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Senior Project Manager - IL [temporary, part-time]
Chicago, ILWho We Are:
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is the leader of a movement to connect everyone in America to the outdoors. A national nonprofit, TPL partners with communities to create high-quality parks and protect public lands—especially in communities that need them most—to improve public health, create social cohesion, strengthen historic and cultural connection to place, and increase climate resilience. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, generated over $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
Position Summary:
The temporary, part-time (TPT) Senior Project Manager position is approved through the end of June 2026 with potential to continue after that date. The TPT Senior Project Manager will work in close collaboration with the Illinois-based team to create a strategy for land protection that aligns with TPL’s national mission and local priorities. This position will also collaborate with experienced land protection colleagues working across the country, and with planners, attorneys, staff experienced with public grant solicitations and management, and finance managers. TPL does not own and maintain land in perpetuity, and instead collaborates with local, state, federal, and nonprofit organizations to accept and steward the assets we protect.
The successful candidate will have experience using a broad spectrum of nonprofit land acquisition techniques and sound business practices that produce tangible results. This person will be equally comfortable in conversation with landowners, community stakeholders, public and elected officials, lawyers, and others involved in complex land negotiations. While part of a dynamic and supportive team both locally and nationally, the Senior Project Manager must be a self-starter who can work independently.
Essential Functions:
Other Responsibilities
Qualifications:
Special Knowledge & Skills:
Compensation:
Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment, and this role will ideally be located near a Trust for Public Land office. As a temporary, part-time employee, you will be eligible for sick pay plus a personal day (4 hours) after six (6) months of employment, and a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the anticipated hiring pay for this position is $50/hour.
Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is the leader of a movement to connect everyone in America to the outdoors. A national nonprofit, TPL partners with communities to create high-quality parks and protect public lands—especially in communities that need them most—to improve public health, create social cohesion, strengthen historic and cultural connection to place, and increase climate resilience. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, generated over $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
Position Summary:
The temporary, part-time (TPT) Senior Project Manager position is approved through the end of June 2026 with potential to continue after that date. The TPT Senior Project Manager will work in close collaboration with the Illinois-based team to create a strategy for land protection that aligns with TPL’s national mission and local priorities. This position will also collaborate with experienced land protection colleagues working across the country, and with planners, attorneys, staff experienced with public grant solicitations and management, and finance managers. TPL does not own and maintain land in perpetuity, and instead collaborates with local, state, federal, and nonprofit organizations to accept and steward the assets we protect.
The successful candidate will have experience using a broad spectrum of nonprofit land acquisition techniques and sound business practices that produce tangible results. This person will be equally comfortable in conversation with landowners, community stakeholders, public and elected officials, lawyers, and others involved in complex land negotiations. While part of a dynamic and supportive team both locally and nationally, the Senior Project Manager must be a self-starter who can work independently.
Essential Functions:
- Assumes primary responsibility for prospecting, identifying, negotiating, documenting, financing, closing, and conveying real estate transactions with the assistance of Legal and Finance staff. This includes supervision of appraisers, surveyors, and other consultants, and facilitation of the property’s conveyance to a public agency or non-profit partner.
- Manages relationships with landowners, nonprofit organizations, local elected officials, community leaders and municipal, county, and state and federal public agency staff.
- Identifies areas in which TPL's interim protection strategy is needed for the preservation of open space lands of critical local, regional, or national importance; develops and maintains portfolio of potential projects; responds to inquiries by individuals, groups, agencies, etc.
- Generates revenues for TPL through transactions and/or fundraising in the private sector.
- Identifies and secures project funding from multiple sources. Good working knowledge of processes for obtaining public, private, foundation, and corporate funding. Captures contacts for TPL database and maintains landowner relationships for fundraising purposes.
- Communicates with colleagues, partners, and community members to help them understand what is often a complicated, opaque process.
- Builds public awareness and understanding of TPL through outreach events, leading meetings, public speaking engagements, fundraising efforts and creating a public presence for TPL.
- Collaborates with national-level Federal Affairs and Conservation Finance teams and local staff and partners to advance policy, funding and other legislative priorities.
Other Responsibilities
- May be involved in programmatic work, such as the coordination of a land acquisition program covering multi-parcel deals.
- Work under the direction of the Illinois State Director to broaden TPL’s visibility in the market by projecting TPL as a vested conservation leader and subject matter expert on conservation real estate transactions.
- Work in partnership with Illinois Philanthropy staff to engage current and emerging donors to generate philanthropic support of TPL’s transactions and broader conservation work, and work with other TPL staff to support fundraising in the public and private sectors.
- Function as a front-facing figure on TPL’s DEI priorities by seeking land conservation projects that represent value impact opportunities to elevate TPL’s national initiatives: Black History and Culture Initiative and Indigenous Communities.
- Other relevant duties as necessary.
Qualifications:
- Strong commitment to TPL’s shared values (Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope) to effectively work across the organization.
- Minimum of seven years land protection project-related or equivalent land trust or non-profit experience. Experience with land acquisition projects preferred.
- This position requires light travel throughout Illinois and into the region. Occasional evening and weekend work should be expected.
- Bachelor's degree preferred.
Special Knowledge & Skills:
- Superior written and oral communication skills.
- Proficient in computer applications. MSOffice Basics, Internet.
- Demonstrated understanding of real property and tax law, land use planning techniques, environmental assessments, titles and government land acquisition policies/procedures. Politically astute and sensitive.
- Demonstrated success managing key Illinois stakeholder relationships in conservation. Experience with National Park Service, and Illinois Department of Natural Resources a plus.
- Active member in local and statewide professional conservation organizations (preferred).
- Strong, entrepreneurial negotiator, able to secure complicated real estate deals.
- Able to analyze and explain potential tax benefits and financial forecasting. Management of contracts.
- Able to work on complex projects with moderate levels of supervision.
- Able to initiate and participate in fundraising efforts.
Compensation:
Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment, and this role will ideally be located near a Trust for Public Land office. As a temporary, part-time employee, you will be eligible for sick pay plus a personal day (4 hours) after six (6) months of employment, and a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the anticipated hiring pay for this position is $50/hour.
Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.