Stewardship Assistant

Stewardship Assistant
Regular, Full time Exempt
Salary Range: $43,00 - $45,000

ClearWater Conservancy seeks to hire a full time Stewardship Assistant to support ClearWater Conservancy’s and Centre County Farmland Trust’s conservation work. ClearWater Conservancy is a locally founded, nationally accredited land trust organization that has been protecting and restoring central Pennsylvania’s natural resources for over forty years. The organization connects people and places through land conservation, stream restoration, and environmental outreach efforts to support a healthy, resilient region for all. ClearWater is committed to supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace in which everyone is welcomed, valued, and supported.

We recognize that diverse teams create the strongest organizations and welcome and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We also believe everyone does their best work when they can balance a successful career with their commitments and interests outside of work, and are open to flexible work arrangements to make this possible.

Position Description The Stewardship Assistant is a full-time position that supports ClearWater’s lands conservation and easement monitoring program and contributes to our stewardship work and strategic initiatives. The position also supports our partnership with the Centre County Farmland Trust by assisting with their easement stewardship and reporting. This position will support our land conservation work by conducting conserved lands site evaluations, drafting baseline documentation reports, coordinating logistics for completing easements, and assistance with grants writing and reporting. This position may require 2-3 days per week in the field and the remaining time in our State College, PA office.

Easement Stewardship, Monitoring and Compliance in partnership with the Centre County Farmland Trust (50%):

• Conducts file reviews and annual monitoring visits to Centre County Farmland Trust easements properties according to Land Trust Alliance (LTA) standards and practices.
• Establishes and maintains positive relationships and communications with landowners, agricultural producers, and organizational partners.
• Documents easement compliance matters and issues of concern identified in the field.
• Prepares easement-monitoring reports, including mapping and photo documentation and files electronic reports in the CFFT files. Assists with permitted uses and reserved rights requests.

Conservation Program Support (35%):

• Provides staff support for initial evaluations and field visits and prepares site evaluations of potential easement acquisition projects.
• Assembles baseline documentation reports for new easement acquisition projects.
• Works with acquisitions staff to prepare easement grant applications for prospective projects.
• Coordinates landowner site visits with funding agencies and donors.
• Supports conservation staff as needed.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration, Community Engagement and Partnerships (15%)

• Assists in reviewing and updating stewardship policies and procedures related to Accreditation.
• Works with the Communications and Outreach Team to produce communications and support events.
• Assists with ClearWater’s strategic initiatives.

Preferred Experience:

• Ideally a bachelor's degree in a related field such as Environmental Resource Management, Agricultural Science or Extension, or Community, Environment & Development, with 1+ years of work experience with current Geographic Information Systems and with agricultural conservation and preservation programs, as well local governments and urban planning.
• Familiarity with land trusts, agricultural conservation easements and easement stewardship would be ideal, as well as a familiarity with Centre County agricultural programs.

Application Instructions:

Please submit a cover letter and resume to ryan@clearwaterconservancy.org no later than January 13, 2023. File should be sent as one .pdf file with the last name of the applicant in the title.

ClearWater Conservancy provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of age, sex, color, race, creed, national origin, religious persuasion, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability as set forth by applicable state and federal laws. In addition, laws regarding veteran or military status are observed. This commitment is reflected in all our practices and policies regarding hiring, training, promotions, rates of pay, layoff, and other forms of compensation. All matters relating to employment are based upon ability to perform the job as well as dependability and reliability once hired. ClearWater Conservancy celebrates diversity and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.