Land Stewardship Manager

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Upstate Forever is seeking a Land Stewardship Manager to join our nationally accredited land trust. The Land Stewardship Manager plays an integral role in our land conservation program, working with landowners and partners to ensure the protection of the region's natural resources. 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 Stewardship Manager plays an integral role in the land protection program. The goal of this program is to work with willing landowners and partners using a variety of conservation tools to permanently protect rivers and streams, natural and scenic areas, farmland, and wildlife habitat. This is a full-time position that reports to the Land Conservation Director

The Land Stewardship Manager will assist the Land Conservation Director in achieving Upstate Forever’s vision, goals, related strategies, and initiatives associated with the Land Conservation program.  A significant portion of the work of the Land Stewardship Manager will be based in Greenville but will also include travel around the ten-county Upstate region. The focus of this position is compliance, record keeping, and ensuring that stewardship activities are congruent with Land Trust Alliance standards and practices required for accreditation.

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

• Conservation Easement Stewardship – Ensure that all conservation easements are upheld by accomplishing the following tasks:
  • Maintain professional and complete records in compliance with Land Trust Standards and Practices and Upstate Forever policies, documenting all activities on a protected property and all relevant correspondence with the landowner;
  • Assist with monitoring inventory of conservation easements annually;
  • Work with landowners, real estate agents and closing attorneys to ensure that property sales comply with the terms of the conservation easement;
  • Prevent violations by implementing landowner education strategies and building relationships with assigned landowners; 
  • Address landowner questions, requests, or violations in accordance with Upstate Forever policies; 
  • Conduct enforcement activities including working with landowners or third parties to address violations, filing insurance claims, and working with outside counsel to pursue litigation;
  • Complete reports for the Land Conservation Director, Land Trust Committee, and external stakeholders as required.
• Outreach/ Education – Assist in program-wide outreach initiatives to educate landowners and their professional advisors about land preservation through conservation agreements. Maintain and strengthen relationships with easement holders and their neighbors. 
• Land Trust Accreditation, Standards and Practices – Assist Land Conservation Director in upholding the land trust’s Accredited status by the Land Trust Alliance.
• Other Responsibilities – Perform additional work assigned by the Land Conservation Director.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Education – A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree preferably in law, planning, biology, environmental science, or related field. Preference will be given to candidates with a South Carolina law license. 
• Preferred Experience – Progressive responsibility with a land trust stewardship program; familiarity with maintaining land trust accreditation and insurance records; experience with nonprofits; and real estate work or real property legal knowledge.
• Technical skills – General office and computer skills are required. Working knowledge of ArcGIS, GPS, and layout design software preferred. 
• 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 $53,000 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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