The Land Protection Manager is responsible for protecting and helping ensure the sustainable management of lands primarily within New York, guided by the Conservancy’s values, which includes a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. They collaborate with a range of Nature Conservancy team members and partners to identify priority sites, develop relationships with property owners (individuals, organizations and public entities), arrange for the acquisition of legal interests in land and water (by the Conservancy and others), and create strategic objectives to ensure long-term protection and/or sustainable management. This work will include strong collaboration and integration with the Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) team in support of forest carbon and other climate mitigation projects involving land protection. The position will also provide technical support to partners in land protection efforts around shared priorities. Along with using standard real estate acquisition techniques, the Land Protection Manager may also work with public and private entities on innovative community-based and policy-oriented tools to conserve floodplains, wetlands, forests, and shorelines. Securing funding is crucial to success, and the Land Protection Manager works with other team members and partners to help identify and secure funds for transactions, including state and federal grants, mitigation funds, and other funding sources.
The position is expected to include real property conservation, including fielding land acquisition and land management questions from a host of individuals and organizations. In addition to traditional land protection, the Land Protection Manager will work on developing innovative partnerships and methods for leveraging protection by other entities, such as helping to leverage impact capital/conservation investor capital for land protection and identifying creative ways to ensure long-term land/water protection outside of traditional fee purchases and conservation easements.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Negotiates real estate transactions, which can bind the Conservancy legally and financially.
- Plans and directs work on protection projects and is lead on obtaining TNC corporate and board approvals for Land Protection projects.
- Promotes innovative public and private conservation financing for land protection work.
- Engages in a proactive partnership with the Land Assets and other conservation teams around potential protection projects. Assesses potential land protection projects and works with the Land Assets team to develop long term management and disposition plans. This entails field work, working with contractors, appraisers, surveyors etc., financial institutions and partners including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
- Maintains records related to land transactions.
- Financial responsibility may include working within/managing a budget to complete projects, negotiating and contracting with vendors, and assisting with budget development.
- Works with counsel to draft legal documents such as purchase and sale agreements, option agreements, and conservation easements.
- Ensures program compliance with internal policies and external requirements, including Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices.
- Fosters cross-site learning among a diverse conservation community.
- Supplies state and regional planning teams with information for protection projects.
- Helps raise funds from individual, corporate and foundation donors, in conjunction with Philanthropy staff.
- May supervise administrative and professional staff, with responsibility for performance management, training and development. Manages seasonal staff as needed.
- Under minimal supervision, makes independent decisions based on analysis, experience and judgment.
- May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.