Land Stewardship Program Associate

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Upstate Forever is seeking a Land Stewardship Program Associate. This is a full-time position based out of our Greenville office, with the opportunity for remote work, and field work throughout Upstate SC.

To apply, send a cover letter and resume via email to jobs@upstateforever.org by  5:00 p.m. on April 12, 2021. No phone calls, please. Please find the complete job description and details below. 

Click here to download a copy of this job description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Land Stewardship Associate reports to the Land Stewardship Manager and assists with fulfilling stewardship duties for properties protected by a conservation easement held by Upstate Forever.  This role spends a great deal of time visiting properties throughout the ten-county region of Upstate South Carolina. 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 for equipment checkout and in-person meetings. Also, please note the COVID policy information below.

The Land Stewardship Program Associate plays an integral role in Upstate Forever’s land protection 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.

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. The Stewardship Program tracks 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

A. Conservation Easement Stewardship – Assist the Land Stewardship Manager in ensuring that all conservation easements are upheld by accomplishing the following tasks:

• Conduct annual monitoring visits to conservation easement properties within the ten counties of the Upstate region and prepare monitoring reports.
• Maintain professional and complete records in compliance with Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices and Upstate Forever policies, documenting all activities on a protected property and all relevant correspondence with the landowner.
• Address landowner questions, requests for approvals, plan submissions for property modifications, and other potential issues in accordance with Upstate Forever policies.
• Investigate and document potential easement violations.

B. New Conservation Easement Transitions – Assist the Land Stewardship Manager in transitioning new easement properties to Stewardship by accomplishing the following tasks:

• Contact new easement landowners and send a Stewardship welcome packet to them.
• Create a reserved rights summary for each new easement property.
• Meet with the landowner before or at the time of the first site visit.

C. Outreach/Education – Maintain and strengthen relationships with easement landowners and the public by accomplishing the following tasks:

• Assist with volunteer work days on easement properties.
• Assist with publications for easement landowners, such as our Stewardship newsletter.
• Provide information to landowners regarding management of their properties.

D. 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.

E. Other Responsibilities – Perform additional work assigned by the Land Stewardship Manager.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 

A. Familiar with biology, wildlife management, natural resource management, environmental studies, or a related field.

B. Technical skills – Proficient with general office and computer skills (including Gmail, Word, Excel, Acrobat). Working knowledge of or willingness to build familiarity with project management software, ArcGIS, GPS, and database software.

C. 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.

D. Communication – Strong speaking, writing and listening skills; able to effectively communicate with landowners and to handle disputes while maintaining good relationships.

E. 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. 

F. 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.

G. 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.

H. 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 April 12, 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 in common areas; 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.

Click here to download a copy of this job description

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