Land Protection Associate
Job Title: Land Protection Associate
Starting Salary:$40,000
Location: Hybrid
Reports to: Land Protection Manager East
Application Deadline: May 31, 2023
About TLC
TLC is an accredited and well-respected land trust, having protected 23,000 acres in the rapidly growing Triangle region of North Carolina. Since 1983, TLC has conserved land to safeguard drinking water, support family farms and the local food economy, protect important natural habitat, and connect people with nature. TLC is currently headquartered in vibrant downtown Durham, although most staff are working remotely or hybrid. This is an exciting time to work at TLC! We are seeing a dramatic
increase in the use of our public nature preserves and growth in community support for our mission. TLC is currently working toward conserving 25,000 acres by 2025, as outlined in our Strategic Action Plan.
TLC seeks to attract candidates who support our mission and values, as well as respect and promote excellence through diversity. To this end, TLC recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals without regard to color, race, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, or age. We are seeking candidates that demonstrate diversity of perspective, experience, and culture. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color applicants as well as any applicants who are historically underrepresented in the position being advertised and in conservation work. To learn more about TLC, please visit our website www.triangleland.org.
We encourage applications from people who have a passion for our work and ambition to learn and grow with us, even if your professional experience does not align perfectly with the position. In other words, we may be willing to train the right person with a solid foundation of most skills required for the job. TLC has a generous support system that includes a mix of paid professional development opportunities as well as training and support from fellow staff members.
Position Summary
The Land Protection Associate reports to the Land Protection Manager East and works closely with the entire Land Protection Team to support projects throughout TLC’s working region but with a particular focus on Johnston and Lee County. The Land Protection Associate will assist with land protection projects focused on conserving farmland, working forests, and natural areas, safeguarding drinking water, and connecting people with nature through trails, parks, greenways, and water trails. This position will play an integral role in TLC’s land protection program and will also help support partnership efforts such as developing the Mountains-To-Sea Trail in Johnston County. The preferred candidate will be passionate about land conservation and have some knowledge of the cultural and natural resources of the Triangle region.
Essential Duties Include
- Identify and evaluate potential farm, forest, and other land protection projects primarily in Johnston and Lee County that advance the goals of TLC’s Strategic Action Plan.
- Assist with landowner correspondence, research, project summaries, and other writing assignments.
- Assist with grant applications and grant reporting.
- Ensure all new projects are set up in TLC’s property database called Landscape Conservation Software, and that all required information is entered when a project closes.
- Collaborate with Land Management staff on completing baseline documentation reports for each new project, including fieldwork and report writing.
- Manage the work, contracts, and invoices of appraisers, surveyors, engineers, legal counsel, and other professional consultants.
- Prepare maps for each project using ArcGIS Pro.
- Conduct outreach to landowners through mailings, phone calls, and events.
- Ensure compliance with the Land Trust Alliance standards and practices for accredited land trusts.
Essential Experience, Technical Skills, and Competencies
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience (1 – 2 years) in a related field such as natural resource management, environmental sciences, planning, real estate, or conservation.
- Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite software including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Competency in ArcGIS Pro, including the ability to create maps and edit shapefiles.
- Good written and oral communication skills.
- Project management skills with strong attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines.
- Above average critical thinking, analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills; the ability to focus on solutions.
- Awareness of and willingness to actively participate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts with a commitment to seeing how our work can be more equitable and support those efforts.
- Ability to work independently with limited supervision as well as collaboratively in an environment that stresses teamwork.
- Flexible and able to manage multiple tasks, work with different personalities, and manage tight timelines with accuracy.
- Ability to travel within the Triangle region, and work evenings and weekends as required (not a regular occurrence).
- Valid driver’s license
- Ability to work outdoors and travel on uneven terrain.
Preferred Experience
- Familiarity with Johnston and Lee County.
- Grant writing experience.
- Experience with land conservation, land trusts, or similar conservation organizations.
Benefits
This is a full-time permanent and exempt position with excellent benefits; including employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability with generous paid time off, and holiday observances.
How to apply
Applications should be submitted via email as a single pdf to hr@triangleland.org with the subject line “Land Protection Associate Application.” The following documents should be included:
- letter of interest/cover letter
- maximum two-page resume
- three professional references.
References will not be contacted without notifying you first.
All applicants will receive a confirmation email. If you are selected to move forward, HR will contact you. We do not accept online application submissions from Indeed, LinkedIn, or Simply Hired. Please no contact from recruiters. And please no emails, phone calls, or drop-ins for application status updates. No paper submissions
