Stewardship Director 

Reports to: Conservation Director 

Status: Full-time, Exempt 

Location: Driggs, ID, Hybrid (up to 16 hours/week from home)

Starting Salary: $60,000-70,000, with generous benefits package 

Closing Date: Application review September 15, open until filled 

About Teton Regional Land Trust 

Teton Regional Land Trust’s (TRLT) mission is to conserve farms and ranches, fish and wildlife habitat, and scenic open spaces in eastern Idaho for this and future generations. Covering six counties in the Upper Snake River watershed, TRLT has worked with private landowners to permanently protect more than 43,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat, working farms, and waterways in eastern Idaho.   

Summary of Position 

TRLT is looking for a leader that is passionate about land conservation with experience overseeing a team and building relationships with a broad spectrum of people. This individual should thrive in a dynamic environment while attending to a variety of responsibilities with strong attention to detail. The Stewardship Director is responsible for leading and overseeing the development, planning, coordination, and implementation of TRLT’s Stewardship Program whose primary responsibilities are to steward conservation easements and lands owned/managed by TRLT and to support new private land conservation projects through identification and documentation of conservation values. The Director supervises Stewardship Program staff, represents TRLT in relationships and negotiations with landowners and conservation partners, assists with developing and administering grants, and supports TRLT’s outreach and fundraising efforts. The Stewardship Director is a full-time, professional position with a competitive salary and benefits. 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Stewardship Program:  

• ensures that TRLT’s Stewardship Program is consistent with the TRLT’s mission, stewardship principles, policies, and procedures; 
• develops, reviews, and updates TRLT’s stewardship-related policies and procedures to ensure compliance with Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices and Land Trust Accreditation Requirements with oversight by the Conservation Director and approval by the Executive Director;  
• recommends annual planning priorities to the Conservation Director, develops the Stewardship Program’s annual plan, and tracks program accomplishments;  
• has primary responsibility for ensuring that stewardship goals, objectives, and/or benchmarks outlined in the annual plan and strategic plan are accomplished; and 
• assists with Board of Director relations and presents stewardship-related information to the Conservation Committee and Board of Directors. 

Team Supervision and Management:  

• recruits, trains/on-boards, supervises, and manages Stewardship Program staff including full-time, part-time, and seasonal staff;  
• regularly checks in with Stewardship Program staff regarding work plan, accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities for improvement and professional development; and  
• completes annual performance evaluations and provides feedback to the Conservation Director and Executive Director on staff performance and staffing needs.  

Cross Program Coordination: Assists with identifying conservation values for potential easement or property acquisitions and coordinates with land protection staff on project needs including draft conservation easement reviews and baseline documentation reports. 

Conservation Easement Stewardship:   

• leads and manages the stewardship of conservation easements in compliance with TRLT’s policies and procedures, Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices, and Land Trust Accreditation Commission requirements;  
• ensures the integrity of conservation easements through thorough and consistent easement monitoring, defense, and enforcement including overseeing and coordinating annual monitoring, maintaining landowner relations, following up on potential easement issues and violations, and maintaining detailed and extensive records;  
• works with stewardship staff to process landowner requests to exercise reserved rights and makes recommendations to the Executive Director regarding approval; and  
• coordinates with land protection staff and staff attorney to amend or correct conservation easements within specific policy guidelines. 

Land Management:  

• oversees the development and updates to TRLT-owned and/or managed properties management plans; and 
• oversees the implementation of management plans for TRLT-owned properties and provides oversight of fee-based land management. 

Landowner Relations:   

• works with stewardship staff to develop and maintain professional, measured, and fully documented relationships with all easement property owners and their assigned representatives; and 
• fosters a conservation ethic and resource awareness amongst landowners through outreach and connecting landowners to resources to improve the natural habitat/agricultural values of their land. 

Baselines:  Oversees and coordinates the preparation of baseline documentation reports, baseline addendums, and current condition reports to facilitate conservation easement stewardship. 

Conservation Planning: Assists with developing and updating TRLT’s strategic conservation plan to identify priority conservation values and focal areas for private land conservation in TRLT’s service area.   

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Conservation Value Restoration/Enhancement: Works with stewardship staff to connect easement landowners with expertise and funding resources to carry out restoration or enhancement of conservation values on their properties.  
• Species Conservation: Assists with oversight of TRLT’s species conservation projects including the Teton Basin Trumpeter Swan Project and Greater Yellowstone Sandhill Crane Initiative. 
• Fundraising: Supports identifying, developing, and administering grants for conservation program-related projects. Assist in other fundraising activities, as needed, that may include attending member events/activities and donor cultivation. 
• Partnership: Represents TRLT in developing and maintaining relationships with non-profit and agency partners.   
• Outreach: Contributes to TRLT newsletters and website and lead public tours. Assists with outreach events/programs as needed. Utilizes volunteers to help with carrying out the goals of TRLT’s conservation program to increase engagement with the community and supporters of TRLT.   
• Team Member: Operates as a team member and performs other duties as requested. 

WORKPLACE CONDITIONS: 

• Duties of this position will include approximately 20% field duties and 80% office duties. 
• This position requires moderate physical exertion outdoors, including walking/hiking on unlevel and uneven terrain for long distances or physical labor, sometimes at remote locations and/or during inclement field conditions (heat, cold, water, insects). 
• Duties may require long hours in the field and work during early morning, evenings, and on weekends. 

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the role and is not exhaustive. Duties may evolve based on program needs and the successful candidate’s skills and interests.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in ecology, natural resource management, environmental sciences, or related field plus 5 years of experience working in the natural resource/conservation field, preferably with a land trust stewarding conservation easements. 
• Strong communication skills and ability to work with people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds. 
• Knowledge of working and natural landscapes and familiarity with conservation issues in the Intermountain West.  
• Ability to work independently with little direction while being a productive member of a team that values furthering TRLT’s mission in a supportive and fun environment. 
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills, excellent written and verbal skills, strong attention to details, and ability to juggle a variety of tasks and projects simultaneously.  
• Experience working with private landowners, non-governmental organizations, and state and federal agencies. 
• Experience leading and managing staff. 
• Excellent problem-solving skills. 
• Experience using GIS software. 
• Technical writing experience.  
• Valid driver’s license. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master’s Degree in ecology, natural resource management, environmental sciences, or related field plus 3 years of experience working in the natural resource/conservation field, preferably with a land trust stewarding conservation easements. 
• Knowledge of wildlife habitat needs, Intermountain west vegetation, and/or range management. 
• Land management experience, including agriculture or wildlife habitat management (e.g., fence maintenance, noxious weed control, grazing management, water management, etc.). 
• Rowing and paddling skills a plus. 

Generous benefits package includes:   

• Paid vacation, sick days, personal leave, and holidays, including a closed office from Christmas Eve through New Years Day.   
• Eligibility for a 2-month paid sabbatical after 7 years.   
• Health, Dental, Life and Disability Insurance, and potential Health Savings Account contributions.   
• Matching 401K retirement contributions up to 3% net salary.  

Application Procedure: Please submit a cover letter explaining your interest in the position with resume and three professional references to tamara@tetonlandtrust.org. We will start reviewing applications on September 15. This position will remain open until filled. TRLT is an equal opportunity employer and values candidates who bring diverse perspectives to our work. Incomplete applications will not be considered.