Senior Land Protection Manager

Are you an experienced land protection professional looking to make an impact for land conservation in Midcoast Maine? Midcoast Conservancy has an opportunity for you to support this mission as our Senior Land Protection Manager.

Midcoast Conservancy, an innovative conservation organization and accredited land trust, seeks an experienced and committed individual to help advance protection of vital lands in the midcoast Maine region. The Senior Land Protection Manager, reporting to the Executive Director, will manage the Lands Team to implement land conservation efforts including planning, completing land transactions, and funding projects.

Organizational Information:

Midcoast Conservancy is an innovative conservation organization with the mission to protect and restore vital lands and waters on a scale that matters. The ideal applicant for this role will be passionate about all three pillars of our work in Midcoast Maine: land conservation, water protection, and connecting families to the outdoors. Midcoast Conservancy was formed in January 2016 with the merger of four local conservation organizations, then in 2019 expanded when a fifth merged! Our organization serves the 28 town / 450 square mile area of rural Lincoln and Waldo counties, and has a membership of approximately 2,000. Our 2022 budget is about $1.3 million, with 13 permanent staff, ~6 seasonal staff, and ~250 dedicated volunteers implementing our mission.

Senior Land Protection Manager

Leads and administers Midcoast Conservancy’s land conservation efforts including planning, completing land transactions and funding projects. Supervises Land Protection Specialist and reports to the Executive Director. Benefits include sick leave, all Federal holidays, 3 weeks of vacation, retirement plan, and health insurance. Periodic work on weekends and evenings required. Work-related mileage will be reimbursed. Position is based out of the Midcoast Conservancy office in Edgecomb with some field work. Annual salary is $50,000 - $60,000 depending on experience.

Overview

● Works with the Lands Committee and the Board to ensure priority land protection projects are completed, helping conserve key landscapes in the Midcoast Region.

● Implement annual work plans and budget with the Lands team, the Executive Director and others.

● Ensure land protection is aligned with all of the organization’s goals for land, water conservation and community; including climate resilience, habitat connectivity, public access, working landscapes and other goals.

Land Conservation

• Develop and implement landscape scale conservation priorities including ecological and human community values that align with Midcoast Conservancy’s 30x30 goal of doubling conserved lands to 30,000 acres by 2030.
• Work with landowners to develop acquisition projects and write conservation easements to ensure they meet Midcoast Conservancy’s goals, and the national land trust standards and practices while meeting the needs of individual landowners.
• Ensure all steps for acquisition and easement projects are professionally completed including landowner negotiation, title work, environmental hazard assessments, baseline documentation, and required record keeping, from inception to completion.
• Work with Lands Committee and Board to take projects through organizational pipeline including intake, timely follow up, tracking, prioritizing, and advancing projects to completion.
• Identify key properties in top priority focus areas for landowner outreach by staff and volunteers as appropriate to ensure that the organization has a steady stream of projects to advance.
• Occasionally work with Senior Stewardship Manager in addressing easement violations, including working with appropriate board committees.

Fundraising

• Work with the Executive Director and Deputy Director to plan and implement fundraising – including grants – for land acquisition, easements, and stewardship.
• Work with Development Writer to fundraise for acquisition projects:
• Stay current with the annual calendar of land protection grants.
• Write and submit grants and follow through with reporting requirements for grants awarded for land acquisition.

Desired Qualifications

• At least 3 years’ experience working on land conservation transactions.
• Knowledge of stewardship and ecological management of conserved lands.
• Proven experience managing staff and volunteers.
• Proven experience writing and administering grants.
• Proficiency with basic MS Office software including Word and Excel.
• Skilled in use of ArcGIS, Google Earth and GPS and ability to produce maps of protected properties.
• Environmental Science, Natural History, or Ecological Management background.
• Ability to listen and communicate clearly in person and in writing, to develop effective relationships with others, and work well with a wide variety of people.
• Strong writing skills, especially in terms of clarity and persuasive storytelling.
• Valid vehicle driver's license and personal vehicle with proof of insurance.
• Interest and ability to recruit, organize, motivate and energize volunteers.
• Ability to work effectively with town and state officials.
• Ability to work or attend meetings outside normal business hours (occasional nights and weekends.)
• Ability to manage work time and long-term projects efficiently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others in a dynamic work environment and exhibit creative problem solving.

Qualified individuals with disabilities and those from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals and are an equal opportunity employer. Ideal start date is May 1 but negotiable. Deadline for applications is 5:00 PM, Friday April 15, 2022, or until the position is filled.

How to Apply:

To apply, submit a resume and cover letter to Pete Nichols, Executive Director, at pete@midcoastconservancy.org. If you become a finalist, you will at that point also need to provide a professional writing sample and list of 3 references.