Managing Director of Land Conservation - Boston

The Managing Director of Land Conservation has an agenda and direction for land conservation within one of the largest and most innovative land conservation and stewardship organizations - focused on connecting people to places. The Trustees’ Managing Director of Land Conservation will be expected to bring leadership, creativity and focus to a land conservation program with a rich history and a promising future. This is an exciting time for the right candidate to participate in a new strategic plan and goal setting that advances the Trustees’ legacy and mission while responding to the emerging opportunities and threats for land conservation across Massachusetts.

The Managing Director of Land Conservation is responsible for raising The Trustees visibility and profile in land conservation across Massachusetts. Internally, the Managing Director will collaborate to implement program objectives within a matrix environment, ensuring integration with cross-department and property teams’ objectives. Externally, the Managing Director will build strong relationships and partnerships and be a compelling spokesperson with a willingness to be creative and entrepreneurial in advancing The Trustees’ land conservation agenda.

This includes legacy work of protecting iconic reservations, ensuring that we continue to secure special places of cultural and natural significance and open them to the public. These are rare places, complex and large-scale projects. The conservation agenda will also include developing land conservation strategies that advance the critical and urgent need for equitable access to nature and food, natural climate solutions, resilience, and biodiversity.

Are you a match?

This position calls for an energizing, strategic leader who is deeply committed to The Trustees mission. The successful candidate will bring strengths in land conservation project management, team management, and fundraising, and partnership-building. This role requires an advanced degree in a related field, along with no less than 10 years of progressively responsible experience in complex land conservation activities that demonstrates leadership and management in a collaborative environment. A track record that demonstrates tenacity and ability to facilitate complex transactions with multiple stakeholders and competing timelines.

Program Leadership

• Provide the strategic direction and leadership for The Trustees land conservation program that delivers successful results. This involves the articulation and implementation of conservation priorities, strategies, and targets in concert with other Trustees’ program areas of conservation and resilience, urban outdoors, arts and culture, property stewardship, recreation, and public engagement.

• Build and support a strong, excited, and engaged conservation team and manage individual staff.

• Oversee conservation restriction program including management of the conservation program’s finances, including the operating budget, special project funding, and internal revolving loan funds.

• Oversee and/or manage a portfolio of strategic conservation projects, including include the identification, development and facilitation of projects, some of which may be non-traditional or non-conservation projects that advance that The Trustees mission. Serve as President for the Massachusetts Land Conservation Trust, a transactional land trust affiliated with The Trustees.

Governance and Volunteers

Work closely with the Land Conservation Committee of The Trustees Board of Directors, keeping them well informed and engaging them in appropriate decision-making and strategy development. Support the cultivation and mobilization of volunteers in the conservation program’s work.

Fundraising

Work closely with the development team to pursue conservation fundraising goals. This will involve supporting donor identification and cultivation as well as the identification and pursuit of private and public grants. With development staff, articulate and implement strong fundraising goals and protocols.

Public Visibility and Engagement

Work closely with the Marketing and Communications Team to ensure successful promotion and engagement around conservation strategies and successes. Cooperate with state open space agencies, municipalities, and other land trusts and non-profit organizations to facilitate land protection projects and partnerships of priority interest. Contribute to policy and advocacy opportunities, as directed and in collaboration with the Senior Director of Government Relations.

Collaboration and Organizational Integration

Participate as an active and contributing member of the Conservation and Resilience team and work collaboratively across the organization’s central program, property and engagement teams, marketing, finance, and development staff to ensure that land protection activities are integrated into broader organizational goals and priorities.

• A proven passionate commitment to the values, mission, and purposes represented by The Trustees.

• Broad experience in land acquisition and conservation project management especially in the context of natural, cultural, agricultural, urban open space, and/or recreational resources.

• Experience with approaches to fundraising, institutional funding and grants management, outreach and public education.

• Demonstrated leadership skills and exceptional communication and presentation skills.

• Ability and experience influencing multi-disciplinary teams and projects without formal authority.

• Proven ability to motivate and lead a team and its members towards successful achievement of strategic objectives, often working in remote management relationships.

• Exceptional negotiation skills and strong interpersonal skills that facilitate the ability to work with diverse partners and constituents.

• Familiarity with Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices

• A strong understanding of how to work effectively within complex, matrix organizational structure.

• Sound computer, digital media and technological skills in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Organizational Relationships and Scope:

This position reports to the Vice President of Conservation & Resilience and will provide direct oversight of an 8-person land conservation team. The Managing Director of Land Conservation also serves as staff lead for the Land Conservation Committee of The Trustees Board of Directors.

This is a salaried position that will be a remote / hybrid position with flexibility for base. The position requires travel across the state, access to a personal vehicle is required. Largely, the Managing Director will perform office work, with periodic outdoor experiences in variable conditions. The position provides a competitive salary and benefits package, including health insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, life insurance, and an employer-funded retirement plan.

Compensation and Benefits: In addition to competitive pay, The Trustees offers the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team across New England who believe in celebrating and protecting our special places, for everyone, forever. In support of our staff and their families, we provide comprehensive top-notch benefits and an array of special perks. Full-time, year-round staff can enjoy:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer premium contributions ranging from 75%-85%.

• Traditional and Roth 401(k) plan with 5% employer match after one year of employment.

• Employer-paid life and disability plans.

• Paid vacation, sick and personal time; thirteen paid holidays; eight early release Fridays.

• Day of Service to travel to another site to work in a division and location other than your own in a fun group project such as reinforcing beach shorebird fences, planting seedlings or bulbs, organizing archival documents, or making phone calls to thank donors.

• Day of Wonder to explore the wonders of any of our Trustees properties.

• Complimentary Member-level access and discounts and 50% discount for Trustees summer camps.

• Reciprocity program offering free and discounted admissions and memberships to more than 50 Massachusetts museums and cultural institutions.

• And much more!

Other:

Satisfactory CORI check

About The Trustees

The Trustees places are open to all, and we thrive by involving as many people as possible in what we do. Founded in 1891 by a group of visionary volunteers, we preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts. We aim to protect special places for future generations to enjoy in perpetuity. We have helped protect more than 50,000 acres, including 27,000+ acres on more than 120 reservations that are open to the public. We are a non-profit conservation organization funded and supported entirely by our visitors, supporters, volunteers, and our 100,000 Member households.

The Trustees offers competitive compensation, as well as the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team across the Commonwealth who love the outdoors and the distinctive charms of New England, and who believe in celebrating and protecting our special places, for everyone, forever.

The Trustees is a proud equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any protected status including, but not limited to, age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, nation of origin, religion, or disability status and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ applicants. We aspire to reflect and effectively serve the residents and communities of Massachusetts, who are at the core of our mission.

Our commitment to advancing the organization’s vision for this work may be found here: Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion and Equity