Stewardship Director

Solano Land Trust (SLT) is a 501(c)3 public-benefit corporation with the mission of permanently protecting natural areas, working farms and ranchlands and connecting our community to these lands. SLT's lands provide habitat for many rare and endangered species, excellent grazing forage, and host over 15,000 visitors each year.

Our land stewardship activities are focused on maintaining, improving and protecting natural resources with the objective of balancing agricultural, habitat and cultural resources, and recreational uses of our lands so that their conservation value is protected and enhanced for generations to come.

This is an exciting time for the land trust. In addition to managing some of the most unique lands in the Sacramento Central Valley and San Francisco Bay, this position will be responsible for refining and implementing the new Rockville Trails Management plan. This includes building collaborative relationships to implement services and programs to support public access/recreation on this incredible resource.

Position Overview:

The Stewardship Director is a new leadership position established to manage the field operations of the Solano Land Trust (SLT) including the Land Stewardship Program and visitor services programs.

The position leads the management of 11,640 acres SLT owns in fee title, in a consistent and professional manner, to include programs (such as low impact recreation); staff management; and management of working lands. The Stewardship Director also administers the Land Stewardship Program budget, which includes visitor services; overseeing major grants; and mitigation projects on SLT lands -- and all, in concert with other SLT staff.

Responsibilities:

Program Administration

• Provide overall strategic and operational guidance for SLT's Land Stewardship program.
• Manage and lead the land management and visitor services team. Hire additional staff as needed and as funding allows, establish staff's annual objectives and priorities, review and revise these objectives on an ongoing basis to guide work progress and conduct performance evaluations.
• Work with land management team to engage the SLT board in discussions about balancing agriculture, natural resources, cultural resources, and public access on each property and document decisions in Summary Management Plans. Work with staff to create tighter connections between work plans for the properties and strategic guidance from the board.
• Manage stewardship of SLT's fee title properties, by preparing and directing the implementation of adaptive management plans for the properties, and overseeing annual adaptive management evaluations and recommendations for annual work plan preparation as needed. This includes oversight of operations, visitor programs and maintenance of all properties.
• Build relationships with and advocate for funding from donors and grantors to support funding for land management, including building SLT endowment funds.
• Oversee and write grants for the land management program and other SLT programs as needed.
• Negotiate and administer agreements and contracts such as vendor contracts and mitigation, habitat enhancement and grant agreements including developing budgets, managing deliverables, preparing reports and invoices, and communicating with grantors, project proponents and agencies as needed.
• Support the SLT Board, Project Committee and other committees as needed including preparing and delivering presentations, memos and other documents.
• Oversee SLT's Land Stewardship electronic and paper filing system, including working with staff to improve quality and completeness of filing systems.

Land Management Activities

1. Oversee and in some cases implement the following activities on SLT properties as needed:

• Biological, rangeland and other management/enhancement projects and monitoring on SLT properties, including restoration and mitigation sites and non-native species control.
• SLT's grazing program.
• Development/updating of technical standards and specifications used to manage, protect and improve the natural resources of range lands and related grazing lands.
• Work with the SLT Board and committees to develop processes and policies to support the visitor services program.
• Low impact recreational services, including trail and facility development and maintenance, interpretive resources and programs, and coordination of volunteer staff and activities.
• Partnerships with resource management agencies, partner organizations and other land trusts as needed to achieve land management goals.
• Establish and enforce use rules, and compliance with local and State permits and regulations.
• SLT's events and activities on SLT properties, in collaboration with the Associate Director. 

2. Create a culture of collaboration amongst the many users of SLT's lands, including grazing licensees, recreationists, scientific community, educational, school groups, docents and other SLT volunteers and SLT staff on land management issues to create positive outcomes.

3. Collaborate with Associate Director and SLT's program partners to support SLT's recreation, education and membership goals.

Other Duties:

• Participate in the development and update of plans to guide acquisition of fee title and easement acquisition projects to protect natural areas, scenic views and recreation opportunities.
• Work with Conservation Director and staff to evaluate potential acquisition projects.
• Work with Executive Director and Associate Director to identify and cultivate potential donors.
• Represent SLT at meetings and conferences.
• Help establish organizational policies and procedures that align with SLT's Strategic Plan and support the mission.

Qualifications:

Position Requirements

Minimum Education, Skills, Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Ecology, Biology, Environmental Science or similar field plus 5 years' experience leading teams and managing wildlife preserves with public access, or equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Prefer Master's Degree in related field with 6-10 years' experience.
• Ability to work with diverse groups and build consensus, while maintaining patience, humor and confidentiality.
• Experience working with a non-profit or governmental organization including budgeting, contract management, grant writing and communicating with a board of directors.
• A team player with strong diplomacy, interpersonal and problem solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with landowners, the public, media, professional colleagues and government entities.
• Proven experience implementing complex or multiple projects, including managing staff, contractors, workload and finance.
• Experience working with volunteers in land stewardship and visitor services.
• Experience managing visitor services, including public access to sensitive sites, trail and facility development, and protection of resources.
• Experience managing sensitive species and understPosition Requirementsanding of concepts related to ecosystem restoration and management.
• Demonstrated positive attitude and dedication to land preservation, working  landscapes, and public access/recreation.
• Good physical condition - able and willing to physically travel over rough terrain on foot, and deal with the elements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and GPS devices; familiarity with GIS systems.
• Valid Class C driver's license.

Desired Skills

• Experience and understanding of habitat restoration and agricultural practices.
• Experience and knowledge of the habitats and species within Solano County.
• Experience interpreting scientific data.
• Proficiency with Arc View.
• Experience working with agencies and conservation organizations.
• Experience with public access design and management, including trail development and associated facilities.
• Experience with interpretation and outdoor education.

Compensation: Competitive salary based on skills and experience. SLT provides a portion of the employee's health, dental, and vision insurance, matches up to 2% of employee's contribution toward their 403.b retirement account, and provides eleven paid holidays and two weeks of vacation per year.

To Apply:

Please click below: "Apply Now Online!" to submit your cover letter and a resume. Please type "Stewardship Director" into the subject line.