Hybrid (Sacramento, CA, USA)
Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 3.7 million acres, connected 9.3 million people to the outdoors, created or transformed more than 5,100 parks, playgrounds, and gardens, and developed more than 2,000 miles of trails across the United States. TPL has also helped states and local communities generate over $84 billion in new public funds for parks and open space. With over thirty offices across the country, TPL’s vision is an America where every community can connect with nature near and far.
At TPL, we’re a team of outdoor advocates who believe in connecting everyone to the outdoors. As an ethos, we believe access to the outdoors is a fundamental human need and essential to our health and well-being. We’re committed to creating more places that bring us outside—parks, trails, playgrounds and public lands—and making them available and welcoming to everyone, everywhere, regardless of ZIP code. We also understand that land has meaning; it tells the story of our history. That’s why, through our Black History and Culture initiative, we’re working to preserve sites that more fully represent the Black American experience; and we’re an ally and partner to Tribal and Indigenous communities, working in partnership to provide connections to ancestral lands.
TPL’s California Land Protection team is looking for a dynamic and dedicated Project Associate to join us in permanently protecting lands to ensure climate resilient communities and ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and improve equitable access to parks and open space. Through this work, TPL will help deliver cleaner air and water, healthier communities, equitable and connected neighborhoods, and a more resilient and livable environment for all.
Position Summary:
The Northern California Project Associate will work in support of local land protection staff to acquire and conserve priority lands by providing administrative support and project coordination. Through this work s/he/they will expand and enhance access to the region’s network of public lands; ensure local residents have close-to-home parks, trails, and open space; and help communities fulfill their visions for their surrounding landscapes.
The Northern California Project Associate is a key position for delivering TPL’s mission of conserving land for people by utilizing well-established nonprofit land acquisition techniques and sound business practices, to advance landscape-scale conservation in Northern California. TPL’s conservation priorities in this region include working with community partners to protect climate-resilient lands and waters that support wildlife habitat, recreational access, working (forest, farm) lands, water resources, and historical and Indigenous cultural values, as well as other open space and environmentally important lands.
This position will be place based, and located in northern California, in the Northern Central Valley, Sacramento area, or Northern Sierra/Cascade unless otherwise approved.
Key Project Associate Functions within Northern California Interior Region:
- Assist land protection staff in land acquisition projects and programmatic initiatives, including project research; landowner outreach; collaboration with local governments, agencies, non-profit partners, and community groups.
- Assist land protection staff in all phases of program and project tracking and reporting, including tracking project tasks, deliverables, and timelines; budget tracking and invoicing; and coordination of due diligence and closing tasks.
- Preparation of project correspondence and assistance with necessary internal project approvals.
- Perform administrative tasks such as meeting and calendar management, drafting letters, memos, and assistance with presentations including preparation of graphic materials and other project-related graphics work.
- Coordinate and attend site visits in conjunction with other project staff and/or partners, or independently under direction of project manager.
- Assist staff with fundraising activities, donor visits, and preparation of public and private grant applications and reporting.
- Attend community meetings, build relationships with advocacy partners, garner support for projects as needed.
- Work with project team to identify, track and attend key regional and state convenings, task forces, workshops, and training opportunities on various topics and initiatives, including wildfire and forest management, water conservation and management, Indigenous and tribal matters, and agency and private funding.
Qualifications:
- 1-2 years experience in a professional setting. Bachelor’s Degree preferred; Course work or experience to include real estate, environmental studies, community engagement, public policy, or related area.
- Strong written and oral communications skills.
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to take on complex projects.
- Ability to work under pressure, juggle multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
- Ability to work independently or as a team member as appropriate.
- Ability to take initiative, be creative, and make recommendations to solve problems.
- Great people skills, ease with many types of personalities.
- Interest in TPL’s mission as it relates to community, land protection and advocacy.
- Computer Application skills: MS Office, spreadsheets, project tracking tools, graphics and internet research techniques. Experience with GIS, mapping and project management tracking tools is a plus.
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, including veterans and military connected families. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all of the above criteria; if you believe you’re the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.
Compensation
As a full-time, non-exempt employee, you will be eligible for Trust for Public Land’s comprehensive benefits program, which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, three weeks of vacation in your first year, plus holidays, a paid one-week winter break, and a 403(b) retirement plan, currently with up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the range for this position is $50,000-65,000 annually.
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