Conservation Director

The Congaree Land Trust (CLT) was founded in 1992 by individuals committed to conserving the natural and scenic lands, farms, waterways, forests, and open spaces that sustain us in central South Carolina. Since our inception we have conserved over 98,000 acres, representing over 212 individual properties of priority conservation land and 2,400 acres for public recreation. In the heart of South Carolina, our focus is on conservation at the watershed level, supporting economic vitality, safeguarding drinking water and clean air quality, and protecting our local quality of life.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Conservation Director is a vital leader within CLT’s acquisition team, responsible for managing new land acquisitions in alignment with CLT’s policies and conservation goals. The Conservation Director’s role encompasses overseeing fee land and conservation easement transactions, educating the public and partners on land protection, fostering innovative partnerships, and exploring creative methods to secure long-term land and water protection.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Handle inquiries about potential projects and connect landowners with the appropriate CLT staff.
• Coordinate the review of potential land protection projects in relation to CLT’s priorities and criteria, maintaining accurate records of these reviews.
• Manage the internal project approval process in accordance with CLT policies and protocols.
• Organize the scheduling, logistics, agenda, and note-taking for meetings of the Conservation Team and CLT’s Land Protection Committee.
• Collaborate with land protection staff, department leadership, and other teams to manage all or specific portions of assigned land protection projects.
• Collaborate with land conservation specialists and other CLT staff on various land protection projects, including landowner correspondence, due diligence, and other essential steps in project completion.
• Undertake additional duties such as grant and report writing, GPS data collection, baseline documentation, and organizing meeting logistics.
• Assist land protection specialists with baseline documentation fieldwork and compile high-quality baseline documentation reports (BDRs) for conservation easement projects.
• Secure and manage conservation grants, overseeing the tracking and completion of reports and related documentation.
• Oversee post-closing documentation in coordination with project staff, ensuring documents are stored in line with accreditation standards and CLT policy.
• Keep the Active Project tracking sheet up to date.
• Maintain conservation dashboards for both internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the Executive Director and other conservation staff in budgeting, work plan development, and providing administrative and logistical assistance as required.
• Assist the Executive Director and Stewardship Manager in ensuring compliance with Land Trust Accreditation Standards and Practices across the conservation program and support the re-accreditation process.
• Collaboration with regional conservation partners.
• Engagement with various stakeholder groups and participation on conservation focus area committees.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in ecology, biology, planning, forestry, or a related field, with five to seven years of experience in land conservation and/or planning, or a master’s degree with three years of relevant experience.
• Knowledge of land transactions, conservation, and stewardship.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Grant writing
• Additional desirable skills (not required):
  • Experience using Landscape – Conservation application
  • Experience using ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Online.
  • Field experience with GPS equipment.

Benefits

• Salary Commensurate with Experience
• QSEHRA – Health Reimbursement Arrangement
• 401K +3% Company Match
• 20 Days Paid Time Off plus Holidays

Congaree Land Trust provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.