Stewardship Associate

Land Trust of Virginia – Job Posting

Title:                           Stewardship Associate

Reports to:                  Executive Director

Status:                         Full Time, Exempt

Salary range:               $45,000 to $60,000 (commensurate with experience)

Start Date:                   January 1, 2024

Organization:              Land Trust of Virginia

Office Location:         119 The Plains Road, Middleburg, Virginia 20117

Mailing Address:        P.O. Box 14, Middleburg, Virginia 20118

Website:                      www.landtrustva.org

The Organization

Founded in 1992, LTV has helped hundreds of landowners protect their properties in perpetuity through accepting and thereafter stewarding conservation easement donations. Although there are many facets of land conservation work, LTV exclusively handles conservation easements. With this concentrated focus, LTV has achieved a high level of expertise in the field. Our easement program is the largest among Virginia’s non-profit land trusts and is highly regarded within the conservation community. We have been accredited since 2009 with the nationwide Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

LTV currently holds 253 conservation easements consisting of more than 32,000 acres of protected land. Although the highest concentrations of our easements are located in Loudoun and Fauquier counties, we are active throughout the state of Virginia and currently hold easements in 33 counties.  LTV staff currently consists of a tight-knit group of six individuals. The Stewardship Associate will join the “Conservation Team” which is comprised of the Executive Director and two Conservation Associates.

Position Description

The Stewardship Associate will be a cornerstone in the Land Trust of Virginia’s stewardship program. They will work closely with the rest of the Conservation Team to fulfill our obligation to monitor and manage our entire conservation easement portfolio, which currently includes 253 easements (now 290 properties due to permitted divisions). Each conserved property is monitored on an annual basis, with the goal of documenting changes and ensuring compliance with the restrictions and obligations listed in the applicable easement. Monitoring can be accomplished with several methods, including ground-level visits to walk or drive through a property, drone flights to view a property from above, or “remote” monitoring to analyze satellite imagery. The Stewardship Associate will experience a hybrid work environment with time in the field (~70%) and in the office (~30%). Field work includes walking a property to acquire photographic or other documentation, and often involves engagement with landowners who may ask easement-related questions or want to describe recent or planned changes to their property. Office time will involve tasks such as creating monitoring reports, corresponding with landowners, and maintaining organized files for each easement property.  The Stewardship Associate position will be a full-time position with an anticipated start date of January 1st, 2024.

Primary Responsibilities

• Conducting visits to conserved properties to document significant natural or man-made changes.
• Meeting and developing relationships with owners of conserved properties.
• Creating comprehensive monitoring reports and following up on easement-compliance concerns or landowner inquiries.
• Tracking, reviewing, and drafting responses to requests from landowners for easement interpretation or approval for a proposed activity that might impact the easement.
• Organizing and maintaining stewardship-related records and files.
• Preparing GIS mapping related to stewardship work.
• Working with conservation-related software programs such as Landscape (stewardship database) and Lens (remote monitoring program)
• Conducting conservation-related research online using interactive mapping programs and similar.
• Attending Board meetings and Easement Committee meetings and presenting stewardship updates as necessary.
• Managing the stewardship volunteer program.
• Assisting stewardship volunteers or other members of the Conservation Team with stewardship questions or concerns.
• Assisting in the process of acquiring new conservation easements, including creating inventories of natural and man-made features of individual properties, which includes photography, GIS mapping, and online research related to conservation and real estate.
• Assisting with tabling at outreach events, including discussing LTV’s mission and conservation-related topics and opportunities with members of the public.
• Assisting with LTV’s three annual fundraising events (Garden Party, Bike Event, and Field Party), which occur on weekends.
• Adhering to the official policies and procedures adopted by the LTV Boad of Directors.
• Adhering to stewardship-related standards and practices required by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

Required Qualifications

Applicant must:

• Be self-motivated and able to manage tasks independently.
• Have meticulous attention to detail and recordkeeping skills.
• Have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Be reliable, personable, and well-organized.
• Be good-natured, hardworking, and work well with a team.
• Have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (a degree in environmental studies is preferred)
• Have strong computer skills, with proficiency using MS Office and Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Have reliable transportation with the ability to be in our Middleburg office as needed.
• Be able to walk through various terrain in all weather conditions.
• Be able to lift, carry, pull, and push a minimum of 50 pounds.
• Be comfortable traveling solo to properties, including farms (where livestock may be present) and forests, including through undergrowth (tick awareness is a must!).

Additional Qualifications

• Experience with a conservation easement holder is preferred.
• ArcGIS mapping experience is preferred.
• Mastery of conservation-related software programs such as Lens and Landscape will be expected (following any necessary training), and prior experience is preferred.
• Ability to navigate independently in the field using maps, hand-held GPS, and similar tools will be expected (following any necessary training), and prior experience is preferred.
• A sense of humor is preferred.

Benefits

• Ability to participate in LTV’s group health insurance.
• 15 days of paid leave per year.
• 10 paid holidays and 10 sick days.
• Maternity/Paternity leave after one year of employment.
• Contribution to a Simple IRA of 2% of annual salary.
• Option for an alternative work schedule (“9/80” or “4/10”).
• Ability to work remotely following training period.
• Mileage reimbursement when using your personal vehicle for property visits or other work-related travel (at the national reimbursement rate). LTV also has a company vehicle that employees can use for work-related travel.

Professional development opportunities including the following:

• Participation in regional and nationwide conferences.
• Ability to attend workshops held by other land trusts and other related organizations.
• Support for employee’s pursuit of FAA commercial Drone Pilot license.