Conservation Specialist

Location: Candidate will work remotely from South Georgia (ideally Macon, Georgia and south) or North Georgia with the ability to travel to the Land Trust office in Piedmont, Alabama periodically.

Job Summary and Core Responsibilities:

The Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, Inc. (GALT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to enriching life through land protection. As a core part of its mission, GALT has protected over 500,000 acres of land through Conservation Easements. A Conservation Easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that restricts certain development of uses of the property in order to permanently protect the property’s conservation values.

GALT is seeking to hire a Conservation Specialist position responsible for managing the stewardship needs of the Conservation Easement properties they are assigned, including visiting landowners, working with other staff on new projects and on annual monitoring of Properties. The position includes office work, field work, and periods of travel. The Conservation Specialist plays a critical role in the organization by maintaining relationships and supporting communication with landowners, engaging donors, expanding GALTs outreach, and cultivating relationships with stakeholders. All activities must be conducted by methods in compliance with the Land Trust Alliance Accreditation requirements and Standards and Practices.

As a nonprofit organization, staff members are often asked to assist across departments and job descriptions to help accomplish our mission. The following is a non-exhaustive list of the primary duties of the Conservation Specialist:

• Maintain friendly communications with landowners and donors. Proactively work to cultivate relationships with landowners.
• Monitor protected land through aerial monitoring and in-person visits and address any follow-up items that result from monitoring, including reserved rights requests, property transfers etc.
• Draft property Baseline Documentation Reports, condition reports and land management plans as needed.
• Provide land management insight to both landowners and other staff members.

All work performed will be consistent with GALT’s Administrative Standard Operating Procedure

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelors or Associates degree, preferably in the fields of natural resource management, geography or related science (biology, environmental science, forestry, agronomy, ecology, etc.) or equivalent.
• Excellent writing, communication, and interpersonal skills, including the demonstrated ability to address problems, collaborate, resolve conflict, and cultivate diverse partnerships, landowner, and donor relationships and to promote the mission of the land trust.
• Ability to self-start, work independently, and manage time while delivering quality results.
• Ability to adhere to deadlines and prioritize.

Comfortable using computer software including MS Word, Excel, Adobe, Landscape, aerial imagery software such as Google Earth, and ESRI products such as ArcPro.

• Practical problem-solving and organizational skills with attention to detail for record keeping.
• Understand conservation practices and natural resource preservation.
• Ability to identify flora and fauna of the Southeastern United States
• Field skills for navigating, surveying, and mapping landscapes and features, including knowledge of GPS and handheld devices.
• Ability to hike, perform physical activities, carry a backpack and equipment, and work independently outdoors in varied weather conditions.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel when needed
• Must be able to be insured under our corporate auto policy.
• Access to a dependable vehicle.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.This position has both a home office and a fieldwork component. Work is as may typically be associated with a home-office setting and may require some physical exertion typical within such a setting such as sitting/working at a computer, standing/reaching, lifting small items, and filing. Field work may require long periods of hiking in forested or agricultural settings, working in varied weather conditions including heat, humidity, and cold. It may also include navigating using a GPS and map, and carrying a backpack or field equipment. Field work may include walking in uneven terrain, bending, high-stepping, balancing, and navigating slippery surfaces. While performing duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or interact with people in-person and over the phone and using video/computer conferencing.

Travel / Work Locations:

Candidate will work remotely from South Georgia (ideally Macon, Georgia and south) or North Georgia with the ability to travel to the Land Trust office in Piedmont, Alabama periodically. Work can occur throughout Georgia and Alabama.