Land Conservation Operations Associate

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Upstate Forever is seeking a Land Conservation Operations Associate to join our nationally accredited land trust. The Land Conservation Operations Associate plays an integral role in Upstate Forever's land conservation outreach and stewardship. This is a full-time position based out of our Greenville, SC office with remote work option and fieldwork throughout the 10-county region of Upstate South Carolina. 

To apply, send a cover letter and resume via email to jobs@upstateforever.org by 5:00 p.m. on October 22, 2021. No phone calls, please. Please find the complete job description and details below. 

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POSITION SUMMARY

The Land Conservation Operations Associate reports to the Director of Land Conservation and assists with facilitating process duties for members of the Land Conservation (LC) Team: Outreach and Stewardship Programs. Regular office hours will be either from a remote location of choice, or optionally from Upstate Forever’s Greenville office. However, occasional trips to the Greenville office are required including for equipment checkout and in-person meetings. Also, please note the COVID policy information below.

The Land Conservation Operations Associate plays an integral role in Upstate Forever’s Outreach program, which works with willing landowners and partners, using a variety of conservation tools, including the conservation easement, to permanently protect rivers and streams, natural and scenic areas, farmland, and wildlife habitat in Upstate South Carolina. In addition, this role is responsible for visiting a limited number of properties throughout the ten-county region of Upstate South Carolina as part of our Stewardship program. The anticipated time divided between Outreach and Stewardship Program is 75% and 25%, respectively.

A conservation easement is a voluntary contract between a landowner and a qualified land trust, which provides the landowner the capacity to restrict certain land uses from occurring on their property. After a conservation easement is granted, the Stewardship Program then tracks any changes to the property relative to the conservation easement restrictions.  The easement is permanent and remains with the land after a sale, donation, or inheritance. Applicants need no prior knowledge of conservation easements for consideration of this position.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Land Trust Accreditation, Standards and Practices – Assist in upholding the accredited status of Upstate Forever’s Land Trust program by adhering to Upstate Forever policies and Land Trust Alliance Land Trust Standards and Practices.
• Manage Outreach and Stewardship Processes – Using the project management software system, Landscape (by Dendroyka), help refine, support, document, identify improvement opportunities, and implement technological process solutions with the LC team;
• Reporting – Manage reporting solutions for project and program status to internal and external stakeholders. Report from the available data into various formats (maps, tables, photo pages, etc.) for a wide range of audiences including colleagues, landowners, the Land Trust Committee, and the Board of Directors;
• Liaison – Serve as system administrator and vendor liaison for the data and project management software system used by the LC team; Serve as the LC team liaison with the Development, and Communications teams;
• Conservation Easement Stewardship – Assist the Stewardship Program in ensuring that conservation easements are upheld by accomplishing the following tasks:
  • Assist with annual monitoring visits to conservation easement properties within the service area, and
  • Aid in maintaining professional and complete records in compliance with Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices and Upstate Forever policies;
• Other Responsibilities – Perform additional work assigned by the Director of Land Conservation.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 

• Familiar with system processes, project management, database management, or a related field.
• Technical skills – Proficient with project management software, general office and computer skills (including Gmail, Word, Excel, Acrobat). Working knowledge of or willingness to build proficiency with project management software (Landscape), ArcGIS, GPS, and database software.
• People skills – An ability to interact with individuals from different backgrounds, ages and socio-economic levels in a manner that positively reflects the values of Upstate Forever.
• Communication – Strong speaking, writing and listening skills; able to effectively communicate with landowners and to handle disputes while maintaining good relationships.
• Part of a Team – Easy to approach and talk to; can be warm, pleasant, and gracious; is sensitive to and patient with interpersonal anxieties of others; builds rapport well; is a good listener; able to work with others, respect for all team members and ability to foster and maintain an enjoyable, rewarding and productive workplace. 
• Self-Motivated – Comfortable working independently on multiple projects simultaneously, strong organizational and time management skills, a commitment to accuracy and integrity in all aspects of the job.
• Travel – Capable of independent travel around Upstate Forever’s ten-county region. Weekend work is needed on rare occasions, and overnight travel is limited primarily to conferences and professional development opportunities.
• Physical Mobility – Capable of traversing difficult terrain over long distances multiple times within a week, including but not limited to steep, mountainous, forested, rocky, uneven, densely vegetated, trail-less, and/or marshy conditions, as well as stream and shallow river crossings, during various weather conditions.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Salary starting at $42,000 and negotiable based on experience
• Health and dental insurance 
• Paid time off 
• Simple-IRA with company contribution 
• Flexible workplace and scheduling 
• Mileage reimbursement for travel

To apply, send a cover letter and resume via email to jobs@upstateforever.org by 5:00 p.m. on October 22, 2021. No phone calls, please. 

COVID-19 precautions: To protect the safety of our employees in light of the recommendations from the State and Federal Governments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Upstate Forever is currently implementing additional safety protections. These protections include but are not limited to social distancing practices; the wearing of masks; frequent disinfecting of commonly touched surfaces; and limiting office access to employees, maintenance workers, and cleaning service workers.

DEI commitment: Upstate Forever is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are taking deliberate steps to build authentic community partnerships and cultivate new leaders at all levels of our organization — from our membership to our staff to our board — to ensure that we better represent the community we serve.

Upstate Forever is an equal opportunity employer.

Upstate Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects the critical lands, waters, and unique character of Upstate South Carolina.

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