Conservation Projects Manager

About Pacific Forest Trust

Wood, water, wildlife, and wonder. Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) delivers landscape-scale private forest conservation in the Pacific West and develops innovative incentives for forest conservation at the national level. PFT conserves irreplaceable private forest landscapes and secures the vital forest resources on which we all depend. We do so in ways that reward private landowners, support communities and livelihoods, and restore resilient forest ecosystems. PFT has pioneered payments for ecosystem services in multiple ways, from climate, water, and energy policy to carbon markets, to working forest conservation easements and regulatory efficiencies.  PFT has conserved 360,000 acres regionally, and developed, acquired, and stewarded conservation easements on more than 130,000 acres of forestland in California and Oregon. We also manage 13,000 acres for timber, water, climate, and habitat values. Our projects are outstanding for their landscape impacts and for delivering multiple public benefits.

Headquartered in the verdant Presidio of San Francisco, PFT also has offices in Sacramento, CA, Ashland and Portland Oregon. PFT has a collegial environment filled with bright minds that generate groundbreaking ideas and work hard to implement them. We value a healthy work/life balance. PFT is thrice accredited by the National Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

 About this Opportunity

Are you an accomplished land conservation professional who wants to make a lasting impact with your work at the landscape scale? Are you a detail-oriented manager, skilled at managing conservation real estate and winning competitive grant awards? The right candidate is adept at organizing conservation projects from inception to closing. They love forests and conservation management, and see the importance of sustaining working forests with wild qualities. They are resourceful, and have a knack for working with landowners, resource managers, public conservation agencies and community stakeholders. This position plays a central role in supporting PFT’s conservation easement and fee title acquisition projects from initial reconnaissance to development of legal terms through closing. This includes due diligence, title review, appraisal, grant writing and all the details of final acquisition of working forest conservation easements and forest properties in fee. Our projects, primarily located in California and Oregon, are often large-scale and complex, with multiple public and private partners. This position provides overall project origination and management consistent with PFT’s policies and procedures as an Accredited Land Trust and publicly supported charity – and with our commitment to the highest ethical standards. This is a full-time position, offering a competitive salary and benefits package.

 Roles and Responsibilities

• Project selection: Identify either through property research or direct landowner outreach potential projects; Cultivate and develop landowners brought in by the candidate and other staff to project commitment and development. Undertake initial project review and develop recommendations to the Conservation Director and executive staff consistent with PFT procedures. Participate in developing specific terms of engagement to initiate projects.
• Acquisitions Support: In collaboration with stewardship staff assess project feasibility using field review and property research, including natural resources, infrastructure and title. Participate in the selection and hiring of third-party contractors for due-diligence purposes, including appraisers, geologists, Phase 1 and title experts and ensure quality final products therefrom.
• Conservation easement/ fee purchases negotiations and purchase option development: Under the direction of the Conservation Director (Director), participate in developing recommendations for major conservation easement terms; communicating with landowners; and providing negotiation support for easement terms. Draft purchase option agreement and conservation easement terms for Director review.
• Fundraising: Participate in development of funding strategies and cultivation of funding agencies. Manage milestones and deliverables for different funding applications and managing different internal deadlines. Work on grant contract development and deliverables and reporting requirements for funder due diligence and closing requirements.
• Stakeholder engagement: Manage and undertake outreach to identified key agency and community stakeholders, including tribal interests. Organize property tours, prepare fact sheets and other outreach materials for Director and executive review, and obtain letters of support for projects.
• Records: Organize and ensure proper filing and maintenance of all project documentation, records and reports, both internally and externally with partner landowners, agencies and counties.
• Constituency building: As requested, participate in PFT’s efforts broadly, providing written and graphic materials (photos/maps) as need to promote the projects and to better advance PFT mission and programs.
• Play a key role in PFT’s Conservation and Stewardship team.

 Reports to

Conservation Director, and part of the Conservation and Stewardship team. 

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates are expected to have all or most of the following qualifications.

• Minimum of 5 years working in conservation or timberland acquisitions or a similar role.
• Demonstrated success in applying for and receiving conservation grant funding, specifically land acquisition funding. Success in doing so in California or Oregon a plus. Be prepared to provide specific examples.
• Ability to do a basic field assessment of a property and report positive and negative property attributes from both PFT’s mission and a project feasibility standpoint. Knowledge and training in natural resource management (especially forestry) a plus.
• Strong track record of collaboration and partnership with varying stakeholders to develop successful conservation projects.
• Experience in reviewing property chain of title and providing insightful analysis as to how title restrictions may impact conservation goals and/or funder requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in working with private landowners as well as managing and maintaining positive relationships with those landowners.
• Excellent organizational and written and oral communication skills.
• Strong capacity to manage time and competing priorities; and ability to communicate potential roadblocks as well as offer solutions thereto.
• Comfortable and effective working in a small, busy organization.
• Applicants must be able to lift 20 pounds, hike across sometimes steep or uneven terrain and drive to sometimes quote rural locations.
• Committed to PFT’s mission

 Travel

Periodic and regionally significant travel is required, including travel to PFT’s San Francisco office if they are not otherwise based there. Must have a valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

 Location

This position is based in the main San Francisco office, at least initially.