Living Lands Program Specialist

Are you fascinated by the natural world and our role in caring for it? Committed to toxic-free land care, wish good advice and services were more available, and want to help provide them to people? Love the ecosystems of the East End and waterbodies like Georgica and Sagg ponds? Are you passionate about teaching nature-based practices? Perfect Earth Project is looking for you.

Founded in 2013, Perfect Earth Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, engaging, and inspiring individuals, land care professionals, and decision-makers to adopt toxic-free, nature-based, and climate-responsible land care practices necessary for a healthier, more sustainable—and beautiful—environment for all.

Perfect Earth is seeking applications for a new Living Lands Program Specialist position that will support our programming on Long Island. This position will work with the Director of Living Lands to support current and future programs as needed.

Position Summary

The Living Lands Program Specialist is a new position that Perfect Earth is creating to meet growing demand for our programs, outreach, and education on the East End of Long Island. This position will be responsible for supporting programming and building out capacity in key areas of our Living Lands program. Currently, this program focuses on a non-professional, homeowner audience and the Living Lands Program Specialist will work closely with homeowners of all skill and interest levels in various settings and capacities. 

The successful candidate will rely on experience and skills in gardening, landscaping, ecology, and teaching to help Perfect Earth achieve its mission of preparing and supporting homeowners and professionals as we work toward transitioning conventional landscaping practices to our PRFCT land care approach. 

The Living Lands Program Specialist position is based on the East End of Long Island with local travel regularly required. This full-time position will be a key member of our small staff and will report to the Director of Living Lands. 

Responsibilities

• Support the free Living Lands site visits program by scheduling visits, performing assessments, writing visit reports, and handling administrative tasks as needed.
• Assist with workshop planning: registration, promotion and more for local educational and outreach events.
• Instruct and administer educational events as both a supporting and lead educator.
• Manage various aspects of design, installation, and maintenance of a demonstration garden at Amber Waves Teaching Farm.
• Oversee interns and volunteers intermittently, as needed.
• Represent Perfect Earth at local partner events.
• Create and update materials for educational programs and social media outreach with other Perfect Earth staff.
• Track reach and goal attainment for relevant grants.

Qualifications

Required: 

• 5 years of hands-on experience in the fields of landscaping or horticulture, ideally with nature-based land care
• Strong botanical, horticultural, and plant health care knowledge
• Understanding of basic ecology, including plant/wildlife interactions, soil biology, benefits of native plants, etc.
• A passion for the environment
• Experience and comfortability as an informal educator
• Excellent contacts in horticulture, environmental, and educational fields
• Independent self-starter
• Compelling consensus-builder and problem solver
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Skilled with Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace
• Ability to work remotely with travel to project sites as needed
• A valid driver’s license

Preferred:

• Avid learner, reader, and student of all things natural and environmental
• Knowledge of Long Island’s East End environmental, landscaping, municipal, and plant communities
• Experience working on nature-based projects (landscaping, design, architecture)
• Proven passion for the environment and ecological land care
• Experience working in for-profit businesses and understanding the conventional landscaping business model
• Proficiency with GIS software
• Spanish language skills