Pay Range: N/A
BACKGROUND
Western Reserve Land Conservancy provides people with essential natural assets through land conservation and restoration. Headquartered in Moreland Hills, Ohio, we are a non-profit organization, the largest land conservancy in Ohio and nationally accredited by the Land Trust Alliance. Serving an area of 20 counties from the Pennsylvania line to the Sandusky Bay, the Land Conservancy has permanently conserved more acreage than Cleveland Metroparks and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park combined. We work with private and public landowners, farming families, neighborhood development corporations, corporations, county park systems, local residents and many more to help create communities nourished by vibrant natural lands, working farms and healthy cities. Thriving Communities, our urban revitalization program, is nationally recognized for thought leadership on removing blight; creating land banks statewide to find productive uses for vacant properties; and revitalizing communities through greening strategies. Our mission is funded through a combination of program revenue, government grants, and philanthropic gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Urban Projects Manager (“Project Manager”) is responsible for supporting Thriving Communities projects through all facets of project management, grant writing and grant administration. This person is responsible for the management of all urban green space and vacant land improvements projects undertaken by the Land Conservancy’s Thriving Communities team, and is the primary grant writer for public funding for all of the Land Conservancy’s urban projects. Project management responsibilities include managing project budgets, timelines, and file retention, communicating across departments such as with the Finance, Legal, and GIS departments, administering public grants awarded to urban green space projects, and facilitating land transactions. The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring that all land transactions and improvements or construction projects are completed and documented according to Land Conservancy standards and processes. The grant writing component of this position involves coordinating the full range of activities required for securing and administering complex local, state, and federal grants, and will be integral to helping identify, research, write, and administer grants for the Land Conservancy’s urban projects. The Project Manager is expected to work with their supervisor to set annual goals for the number of transactions and improvements projects completed, the number of grants to write in support of urban projects, as well as revenue benchmarks. The Project Manager must also successfully establish timelines and budgets, collaborate with internal staff and external partners, coordinate activities and meetings across teams and track progress and results. The Project Manager will also assist in preparing reports and maintaining accurate records across multiple projects.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Collaborate with the Conservation Funding Team to develop and implement annual public funding goals, including project pipelines and revenue targets
Ensure a database of Thriving Communities projects is maintained and current
Coordinate with project teams to ensure funding strategies are aligned and implemented
Assist with project scoping
Research and identify funding sources
Manage the grant administration requirements for funded urban projects
Work with the VP of Planning, Research and Urban Projects to ensure project timelines and budgets are established and met by:Creating project tracking methodologies for urban projects;
Submitting and managing projects within a database;
Ensuring all project documentation is filed and recorded;
Following established Land Conservancy protocols for project management;
Coordinating project meetings which include creating agendas and recording notes.
Work with the Grants Manager on public funding grants by:Writing and developing detailed proposal content and any supporting documentation;
Compiling application documents including forms, proposals, and required attachments in preparation for grant submission;
Completing both online and hard copy funding requests that are essential to the conservation funding process.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITIES
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, with a major in environmental science, urban studies or natural resources strongly preferred
1 to 3 years of project management preferred
Possess strong communication skills, both written and oral
Demonstrated strong attention to detail
Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and effectively
Able to collaborate within multiple internal departments as well as with government officials, for-profit corporations and non-profit organizations
Travel as needed to project locations
Background in public greening projects with some exposure to landscape ecology and design or construction helpful
Possess prior experience with Microsoft Office products
Ability to learn additional software programs like ArcGIS and the Adobe Suite is a plus
Embrace and advocate for the mission of Western Reserve Land Conservancy
Western Reserve Land Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to hiring staff members who represent the rich diversity of our community. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment and not be discriminated against based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran’s status, or other legally protected classification in the State of Ohio.
Apply: https://www.wrlandconservancy.org/who-we-are/job-opportunities/
All questions related to the application process should be directed to Bob Kissling at rkissling@wrlandconservancy.org