Conservation Finance Associate Director – Florida

Who We Are:

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 reconnect them with their ancestral lands.

One hundred million people, including 28 million children, don’t have nearby access to a park within ten minutes of their home. We’re determined to change this outdoor equity gap–and as a result, nine million people and counting now have access because of our work. We have miles to go and a plan to get there. We’re inclusive change-makers who believe in connecting everyone to the outdoors. We inspire by paving the way forward and strengthening our connection to nature. Join us! 

Position Summary:

The Florida Conservation Finance Associate Director collaborates with national Conservation Finance staff, the national Conservation Finance Research team, and programmatic experts throughout the country to foster new sources of public funding for parks and land conservation at the state and local government level. The position is responsible for developing and undertaking community outreach and technical assistance to create new funding and renew existing local and state funding for parks, land conservation, and climate through ballot measures and legislative action. The position’s primary geographic focus will be Florida. The Florida Conservation Finance Associate Director markets Trust for Public Land’s Conservation Finance services, develops proposals for services, facilitates community engagement and outreach, works with public opinion researchers, negotiates contracts, makes presentations, and works with a team of internal and external experts in public finance research, public opinion surveys, ballot measure campaigns, and legislative advocacy. The job requires coordination with field staff based in many different offices and collaboration with legal, finance, philanthropy, and marketing staff.

This position utilizes skills in leadership, strategy, policy, politics, and coalition and program building towards our efforts to deliver Trust for Public Land’s mission. The successful candidate will build consensus and support across internal and external stakeholders and will seek to build awareness, credibility, and broad-based support for parks, land conservation, and climate and Trust for Public Land’s mission.

Essential Functions:

• Provide Conservation Finance services, including assisting local governments in evaluating the feasibility of ballot and legislative measures through research and analysis of voter demographics, election history, public opinion, legal constraints, internal capability, and likelihood of support from agencies, elected officials, and partner organizations.  Support the development and implementation of specific measures, including:
  • Coalition building and community outreach;
  • Analysis of existing and proposed funding efforts;
  • Evaluation of alternative legal and financing structures of measures;
  • Polling and message development;
  • Recommending measure timing and dollar amount;
  • Developing ballot language;
  • Campaign fundraising;
  • Communicating with voters;
  • Building campaign organizations;
  • Coalition building and management.
• Manage research and survey projects from start to finish, including scoping project parameters, development of project scheduling, and facilitating regular communication with internal and external project partners.
• Manage development of campaign strategies, allocation of resources, and collaboration with other Conservation Finance staff.
• Collaborate with Conservation Finance Research staff to develop detailed financial models that enable the design and implementation of mechanisms that provide long-term financial support to park and conservation programs.
• Market and promote TPL’s Conservation Finance programs and other services, including land acquisition, planning and community engagement. Such outreach would include presentations to local and state governments and project partners.
• Work with teams of regional staff, national staff, and outside consultants to deliver program services.
• Develop strong working relationships with TPL state staff to foster synergy between conservation finance and TPL’s other programmatic priorities and mission delivery.
• Work with Philanthropy staff to identify foundation, corporate and major individual donor prospects, develop proposals, make solicitations, and close gifts for TPL’s Conservation Finance program.
• Develop and manage relationships and fee-for-service contracts with special district, municipal, county, and state government entities, elected officials, and key staff.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop, oversee, and implement state legislative strategy and tactics to create new sources of, increase, or defend state funding for parks and land conservation, including drafting legislation, monitoring bills and legislative activity, developing relationships with and directly lobbying state legislators, testifying at legislative committee meetings, working with legislative committee and state agency staff, mobilizing grass roots support, and building, managing, and working with diverse coalitions supporting state legislative efforts.
• Other duties as necessary.

Qualifications:

• Strong commitment to TPL’s shared values (Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope) to effectively work across the organization.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently (up to 30% of time).

Required Experience:

• Five + years’ experience in politics including direct political campaign experience, advocacy, legislative work, fundraising, and media relations.
• Experience with synthesizing and summarizing qualitative and quantitative data and ability to quickly identify the essence of an issue.
• Experience working with public or elected officials, research experts, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Experience commissioning and managing policy research and disseminating it effectively to policymakers, the media, and the public.
• Experience working with state and local governments, including upper-level agency staff and elected officials, both legislative and executive.
• Experience working for and with other nonprofit organizations.
• Experience working with coalitions and on legislative campaigns.
• Experience in nonprofit fundraising, including a track record of securing support, from foundations, corporations and individuals.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to set and meet deadlines and work with minimal supervision.
• Proven ability to successfully develop strategy for, plan, direct, manage, and execute electoral or ballot measure or legislative campaigns.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking. Excellent presentation and facilitation skills with demonstrated ability to develop strategic approaches to stakeholder involvement and meeting facilitation.
• Solid foundation in grassroots and grass tops organizing.
• Demonstrated qualitative and quantitative analytical skills applied to public policy issues.

Required Knowledge:

• Familiarity with regional land use issues, communities, land trusts, and local and governments, particularly in Florida.
• Familiarity with public finance field, including government budgeting, state and local revenue sources, and bonding procedures.
• Knowledge of park and conservation issues, growth management, urban planning and development, and related topics.
• Keen understanding of and appreciation for the importance of rigorous, timely, and policy-relevant research.

Helpful/Preferred qualifications:

• Prior experience with lobbying the state legislature in Tallahassee.
• Prior experience working in partnership with volunteers.
• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Public Policy, Communications, Political Science, Political Campaigning, Urban Planning or related field.

Compensation:

Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment, and this role will ideally be located near a Trust for Public Land office. As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for the Trust for Public Land’s comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, vacation and sick pay plus holidays, a year end office closure, and a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the anticipated hiring range for this position is $103,000 – $111,400.

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. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.