LOCATION: Candidates must reside in New York – preferably a central location with access to Albany

Overview

The Land Trust Alliance is the voice of the land trust community. As the national leader in policy, standards and education, we work passionately to support land trusts across America so they can save more land and better serve their communities.

Our natural places and working lands are a lifeline to clean air, water, food and good health. These lands also bring us together, inspire us and provide opportunities to recreate and recharge. The land trust community is a crucial component in this equation. With important places under continual threat, land trusts need access to the best tools, information and policy advocates. Armed with a diverse network and valuable resources, the Alliance is the land trust community’s source for the knowledge and capabilities they need to reach their goals. From tax and funding policies on Capitol Hill to innovative ideas, partnerships and initiatives, we ensure our land trust members can always be heard and achieve more. 

The Alliance is seeking to elevate land conservation as a priority nationwide. We envision a reenergized, more relevant conservation movement in which land trusts join with partners that have not traditionally identified as conservation organizations, including from the for-profit sector, around our shared interest of protecting special places.

Summary Description

The New York Program Director position offers an exciting new opportunity to play a senior leadership role in the New York land conservation community. The successful candid must have working knowledge or previous experience working with New York land trusts and the ability to build and sustain close, working relationships with diverse stakeholders in the context of complex regional conservation and land use issues. The Land Trust Alliance’s New York Program is the coordinating body for the New York land trust community. The Program Director is responsible for working with the community to set the strategic direction and deliver a suite of high impact programs and activities described below while ensuring close alignment with the Alliance's strategic priorities.

The Program Director supervises the New York Policy Analyst and the New York Program Manager and works closely with the New York Advisory Council (NYAC) and other conservation leaders. NYAC is composed of land trust leaders from across the state that provide direct knowledge of the opportunities and challenges facing the New York land trust community. NYAC helps inform the activities and priorities of the Alliance’s work in New York, assists and advises on key policy priorities important to the land trust community and assists with the advocacy and fundraising necessary to maintain grant funding and programmatic work.

The Program Director represents the land trust community’s interests with New York State government, including the Governor’s Office, executive agencies, and the State Legislature, and plays an active and critical role in advancing public policy, budget, and funding priorities relevant to land trusts and land conservation. The effectiveness of the New York Program’s government relations, policy, and advocacy work requires close collaboration and coordination with Alliance government relations staff, our retained lobbyist, the NYAC, land trusts, state agency partners and other key stakeholders including participation in several statewide coalitions.

Through a partnership with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Alliance’s New York Program is responsible for the administration of two grants programs. Funded by the state Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), the New York State Conservation Partnership Program (CPP), offers up to $2.7 million in grants annually that help build land trust capacity. The Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts (FCELT) program provides up to $1.35 million in grants annually for New York land trusts to purchase forestland conservation easements. The Program Director will provide executive oversight of these programs, including strategic direction, state partnership, major contracting and budgeting matters and overall impact. The Program Director will supervise and work in partnership with the New York Program Manager, who leads day-to-day program implementation and serves as the Alliance’s principal working-level relationship manager for the Alliance’s grant programs with DEC.

The successful candidate for this position must have a track record of successfully raising funds from individuals, foundations, and corporations, developing and managing budgets, and devising and implementing strategies to diversify and grow funding for the New York Program in partnership with the Alliance’s development team.

Specific Responsibilities

• Program Development, Leadership, and Management: Work in close coordination with the Alliance’s New York Advisory Council, agency partners, NY program staff and Alliance leadership to set and execute a strategic vision and direction for the Alliance’s work in New York. Program priorities include providing executive oversight of CPP and FCELT, periodic contract negotiations with DEC, policy/advocacy efforts, planning and hosting the annual NY Land Conservation Conference and supporting implementation of national Alliance strategic priorities.
• Policy & Advocacy: Work with the New York Policy Analyst, the New York Advisory Council and the Alliance Government Relations team to lead the Alliance’s New York government relations, policy, and advocacy efforts on issues that are priorities for land trusts and land conservation success. This includes representing the Alliance with the Governor’s Office, state agencies, legislative leaders, members and staff of the Senate and Assembly, legislative committees, and statewide coalitions and partners.
• Education and Training: Provide strategic direction for education, networking, and training offerings that are tailored to meet the needs of the New York land trust community, including planning and hosting an annual state conference. This includes evaluating the topics, speakers and locations for training events, developing new workshops that reflect the needs and interests of the land trust community and assisting with the design of new and efficient ways to deliver training to land trusts. Work collaboratively with New York Program staff, other regional staff and the Alliance Education and Training team on the development and delivery of regional and national education and peer learning programs. Maintain a strong understanding of emerging issues, needs and opportunities across the New York land trust community and connect land trusts with appropriate Alliance resources and expertise as needed.
• Relationships & Ambassadorship: Represent the Alliance at select conferences, events, coalition meetings, land trust gatherings and other venues as warranted. Build and maintain senior-level relationships with New York state agencies, the New York Advisory Council, land trust leaders, funders, elected officials and other statewide partners. Communicate the Alliance’s strategic priorities using national messaging that presents a coherent, united organization.
• Fundraising: Identify and cultivate relationships with key foundations, corporations, individuals, and public agencies with a goal of growing and diversifying funding. Lead senior-level donor and funder engagement for the New York Program and achieve specific fundraising goals for New York policy efforts and annual conference sponsorships which are developed in coordination with the Eastern Division Director and Alliance Development staff. Foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the Alliance.
• Communications: Work with the Alliance Communications team to design and implement communications strategies for the New York Program and the Alliance that advance land conservation success and assist in coordinating internal and external communications to engage a broader community in land conservation. This will include developing and submitting articles for Alliance publications, Field Notes (e-newsletter), the website and other internal and external outlets.
• Budget Management: Maintain executive accountability for the budget for the New York Program, including public and private grant funds disbursed by the Alliance. Work collaboratively with the Eastern Division Director, Finance and Development departments, and other program staff to ensure sound budget management, reporting and grant stewardship.
• Supervisory Oversight and Staff Coordination: Supervise and coordinate activities of the New York Program staff. Provide leadership and direction for the New York team and ensure effective coordination across the New York Program’s key initiatives including the CPP, FCELT, policy and conferences and training.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, graduate degree preferred. A reasonable combination of education and experience is acceptable.
• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively higher leadership roles working with nonprofit organizations, government, philanthropy or related organizations, preferably in the land conservation community.
• Familiarity and experience with private land conservation practices and programs, nonprofit organizational capacity building and community-centered approaches to land conservation.
• Strong strategic planning and program management experience and proven ability to plan, implement, evaluate and adapt programs based on evaluation.
• Demonstrated success building and sustaining relationships with funders including foundations, corporations and individuals.
• Demonstrated ability to manage consultants and other contractors.
• Strong interpersonal skills that demonstrate teamwork, diplomacy, respect, and an awareness of how different backgrounds and communication styles intersect.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships, teams, and multi-stakeholder collaborations, in both internal and external contexts.
• Proven record of accomplishment in staff management and developing and supervising professional staff and leading collaborative teams.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills and ability to manage program communications.
• Ability to work effectively both independently without close supervision and as part of a team in a fast-paced work environment.
• Ability to travel up to 35% including evenings/weekends, with regular travel throughout New York State, and periodic travel outside of the State of New York.

Compensation

The budgeted salary range for this position is $110,000 – $130,000 commensurate with skills, years of experience, location, and unique background and qualifications of the candidate.

The Land Trust Alliance offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, vision, and other health coverage; life and disability insurance; paid vacation, personal, sick, and holiday leave; and 403(b) retirement benefits.

The Land Trust Alliance’s mission is to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Land Trust Alliance is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status or veteran status.