written and oral communication skills.
Computer proficiency using Windows-based software. Familiarity with geospatial mapping tools desirable.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to work on complex projects with multiple tasks and moving parts.
Skills in facilitating work within an internal and external project team.
Community engagement skills.
Demonstrated understanding of real property law, legal contracts, land use and community planning techniques, environmental assessments, titles and government land acquisition policies/procedures.
Strong, entrepreneurial negotiator, able to secure complicated real estate deals.
Ability to take initiative, make suggestions, receive feedback, be creative and solve problems.
COMPENSATION
As a full-time exempt employee, you will be eligible for TPL’s comprehensive benefits program, which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, vacation days, sick days, a personal day, a day of service, and ten+ holidays, and a 403(b) retirement plan, currently with an up to 7% company match. We anticipate the hiring range for this position will be $70,000-80,000 annually. The offer will be commensurate with experience.
Trust for Public Land is committed to cultivating a diverse staff that is representative of the communities in which we live and work. Applications from individuals having diverse backgrounds and life experiences are strongly encouraged. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all of the above criteria; if you believe you’re the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.