Director of Stewardship

Teatown Lake Reservation is an education center and membership organization located on a 1,000-acre nature preserve in the Lower Hudson Valley. Our mission is to inspire our community to lifelong environmental stewardship. Teatown maintains over 15 miles of trails and hosts over 20,000 visitors annually.  The Director of Stewardship is a senior-level program manager responsible for ensuring that Teatown’s natural land assets, trails, grounds, and built-facilities are maintained at the highest level.  In collaboration with others, the Director of Stewardship ensures that Teatown’s land stewardship activities are accomplished in accordance with Teatown’s strategic plan and stewardship framework.

At Teatown Lake Reservation, our priority is finding the best candidate for the job. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the qualifications or have a less traditional background.

Reports to: This position reports to the Managing Director.

Supervises: This position is responsible for leading the overall Stewardship program, with direct supervision of the three key program managers: Stewardship & Grounds Manager, Facilities Manager, and Land Protection Specialist. Other staff in the department who report to the above managers are the Preserve Stewardship Coordinator, Trails Coordinator, Seasonal Preserve Technicians, Facilities Maintainers and Custodians, and volunteers and interns.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Leadership and Supervision

• Ensures that the Stewardship Department proactively manages and maintains its natural lands and constructed facilities, including meadows, forests, public water supply, grounds, trails, boardwalks, bridges, and other visitor amenities, as well as buildings, dams, spillways, culverts, wildlife enclosures, vehicles, equipment, and tools.
• Collaborates with the Senior Scientific Advisor to plan and implement applied natural resource management including but not limited to invasive species mitigation, habitat restoration, botanical and meadow management, applied forest management, wetland and lake management, and supports the nexus between stewardship activities and scientific research on the land.
• Supervises and supports the Land Protection Specialist to ensure the integrity of Teatown’s boundaries and conservation easements through routine monitoring, patrolling, and documentation and to engage landowners to solve boundary problems or in protecting their land in transactions with Teatown.
• Recruits, trains, manages, motivates, and empowers a high-performing Stewardship team, providing direction and input for the team.
• Maintains constructive, collegial relationships with the Teatown staff, Board and community to help foster a mission-driven organizational culture in which Stewardship is integral to cross-departmental teamwork.

Planning

• In collaboration with the Senior Science Advisor, works to develop and refine Teatown’s land management plans.
• Uses Teatown’s stewardship framework and other planning and scheduling tools to guide project development, management, and annual/seasonal work planning priorities for the Stewardship department.
• Assists in the development of Capital Improvement/Capital Maintenance Plans.

Compliance Oversight

• Ensures and monitors compliance with safety codes and standards and provides the proper training for the safe operation of equipment and work methods.
• Oversees security, public potable water supply, and fire safety equipment for all facilities; helps coordinate and participates in enacting and training staff on facility use and emergency response procedures.
• Ensures staff and volunteers are properly trained and work safely.
• Point person for Teatown Dam’s Emergency Access Plan and for ensuring compliance with all stewardship related regulatory requirements.

Administrative

• Operating and capital budget preparation, expenditure management, and reporting.
• Attends Board and Committee meetings prepared to make presentations on Stewardship projects as needed.
• Collaborates with Development staff to identify and develop funding strategies to secure grants and donations for stewardship related grants.
• Other duties and projects as assigned by the Managing Director.

Position Requirements/Qualifications:

• Commitment to Teatown’s mission and the full range of Stewardship activities, from natural land management to visitor amenities to facilities, and a genuine desire to integrate and balance the demands of this broad and complex portfolio.
• Master’s Degree in a relevant field of conservation practice such as natural resources management, environmental management, park and natural area management, etc., or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in developing, implementing, and assessing programs, and supervising and evaluating staff.
• Strong supervisory and team management skills, including demonstrated ability to motivate, lead, set objectives, implement priorities, and manage performance; ability to foster an environment of creativity, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Ability to thrive in a complex and fast-paced work environment, set and implement priorities, manage multiple projects, and evaluate project success.
• Project management – experience working with staff to effectively deploy them and with contracted professionals as needed.
• Budget preparation, expenditure management, and reporting.
• Ability to lead as well as function as a team member.
• Exemplary communication abilities including written, oral, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in all standard office productivity software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook or similar email application)
• Must be able to represent Teatown to and interact professionally with a variety of Teatown stakeholders.

Location: This position will be based out of Teatown Lake Reservation’s offices located at our Nature Center in Ossining, NY. Standard working hours, with some flexibility, to be coordinated with supervisor. Some weekend work and evenings may be required.

Benefits: This is a full-time salaried position with a regular work week of Monday – Friday, 7 hours a day, with weekend and evening work required on occasion. Benefits include health, vision, dental, and life insurance as well as 403(b) retirement plan.

Salary Range: $75,000 – $90,000 based on experience, plus generous benefits package; 403(b) retirement plan with employer match; generous paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, personal days, and federal and floating holidays.