Stewardship Director

POSITION SUMMARY

Greenbelt Land Trust (Greenbelt) seeks an experienced, passionate conservation professional to lead its land and water stewardship efforts across the Willamette Valley. Serving as a member of the Directors Leadership Team and supervising a talented stewardship and restoration staff, the Stewardship Director oversees Greenbelt’s dynamic and growing stewardship program and is responsible for ensuring the protection, fund development, and management of the lands that Greenbelt has acquired through ownership or conservation easements, including lands open to the public. The Stewardship Director is also an integral member of the Conservation Team, providing evaluations and planning for emerging land conservation projects.

The Stewardship Director collaborates closely with a diverse range of partners, from public agencies to nonprofit organizations, landowners, and Tribal governments. Regional collaboration may include exploring approaches to collaborative stewardship of Greenbelt’s properties, regional conservation planning, and exploring new models for resource development and collaborative restoration.

As a member of Greenbelt’s Directors Leadership Team, the Stewardship Director is integral to the development and implementation of the organization’s Conservation, Strategic, and Business Plans.

All Greenbelt staff are active in the organization’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and participate in efforts to integrate the values of EDI into Greenbelt’s daily operations, program governance, and community and partner outreach. The Stewardship Director is committed to Greenbelt’s goal of expanding Indigenous ownership, access, and stewardship of land.

WHO YOU ARE

The ideal candidate would reflect:

• Optimistic self-starter who can utilize their knowledge of natural resources and best practices in alignment with Greenbelt’s mission and direction to further the organization’s goals
• A ‘horizon scanner’ with an eagerness to stay abreast of evolving best practices on topics ranging from habitat restoration, Indigenous ecological knowledge, legal defense, and land use
• An effective communicator who feels comfortable building personal relationships with landowners and officials, and moving groups of people through complex processes
• You have strong management skills and experience with scaling busy departments
• Personal accountability to goals and workplans, and ability to have honest and direct communication with colleagues
• You are energized by working towards a lasting common purpose and have the relevant experience to step into a leadership role.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizational Leadership

• Work as a member of a highly motivated and integrated staff Leadership Team that promotes an organizational culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Provide vision, oversight, and leadership for innovative stewardship and conservation strategies for the Trust’s priorities within our service area.
• Accountable to ensure a fiscally stable and strong stewardship program through leadership in financial management, budgeting, fundraising, and work planning
• Play a key role in the creation and implementation of organizational strategic, conservation, and financial goals and objectives
• Cultivate and steward relationships with key community stakeholders including watershed councils, state, county, and city staff and officials, regional land conservation professionals, Tribal representatives, and government agency employees
• Ensure coordination between the Stewardship Program and the Conservation, Outreach/Volunteer, Finance, and Fundraising Programs
• Work as a leader within the land trust community to increase networking, engagement and peer-to-peer learning on stewardship topics
• Represent Greenbelt in regional partnership meetings and work groups
• Work closely with the Executive Director and Development Director to maintain working relationships with public and private funding partners and expand the network of financial supporters for Greenbelt’s land conservation and stewardship programs.

Program Coordination

• Manage the Stewardship Team (currently 4.5 FTE) in the oversight, protection, restoration, and enhancement of Greenbelt’s properties
• Prepare annual goals, work plans, and budgets with the Stewardship Team and with each team member for personal objectives and performance evaluations
• Promote a positive culture of learning, initiative, and professional development/advancement across the Stewardship Team and organization
• Oversee all aspects of Greenbelt’s stewardship and annual monitoring programs
• Evaluate impact to conservation of proposed uses, interpretation of easement terms, and reserved rights
• Seek and secure funding for the Stewardship Program, including being a lead in grant writing and partnership agreements to fund stewardship and restoration activities
• Ensure that the Program’s grants and associated reports are tracked and completed as directed.
• Ensure Greenbelt’s stewardship program meets Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices, and Land Trust Accreditation requirements.

Conservation Program Support

• Be an active member of the Conservation Team
• Work closely with the Conservation Director to identify and initiate collaborative land conservation initiatives guided by Greenbelt’s Strategic and Conservation Plans, including evaluating and preparing easement documents

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• • Informed passion for the mission of Greenbelt Land Trust
  • 5 years’ demonstrated experience in natural resources management, conservation, law or another related field
  • A minimum of 3 years’ work of senior level management experience successfully supervising staff and multiple projects with varying deadlines and resources
  • Understanding of Oregon land use, ecology, and conservation communities
  • Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills that can be adapted to reach a wide range of individuals and used to build consensus. Ability to synthesize and communicate technical and complex information for a non-technical audience.
  • Comfort working in a variety of environments including field, office and public events
  • Proficiency in the use of general office software
  • A demonstrated commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity and equity in their personal and professional lives
  • Demonstrated cultural competence with people of diverse races, ages, genders, abilities and economic backgrounds
  • A valid driver’s license

Also helpful, but not required:

• • Field work experience, such as biological monitoring, surveying, habitat restoration or similar
  • Experience engaging and elevating the voices, ideas, needs, and concerns of people historically marginalized in land conservation
  • Familiarity with integrating geospatial data and mapping to support a variety of conservation planning and habitat restoration projects
  • Proficiency working within lands databases

WORKING CONDITIONS

• • The Stewardship Director will work across field sites across the Willamette Valley and from an office based in Corvallis, Oregon
  • Some tasks will require significant physical exertion, being outdoors in all weather conditions and on difficult and sometimes hazardous terrain
  • Some occasional weekend and/or evening work will be necessary
  • Travel throughout the service area will be a regular course of business. Greenbelt offers mileage reimbursement at State of Oregon rates for personal vehicle use.
  • A valid driver’s license and proof of insurance is required

COMPENSATION

Salary range is $80,000-90,000

We believe great benefits make work better: Greenbelt Land Trust provides a group health plan, dental, vision, and short and long-term disability benefits, retirement, eleven floating holidays, and 16-hours per month accrued Paid Time Off. Greenbelt invests in employees' professional development and personal growth.

Greenbelt Land Trust is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that a diverse staff of qualified, highly skilled, and creative individuals is necessary to achieve the vision and mission of the organization. Individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, or other People of Color, people who are queer, trans, non-binary, people with disabilities, people who are immigrants, people from poor and working-class backgrounds, and people who are/have been system-impacted are strongly encouraged to apply.

ABOUT GREENBELT LAND TRUST

Greenbelt Land Trust’s vision is for a thriving, healthy environment for all and our work is oriented around three strategic areas: climate resilience, community wellbeing, and social justice. We believe that by protecting and taking care of the lands and waters of the Willamette Valley, we will all be better off. Our air and water will be cleaner, our fish and wildlife more abundant, our working lands more productive, and our communities and families will be healthier. That’s the vision that we’ve been making a reality for 34 years in the Willamette Valley and that has enabled us to permanently protect 6,000 acres (and counting) of native prairies, forests, floodplain habitats, trails and working lands.

Greenbelt is committed to being adaptive and embraces change as a core value. With solid, science-based strategies to guide our work in hand, we also appreciate that the lands, waters, and people of the Willamette Valley are changing, and that success hinges on our ability to be poised to change as well (read Greenbelt’s current Strategic Framework).

Our Values: Values are the tenets that guide our work towards our conservation mission and vision.

• • Build relationships with humility
  • Embrace change
  • Seek root causes
  • Be fearless change-makers
  • Welcome constructive conflict

Our vision of a thriving, healthy environment for all is inextricably linked to our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. We are in this for the long haul, and understand that for meaningful transformation, we must be steadfast, patient, and willing to make mistakes.

Greenbelt Land Trust is an accredited land trust. We are honored to have been listed within the top 100 Best Nonprofits to work for in Oregon.

TO APPLY

With ‘Stewardship Director’ in the email subject line, email a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. Your cover letter should clearly explain how your skills, experience, and interests fit this position, especially regarding your commitment to Greenbelt’s mission and to your demonstrated cultural competence with people of diverse races, ages, genders, abilities and economic backgrounds. At least one of your references should include an individual that can speak to your role as a supervisor.

Email jobs@greenbeltlandtrust.org (Applications are only accepted electronically).

Deadline: February 18, 2025. Application review will begin February 18, 2025, but the position will remain open until filled.