Stewardship Coordinator

Land Trust for Tennessee

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Job Summary

About The Land Trust for Tennessee

The Land Trust for Tennessee (“LTTN”) is a statewide, accredited non-profit land conservation organization with an office in Nashville and an office in Chattanooga. Now in its 21st year, LTTN has protected nearly 135,000 acres through over 400 conservation projects across Tennessee. There are over 1,000 land trusts in the U.S., and in 2020, LTTN won the National Land Trust Excellence Award from the Land Trust Alliance. LTTN seeks an energetic professional to join our collaborative staff and our highly-regarded board in this full-time position. The position is based in either Nashville or Chattanooga with a statewide focus, and offers an impactful, demanding work opportunity at one of the nation’s premiere conservation organizations. This is an entry-level position with potential for long-term growth within the organization.

The Opportunity

The Stewardship Coordinator is responsible for the coordination of the Stewardship Program of LTTN with oversight and management from the Director of Stewardship. The goal of the stewardship program is to uphold the conservation values of those lands protected by LTTN by working in partnership with landowners and the stewardship staff of LTTN. This includes conservation easement monitoring, volunteer management, risk management, conservation easement enforcement, addressing requests for activity approvals, working with landowners to understand their conservation easement, land management, record keeping and data management, and other duties as may be assigned.

Location: Nashville, TN or Chattanooga, TN.

 

Job Responsibilities

Essential Functions 

Field Work and Site Visits

• Works with the stewardship team to schedule and perform annual monitoring field or aerial visits for all conserved properties throughout Tennessee; walks properties to observe and document any changes that have occurred since the previous visit and to identify violations and other issues
• Schedules and performs additional field visits as directed to follow up on issues identified through ground or aerial monitoring inspections, research potential violations, and evaluate landowner requests for activities or plans requiring LTTN written approval
• Manages monitoring volunteers who assist in annual monitoring visits
• Works with stewardship and conservation staff to ensure all properties are monitored at least annually
• Assists with management of lands owned by LTTN

Landowner Relationships

• Provides assistance and information to landowners who are selling their conserved land and to realtors, attorneys, appraisers, and potential buyers; meets with prospective and successor landowners to review conservation easements and conducts field visits with prospective/new owners
• Provides information to owners of conserved properties regarding sound agricultural and forestry practices and stewardship of natural resources through a variety of means

Record Keeping

• Tracks and keeps record of all approvals and denials of activities, amendments to conservation easements, property transfers, etc. using LTTN server and database
• Prepares and maintains complete and accessible monitoring reports, monitoring files, and baseline updates on all conserved properties
• Collects data on field visits as needed for organizational use (i.e. type of property, public access info, forestry info)
• Helps maintain landowner database by reporting and documenting changes in names, addresses, ownership, and any deaths or divorces

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resource Management, Ecology, Biology, Environmental Science or similar field plus at least 2 years’ experience as a member of a professional team
• Knowledge relevant to forestry, agriculture, natural resource management, and sound land uses; ability to learn and understand land use guidelines and regulations
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including strong negotiation and listening skills, ability to communicate with different personalities, diffuse anger, resolve conflicts, and ask and answer difficult questions
• Facility with maps and mapping, and ability to read and understand deeds, conservation easements, and related legal documents
• Strong spatial, reading, and writing skills
• Ability to coordinate and work on multiple projects simultaneously, and to maintain attention to detail while producing a steady volume of work in compliance with deadlines
• Familiarity with Tennessee and local geographies
• Understanding of and commitment to the land conservation goals of LTTN
• Ability to represent LTTN and interact effectively with a wide range of organizations and individuals, and to work cooperatively with all LTTN staff and board members
• Ability to work independently and to engage in independent and group problem solving
• Ability to effectively operate computers and assigned software, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word and Excel) and mapping software (i.e. ArcGIS); general knowledge of CRM databases
• Ability to regularly perform field work and to work outside in all weather conditions
• Flexibility to work some nights and weekends as required for LTTN events or landowner schedules
• Ability to travel extensively around the state; valid driver’s license and vehicle required

Personal Characteristics:

• You enjoy working with all kinds of people.
• You like to both plan and execute projects.
• You multi-task and prioritize assignments well.
• You are a detail-oriented person who also sees the big picture. Please include the code word “perpetuity” in the subject of your application email.
• You work well with a team in a fast-paced environment.
• Desirable personal attributes include: strong work ethic, reliable, energetic, self-motivated, dedicated, team-oriented, charismatic, practical, innovative, adaptable.

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Please send resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to:

Mija Nichols, mnichols@landtrusttn.org

The Land Trust for Tennessee is an equal opportunity employer.

Details

• Date Posted: June 16, 2021
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Other
• Service Area: Environment
• Working Hours: 40 hrs/wk; M-F; • Flexibility to work some nights and weekends as required