Associate Director of Stewardship

Our Mission:

We advance the conservation of lands and waters in Maine to ensure ecological well-being and foster thriving communities. 

We understand that as in nature, diversity builds resilience. We uphold a working culture where unique identities and experiences are welcomed and appreciated. Our team is empathetic, committed and collaborative.  We seek employees that are not only capable and talented, but who care about supporting and respecting each other. We seek people who are interested in imagining creative solutions and continuous learning.

Position Overview:

The Associate Director of Stewardship plays a key leadership role at MCHT and within the conservation community, shaping regional and organizational strategies and policy, establishing workplans and budgets for the management of new and existing MCHT properties and easements, leading the implementation of MCHT stewardship activities within their region, and developing and managing a professional and high-performing team of four. This position’s focus will be the coastal areas from Kittery to Northport, including the islands of Vinalhaven and North Haven. The Associate Director reports to the Director of Stewardship.

What you will do:

• Actively contributes to the development of and leads the implementation of MCHT strategic goals related to stewardship.
• Develops and manages the execution of the regional work programs of the stewardship department.
• Hires, trains, and supervises regional stewards, outreach staff, and seasonal staff, including volunteers.
• Develops, recommends, and manages regional budgets. Leads financial management and budget development efforts with regional stewards. Also negotiates contracts and legal agreements.
• Leads organizational and statewide conversations and efforts to improve the resilience of conserved lands in a time of climate change, rapidly changing land uses, and increasing societal pressure.
• Represents the organization and the department on committees, at conferences, and initiatives with staff, Board, donors, communities, partners, land trusts, the media, and policymakers; at the local, regional, statewide, and national levels.
• May be responsible for one or more organization-wide need such as: land management planning, training, equipment purchase, trail planning and assessment.

What you will bring:

• Excellent management and leadership skills, grounded in a commitment to collaboration with and support for your staff.
• Relevant and proven field skills, including working with map, compass, and GPS systems, required tools, reading terrain, and understanding natural resource sensitivities and constraints.
• Working knowledge of Maine geography, culture, flora, and fauna is a plus.
• Boat skills (or ability to learn) with small and medium sized boats, along with USCG or OUPV licensing.
• Confidence to create strong relationships with staff, volunteers, and community members and the communication skills to work with a wide range of people.
• 10-12 years of direct work experience in a natural resources related field (i.e. land trust/land protection work, natural resource management, community engagement, etc.). A combination of bachelor’s degree and 8 years of related experience is preferred.

How and where you will work:

Indoor work is performed in a normal office environment not subject to extremes of noise, temperature, odor, etc. Field work is performed outdoors in all weather conditions and requires climbing, walking, bending, crouching, lifting, reaching, and other physical capabilities. Operates GPS, compass, camera, boats/marine vessels, tractor, trailer, mower, chain saw, and related power tools.  Regular travel is required. Occasional night and weekend work is required.

Work hours will be split between office time, field time, and work from home time as determined by the needs of the department and determined with the guidance of the Director of Stewardship

This is a permanent, full-time position with a benefits package including insurance, generous vacation and sick time, and a retirement plan. The annual starting salary range for this role is $82,800 to $92,500 and will depend upon experience.

If you are interested in joining our team, please send your COVER LETTER and RESUME to [email protected] with “AD of Stew” in the subject line by July 7, 2024.

To review the full job description please follow this link: Associate Director of Stewardship Job Description

To learn more about Maine Coast Heritage Trust and our work visit our website at https://www.mcht.org/

Maine Coast Heritage Trust is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to creating an inclusive culture where employees from diverse backgrounds can thrive and support our mission. We recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate, and administer all personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sex stereotyping, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

*External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, must be able to perform the essential job functions (as listed) either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined by management on a case-by-case basis.