Program Manager – Environmental Justice

The Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust) seeks our first ever Environmental JusticeProgram Manager to lead one relatively new (2022) Trust program, shape then lead another brand-new initiative starting this year, and pursue other opportunities in the Environmental Justice space. The realm of Environmental Justice (EJ) includes many topic areas: The Trust’s two existing EJ programs are in the realm of urban forestry, though initiatives in this program area may grow to include other efforts such as climate resiliency. The Trust cannot and does not engage in lobbying or advocacy work.

The two existing Trust urban forestry programs include the Urban Trees Program ($10 million annually), which the Trust was tapped to lead by the Maryland General Assembly via the Tree Solutions Now Act of 2021, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Urban and Community Forestry Program’s Mid-Atlantic Justice Fund (approximately $4 million annually). The Urban Trees Program calls for 5,000,000 new urban trees to be planted (and maintained) in Maryland’s urban, underserved communities by 2031 and is in its third year of implementation. The Mid-Atlantic Environmental Justice Fund program is new in 2024 and calls for urban forestry grant-making in disadvantaged communities in Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia using a participatory grant-making model. Funding is secured for four years and we anticipate continuation of related work into the future. The Program Manager will shape its development, oversee its implementation, and plan for its future.

The Program Manager will supervise a team of at least 3 members to implement both programs but will still be expected to roll up his/her/their sleeves to tackle individual grant work. As a result, the person in this role must be both a “doer” and a “thinker.” The position will require site visits to proposed and completed project sites. This person will be a key member of a 30+-person staff, will work closely with program staff who lead other initiatives at the Trust, and will report to the Vice President of Outreach and Education Programs.

About the Trust

The Chesapeake Bay Trust seeks to engage and empower a diversity of groups to take actions that enrich the natural resources and local communities of the Chesapeake Bay region. The Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization established by the Maryland state government in 1985. The Trust currently makes 400+ grants and other awards per year ranging from $100 to ~$400,000 for projects in the K-12 environmental education, on-the-ground restoration, science, capacity building, and community engagement realms. In the past 15 years, the Trust has increased its grant-making four-fold through various revenues streams under the purview of four Trust departments, with annual awards of approximately $20-30 million.

Specific Responsibilities

• Supervise direct reports in processes necessary to implement the programs, including:
  • crafting Requests for Proposals,
  • advertising grant programs,
  • reactively meeting with prospective applicants who seek out the Trust
  • proactively identifying potential applicants
  • providing technical assistance to applicants
  • leading grant proposal review with external reviewers
  • preparing awards summaries for the Trust’s Board of Trustees
  • preparing award agreements
  • managing individual grant awards and contracts small (on the order of $5,000) and large (on the order of $1 million) alike, including assisting awardees with project issues, reviewing status and final reports, approving payments, and reviewing revision requests.
• Directly perform tasks such as:
  • Serving as lead program representatives with funders and partners (Maryland General Assembly appropriators, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Department of Natural Resources in the case of the Urban Trees Program; USDA and Mid-Atlantic EJ hub representatives and partners, Thriving Community Technical Assistance Center leads, and other private funders in the case of the USDA Program).
  • Serving as the lead spokesperson on the initiatives with entities such as the legislature, state agencies, media, and others in the community
  • Managing the budgets for the initiatives
  • Providing technical assistance or connecting applicants with technical assistance on topics such as landowner/tenant engagement, site preparation, tree species, materials and services procurement, maintenance plans, budget development, project management, applicant process, and more
  • Managing a subset of grant awards (based on size and complexity)
  • Overseeing staffing of the initiatives, including hiring, training, and managing
  • Adaptively manage the initiatives, including (as necessary) soliciting feedback from the community, developing capacity building strategies to provide tools to potential applicants and grantees, offering group trainings or other exercises, and tackling issues such as available tree stock, tree maintenance, and more.
  • Pursuing professional development activities, which could include participating in (and presenting at) conferences, at seminars, at symposia, and/or in publications.
  • Advancing program-related recommendations received from the Trust’s external diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice advisory committee and the Trust’s internal action team.
  • Other duties as assigned and that are associated with all Trust staff



Qualifications


The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of professional experience, at least 5 of which demonstrate progressive experience. The candidate should have specific experience and track record of success in:

• Tree planting and/or forestry and/or urban natural resources restoration initiatives
• Engagement of communities in community health and natural resources issues, with preference for experience engaging underserved communities

Candidates must have the following skills, abilities, and/or qualifications (required):

• Strategic thinking skills: ability to set priorities, balance short-term and long-term objectives
• Proficiency in managing budgets and contracts;
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite of programs, especially spreadsheet programs;
• Ability to conduct site visits to project locations submitted by grant applicants (personal vehicle and valid driver’s license required to facilitate site visit travel);
• Skills in staff management and mentorship;
• Exceptional project management and time-management skills, with the ability to manage and meet tight deadlines



Salary and Benefits: $90,000-$100,000 with an excellent benefits package and opportunities for related professional development.




Position Location

The position may involve site visits to communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Within the first 6 months, the Program Manager will be expected to be in the Trust offices in Annapolis, Maryland, at least 1 day per week on average when not in the field, with remote work possible for the remainder of the week. After the 6-month probation period, the position may be fully remote on non-site visit days.




Application Instructions and Deadline:

The position will remain open until filled. Please submit a resume and cover letter. The cover letter must address how your skills and experience are specifically relevant to the job description and duties of this specific opportunity, rather than serving simply as description of your previous positions or experience. Please explain why you are interested in this position specifically and what makes you a good fit.




The Chesapeake Bay Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, age, or disability in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. We encourage applications from people of color. Applicants must have a residential address in Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Washington, D.C and must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. The Trust does not participate in programs that require sponsorship for work visas.