Climate and Environmental Justice Program Manager

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that advances equitable access to high-quality outdoor spaces to help strengthen and connect communities. TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,364 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $93 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.4 million people to the outdoors.

The Position:

Sitting within the Land and People Lab at TPL, the Climate and Environmental Justice Program Manager will help manage TPL’s involvement in the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program. TPL is one of six non-profit partners collaborating to coordinate regional grantmaking and build capacities of under-resourced, environmentally vulnerable communities located throughout U.S. EPA regions 1, 2, and 3. The Program Manager will provide general support to the project team but will specialize in coordinating project communications across various internal and external platforms, engaging in community outreach efforts, and assisting with the project evaluation processes.

The Climate and Environmental Justice Program Manager will also support TPL field offices on a variety of environmental justice initiatives and, working in collaboration with others, will help grow TPL’s environmental justice work at a national level by supporting thought leadership, cultivating new partnerships, identifying funding opportunities, and co-leading grant proposals.

The position can be based anywhere within the U.S., however there is a preference for candidates residing in states, tribal nations, or US territories (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) in EPA regions 1 (New England), 2 (New York City, serving NJ, NY, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and 8 federally recognized Indian Nations), or 3 (Mid Atlantic). We have additional preference for candidates within commuting distance to occasionally work from one of TPL’s major offices in these regions (Portland, ME; Montpelier, VT; Boston, MA; New Haven, CT; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; Newark, NJ)
Occasional travel may be required within EPA regions 1, 2, and 3 and may include partner meetings, workshops, and conferences.

We estimate that the candidate will focus their time in 4 key areas:

40% communications and thought leadership
20% partnership management
20% operations support and program management
20% fundraising and business development

Responsibilities include:

Federal grant management: Document and track grant-related outcomes, ensuring completion of high-quality deliverables on time and on budget.
Internal collaboration: Coordinate efforts across multiple departments at TPL, including the Land and People Lab, Marketing and Communications, and Program offices to support project engagement, build capacity, and guide outreach.
External collaboration: Coordinate with our nonprofit partners and grant recipients to review progress, assess emergent opportunities, identify project support needs, deliver technical assistance, and troubleshoot barriers.
Expert Insight: Elevate best practices and new opportunities to our network and the broader environmental justice community.
Communications and storytelling: Work both independently and collaboratively to honor and uplift the narratives of neighborhoods and communities confronting environmental injustice as told through personal accounts, data collection, and impact evaluation.
Grant writing and reporting: contribute to grant proposal development and reporting of existing grants.
People and Culture: Nurture a collaborative, high-performance culture in a geographically dispersed team and contribute to TPL’s continued progress as an inclusive, diverse, and equity-centered organization.

Required Qualifications:

The Climate and Environmental Justice Program Manager should exhibit the following core competencies:

Demonstrated experience working on environmental justice issues through a community-led approach.
Strong project management and organizational skills, ability to meet deadlines and facilitate the full team's efforts to do the same.
Experience leading community engagement efforts in communities that have been marginalized and a demonstrated ability to translate key learnings into presentations, workshops, and materials.
Excellent communications skills, both written and verbal, and relationship-building skills, with an ability to prioritize, negotiate, and collaborate with various internal and external stakeholders.
At least five years of combined work experience and/or graduate level education in the sustainability realm with knowledge on one or more of the following: nature-based solutions, environmental justice organizing, green infrastructure, or city planning, with a strong emphasis on community engagement and project management in diverse community settings.
Experience managing or applying for federal awards.

Preferred Qualifications:

5+ years of federal grant management experience
Familiarity with municipal and state environmental justice policies and/or impacts
In-depth experience with a range of urban nature-based solutions (e.g. urban forestry, green infrastructure, park development, active transportation, etc.)
Experience leading or meaningfully participating in program impact evaluation design, implementation, and communication.
Experience leading grant proposals and interacting directly with funders
Bilingual skills a plus

As a full-time exempt employee, you will be eligible for Trust for Public Land’s comprehensive benefits program which includes but is not limited to medical, dental, and vision insurance, vacation, holidays, and a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with an up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the range for this position is $75,000-$85,000 annually.

Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets and experiences. We encourage individuals from all groups to apply and join us in our mission to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.
Please see our Careers Page for more details on benefits.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All applications will be considered, but only those selected for interviews are guaranteed to be contacted.

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Climate and Environmental Justice Program Manager