Conservation Planner

About Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC)

TLC is an accredited and highly-respected land trust, having protected over 25,000 acres in the rapidly growing Triangle region of North Carolina. Since 1983, TLC has conserved land to safeguard drinking water, support family farms and the local food economy, protect important natural habitat, and connect people with nature. TLC operates a hybrid workplace and is headquartered in vibrant downtown Durham with satellite offices in Orange and Wake Counties. This is an exciting time to work at TLC as we are seeing a dramatic increase in the use of our public nature preserves and growth in community support for our mission.  TLC has doubled the pace of conservation in the Triangle and is conserving an average of 1,000 acres annually in addition to monitoring and stewarding TLC-conserved lands in perpetuity, hosting numerous public events and education programs, providing volunteer opportunities, and cultivating future leaders. Learn more at triangleland.org

Position Summary

The Conservation Planner is a mid-level position who plays an integral role in TLC’s land protection program. The Planner will serve as the project manager for new and existing conservation plans and initiatives.  The preferred candidate will have experience creating and utilizing GIS models and GIS data to develop strategies to achieve the goals of TLC’s strategic action plan; and some knowledge of the cultural and natural resources of North Carolina.  This position will also play a key role in community engagement and working with various communities to incorporate local priorities into our conservation plans.  The position will also serve as the TLC liaison for various planning initiatives across the Triangle and work closely with local governments, resource partners, and community members on conservation initiatives. 

Key Responsibilities

Community Outreach and Engagement

• Help develop and lead various advisory groups to support conservation plans.
• Plan and help lead stakeholder and community input and outreach sessions.
• Assist with building and maintaining relationships with partner agencies, organizations, and communities.
• Assist with education and outreach pertaining to land protection work including special events, public relations, plan review, and workshops.
• Coordinate and support of all phases of land protection prioritization including educational materials for landowners, project evaluation, strategic land protection planning, and grant writing.

Regional Conservation Planning

• Draft and coordinate strategic conservation plans for TLC Initiatives.
• Support regional partnerships to protect drinking water resources like the Upper Neuse Watershed Protection Program and Jordan Lake One Water Program.
• Work on planning projects such as farmland protection plans, state trails, and other regional initiatives.
• Create attractive maps for TLC newsletters and other communication materials, staff presentations, grants, and other needs.
• Grant writing as necessary to support project and planning work.
• Serve as the liaison between local government, land developers, and TLC.

Advanced GIS and Data Analysis

• Maintain TLC’s existing GIS models and develop new models for things like carbon sequestration, watershed protection, future preserves, priority areas, and trails planning.
• Manage TLC’s land project GIS data to ensure it is current and accurate, and use it to track each project’s conservation metrics (stream miles, acres of natural heritage areas, acres of working lands, etc.) and progress towards achieving the goals in TLC’s strategic action plan.
• Manage TLC’s GIS database and serve as the point person for data related inquiries and tasks.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in planning, geographic information systems, geography, environmental management, environmental science, landscape architecture or a closely related field and two years’ experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Master’s degree preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of Esri ArcGIS Suite (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, model builder, spatial analyst), and ability to learn new trends and technology in GIS applications.
• Technical writing experience drafting plans, analytical summary tables, and graphics.
• Experience conducting community outreach and working with technical advisory groups and stakeholders.
• Excellent presentation skills, and ability to make technical information accessible to non-technical audiences.
• Background in natural resource conservation, climate science, water resources, and or earth science. Knowledge of North Carolina natural resources preferred.
• Exceptional critical thinking, analytical, problem-solving, management, and organizational skills; the ability to focus on solutions. Great attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office/Office 365.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, while managing multiple tasks and priorities.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, fostering an inclusive work environment.
• Reliable transportation and ability to travel to in-person meetings and TLC worksites.

Work Schedule and Benefits

This is a full time (40 hours/week) permanent, exempt position. The work schedule for this position is Monday-Friday. The position is hybrid with optional office space in Durham, Orange, or Wake Counties.   In addition to salary, regular holidays, and paid time off, employees receive 100% employer-paid group medical, vision and dental insurance with a Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account, short-term and long-term disability insurance, term life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program. TLC also offers a voluntary 403(b) retirement plan and an employer-paid Simplified Employee Plan beginning after 12 months of employment. Beyond standard benefits, employees receive funding to participate in diversity, equity, and inclusion training and opportunities for individual professional development on an ongoing basis.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

TLC is an equal opportunity employer that recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals without regard to color, race, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, or age.  People of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and members of other historically disenfranchised populations are strongly encouraged to apply.  

We also strive to ensure our hiring process, including the submission of the application, meets your needs. To submit an application to this post, you will need to upload a resume and answer a few questions (using open text and multiple choice answers). If there are accommodations that would help you in submitting the application, please email hrATtriangleland.org. For accommodations needed during the interview process, we have a section to indicate this in the application (no need to email).