Land Protection Manager

Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 67,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Dental

Employer retirement match

Flexible spending account

13 paid holidays

Generous paid time off

Staff housing may be available

Job summary

Wildlands Trust, headquartered in Plymouth, MA, seeks a full-time Land Protection Manager to expand our capacity to protect land across 60 communities in southeastern Massachusetts. The LPM initiates projects, builds relationships with landowners and partners, and advances conservation transactions to completion.

The role reports to the Director of Land Protection and requires 5+ years in land conservation, a Bachelor’s degree, and strong communication skills; occasional evenings and weekends;

Qualifications

• Five or more years’ experience in land conservation, planning, real estate, or legal support.
• Bachelor’s Degree, at minimum.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to convey complex concepts to a lay audience.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with a wide range of people and organizations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and databases.
• Personal integrity, credibility, and a commitment to land conservation.
• Willingness to work some evenings and weekends to attend meetings and events.
• Ability to work in varied terrains and weather.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Willingness to participate in a small-office culture.

Responsibilities

• Initiate and cultivate relationships with landowners, conservation partners, and municipalities to identify projects.
• Oversee project due diligence with surveyors, appraisers, attorneys, and other service providers.
• Negotiate land conservation transactions, including gifts of land or conservation restrictions, bargain sales, and limited development projects.
• Work with staff, board, and conservation partners to complete projects.
• Provide education to landowners regarding conservation options.
• Manage logistics of multi-party real estate transactions, contracts, and budgets.
• Maintain detailed and accurate documentation.
• Participate in fundraising necessary to complete conservation projects.
• Work with staff to ensure all land conservation transactions are adequately documented, including reports, databases, and GIS maps.
• Stay current with best practices for conservation acquisitions of all kinds.
• Maintain awareness of local, state, and national conservation developments.
• Attend outreach and fundraising events as necessary.

Skills

Land conservation

Conservation planning

Real estate

Legal support

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Evenings/weekends availability

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft 365

Databases

GIS

Job description

Wildlands Trust seeks a full-time Land Protection Manager (LPM) to help grow our organizational capacity to protect land throughout our 60-community service area in southeastern Massachusetts. The LPM will initiate projects, build relationships with landowners and partners, and advance land protection transactions to completion. The individual will work as a member of a small, collaborative land protection team and report directly to the Director of Land Protection.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Initiate and cultivate relationships with landowners, conservation partners, and municipalities to identify potential projects.
• Oversee project due diligence working with surveyors, appraisers, LSPs, attorneys, and other service providers.
• Negotiate land conservation transactions, including gifts of land or conservation restrictions, bargain sales, and limited development projects.
• Work with other staff, board, and conservation partners to successfully complete projects.
• Provide education to landowners regarding conservation options.
• Manage logistics of multi-party real estate transactions, contracts, and budgets.
• Maintain detailed and accurate documentation.
• Participate in the fundraising necessary to complete conservation projects.
• Work with other staff to ensure that all land conservation transactions are adequately documented, including written reports, database management, and GIS maps.
• Seek opportunities to stay current and familiar with state-of-the-art legal, technical, and pragmatic best practices for conservation acquisitions of all kinds.
• Maintain working knowledge of current trends, developments, and activities occurring in the local, state, and national conservation communities.
• Attend outreach and fundraising functions, as necessary.

SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Five or more years’ experience in land conservation, conservation planning, real estate, or legal support.
• Bachelor’s Degree, at a minimum
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to convey complex concepts to a lay audience.
• An ability to establish effective, close working relationships with a wide range of people and organizations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and databases.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for land conservation.
• Ability and willingness to work some evenings and weekends to attend meetings and events.
• Ability to work in a variety of terrains and weather.
• Ability to work independently, as well as with a team.
• Willingness to embrace and participate in a small-office culture where everyone chips in to help.
• Willing to perform other duties as assigned.

Schedule:

40 hours/week, typically Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm with occasional nights and weekends.

Location:

On site at the Wildlands Trust headquarters in Plymouth, MA. Some remote work may be accommodated by arrangement with supervisor.

Salary and Benefits:

Salaryrange is$67,000 – 76,000 annually. Compensation may be negotiable for candidates with more extensive experience.

Benefits include healthcare, dental,retirementaccountwithemployermatch,flexible healthcare spending accountwith employer contribution,13 paid holidays,andgenerous paid time off.

Staff housing may be available for eligible applicants.

About Wildlands Trust:

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Wildlands Trust aims to create a thriving, inclusive workplace that values each member of our team and reflects and effectively serves the diverse communities of southeastern Massachusetts.

Mission:

Wildlands Trust works throughout southeastern Massachusetts to permanently protect native habitats, farmland, and lands of highecologicand scenic value that serve to keep our communitieshealthyand our residents connected to the natural world.

Vision:

We envision a future where our region’s water and air are pure and open lands are abundant, with forests, farms, wetlands, fields, ponds and coastal areas commonplace sightingsonour landscape.

Commitment to Diversity,Equityand Inclusion:

Wildlands Trust is committed to protecting land and providing access to nature for the people of our region, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We will approach our work with complete respect for the cultures and perspectives of the communities we serve as weendeavorto connect and inspire all people to care about the natural world and the future of our planet.

History:

Founded in 1973, Wildlands Trust is one of the largest and oldest regional land trusts in Massachusetts and has helped to ensure the protection ofnearly14,000acresof natural and agricultural lands. Currently, we have ten full-time andfourpart-time staff carrying out the day-to-day activities of the organization. We also have interns, seasonalemployees, and volunteers whoassistus on a regular basis. Our Board of Directorsis comprised of 17 committed individuals from the communities we serve.