Conservation Planning Project Manager – Trust for the Public Land

The Conservation Planning Project Manager manages innovative planning projects related to open space, trails and parks for urban and rural communities throughout the United States. The Planning and GIS Group (comprised of regional/urban planners and GIS experts) provides an array of services for external partners and field staff in The Trust for Public Land’s 30+ offices. The planning services fit roughly into the following categories:

• Greenprinting and conceptual trail planning: long-range, community-based planning, with award-winning Geographic Information Services (GIS)
• City park system visioning and city park master planning
• Research: developing case studies; surveying best practices; assessing current conditions; analyzing threats and opportunities; creative funding research; benchmarking or peer city assessments; and conservation tool evaluation
• Park and park system evaluations
• Strategic conservation land acquisition planning and program development within The Trust for Public Land
• Community engagement, workshop and community meeting facilitation
• Public communications and outreach

Essential Functions  

• Manages Greenprints, development of conceptual trail plans, and other complex conservation/park planning projects.  This includes forming and managing steering committees and stakeholder groups; conducting targeted interviews; overseeing current conditions research; preparing for and facilitating community meetings, supervising development of outreach materials; and overseeing budgets and personnel. Note: Domestic travel is required (up to 20-30%), including overnight stays.
• Develops surveys and other outreach tools. This includes developing online community surveys and working with outside firms on telephone and mail-based polls. Leads analysis of community input.
• Coordinates and administers evaluations.  This will include designing park evaluations as well as designing and developing community survey tools for externally-facing planning projects (such as Greenprints, trail plans, and park master planning projects).
• Supports local community-based teams in completing Greenprint and other project work plans, including scheduling calls, site visits, and internet-based meetings. Frequently facilitates conference calls with remote team members.
• Conducts research and writing related to new projects and new project potentials.  This includes research and writing about places where The Trust for Public Land is starting projects and investigating places that may be suitable for new projects. May assist in developing materials for donor meetings.
• Presents planning services to staff across The Trust for Public Land and our partners.
• Works with marketing team on improving branding around our services and products.
• Completes other tasks as needed.

Qualifications

• Candidate must have superior project management, research, writing, and public speaking skills.
• Must have strong abilities in problem-solving, organization, and analytical thinking.
• Undergraduate degree required, and advanced degree preferred in a field related to land use, conservation, park and open space, and/or growth management.
• Minimum two years’ experience leading complex planning projects (ideally in the land-use realm, and more specifically in park, recreation, conservation and/or open space planning).
• Education or experience related to urban planning and/or recreation planning a plus
• Experience designing and conducting evaluations (ranging from program evaluations to field surveys), preferably in the parks and recreation field.  Transferable experience with evaluations in other disciplines is also welcome.
• Must be able to establish and coordinate partnerships as well as problem-solve for technical and political hurdles.
• Comfortable facilitating conference calls and conducting telephone interviews.
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills with demonstrated ability to develop strategic approaches for stakeholder involvement and meeting facilitation.
• Experience working with state and local governments, including upper-level agency staff and elected officials. In general, diplomacy and relationship-building are critical for project manager success.
• Ability to work under pressure, juggle multiple projects, prioritize work effectively, and meet deadlines.
• Available for regular travel, including some nights and weekends.