Land Project Manager

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (Land Trust) seeks a highly collaborative, organized and mission-driven professional to manage a portfolio of priority and grant‐funded projects associated with public access, habitat restoration, conservation planning, and working lands management. Projects include collaborative planning of a landscape linkage for wildlife between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Gabilan Range, planning and construction of our Community Harvest project at our Watsonville Slough Farm, building trail bridges at San Vicente Redwoods and an ADA trail at Antonelli Pond.  

 

This Manager is a member of the Stewardship Team and works closely with staff across all departments.  This job is a full time, permanent exempt position with excellent benefits and a great work environment. We offer a green commute stipend, professional development opportunities, staff events with great food and fun, and a kid-friendly and dog-friendly office. Work hours total 40 hours per week, occasionally including some evenings or weekends outside of the traditional office schedule. This is mostly an office-based position, with some time spent in the field.  The work location is flexible between the Land Trust office and remote if practical.

Manage contractors and key relationships to facilitate project execution.

o  Coordinate and supervise consultants and construction contractors, contract documents, change orders, schedules, budgets, deliverables, and completion to ensure timely delivery of high-quality products.

o  Coordinate agency environmental review and permitting, ensure environmental compliance during construction projects, and ensure future reporting requirements are tracked for the operations phase.

o  Coordinate site visits with agencies, funders, staff, partners and contractors for inspection, compliance and marketing.

o  Coordinate with partners to leverage their capabilities and achieve project goals.

 

Manage project schedules and milestones.

o  Manage the development of plans, grant reporting and contracting.

o  Keep projects on track, including contracting, schedules, deliverables and close‐out.

o  Ensure timely delivery of high‐quality products.

o  Manage non‐financial and financial elements of grant reporting and invoicing, including coordinating with project staff to generate content and administrative staff to deliver reports to funders.

o  Keep decision makers aware of the budget status and progress towards completion.

o  Lead the organization’s public grant compliance with prevailing wage and other requirements.

o  Advise staff leading grant seeking and grant writing, sharing lessons learned during implementation.

o  Support the preparation of grant proposals with program content and financial information.

Contribute to the overall success of the Land Trust

o  Assist at events, meetings, and other operational needs

o  Other duties as assigned

·      Enthusiasm for a dynamic workplace and the mission of the Land Trust.

·      Five years of professional experience in project management, construction management, environmental planning, natural resources, public lands access, or similar.

·      Excellent organizational skills, and the ability to sustain progress on multiple projects, each with many points of contact.

·      Excellent management skills, demonstrated by the ability to work with diverse collaborators, motivating them to produce high quality work within time and budget constraints.

·      Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

·      Enthusiasm for developing and maintaining clear and accurate records.

·      Ability to distil complex contracts into a set of actions.

·      Experience in nature and comfortable working in areas with natural hazards (e.g., unstable slopes, hazard trees, ticks, wasps, rodent nests, heat, etc.).

·      Physically capable of extended walking in adverse terrain (steep, muddy, thickly vegetated).

·      Driver’s license and capable of driving safely in city, rural and 4‐wheel drive conditions.

 

·      Experience managing high value projects.

·      Experience implementing state and federal grants.

·      Professional training in project management.

·      Highly proficient in Microsoft applications.

·      Ability to use ESRI software to produce maps.

·      Bachelor’s degree in related field.

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County operates in an ecologically and demographically diverse region of central California. During the last four decades, the Land Trust has made substantial headway in environmental conservation by helping to protect more than 14,000 acres of various habitats and farmland. We recognize that our organization does not represent the human diversity of our region that will enhance our work and impact.

The Land Trust aspires to be an organization representative of the communities we serve. We are looking for people with a passion for nature, land protection, and teamwork. We encourage everyone to apply for our available positions, even if they don’t meet all the hiring criteria on the job description.

To apply, send your resume and cover letter to job@landtrustsantacruz.org.

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis; interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.