Description
Chesapeake Conservancy, a nonprofit organization based in Annapolis, Maryland is seeking a Program Manager with at least three years of professional GIS experience.
ABOUT THE CONSERVANCY
Chesapeake Conservancy is a non-profit organization based in Annapolis, Maryland, dedicated to ensuring a healthier Chesapeake Bay watershed where fish and wildlife thrive, with healthy waters and abundant forests, wetlands, shorelines, and open spaces. With the human population in the Chesapeake watershed approaching 18 million and growing and tens of thousands of acres of open space vanishing each year, the Conservancy works to connect people with the Chesapeake’s wildlife and history; conserve landscapes and rivers; and restore the region’s natural resources. The Conservancy works in close partnership with the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as other federal, state and local agencies, private foundations, and corporations to advance conservation.
Within the Conservancy, the Conservation Innovation Center (CIC) group has become a globally recognized leader in producing data, analyses, and web applications to advance precision conservation and restoration. We partner with industry-leading organizations like Microsoft and Esri to help define the next generation of environmental data and work with partners on the ground to make sure it is useful.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Geospatial Program Manager, working within the CIC, will be responsible for the management and outreach efforts for a variety of projects both inside and outside the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Reporting directly to the Director of Conservation Technology, the successful candidate for this position will be involved in all aspects of projects. Project management responsibilities include scoping requirements with potential partners and clients, working with our technical staff to set timelines and expectations, and ensuring the timely submission of high-quality deliverables.
In addition to directing a portfolio of projects, this position will be responsible for the management of a team within the CIC. Staff management responsibilities include time and budget management, administrative support, and annual performance reviews.
This position will take the lead on the CIC’s portfolio of projects outside the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Experience with water quality and water quantity management challenges in other geographies, particularly the Western U.S., is desirable.
Essential functions include:
1. Overseeing and collaborating with team members as well as other program managers. Candidates must be able to lead and navigate team dynamics gracefully and tactfully. This includes managing team morale and culture, engaging peers and supervisors in problem solving, and providing constructive feedback on ideas and problems. Additionally, the CIC team is a highly collaborative and innovative group. Ideal candidates will participate in brainstorming and discussions.
2. Managing client relationships and expectations. The Program Manager will negotiate and oversee high-level components of client contracts, such as evaluating needs, setting project expectations, making team assignments, and establishing deliverable schedules.
3. Obtaining, organizing, and processing component datasets. The Program Manager, with his/her team, will be working with a variety of spatial data, including satellite and aerial imagery; LiDAR; national, state, and local vector data; and ecological models. Organization and attention to detail are key skills in working across projects with high volumes of complex data.
4. Communicating Conservancy projects to the public. Candidates should be comfortable articulating highly technical projects to the public in presentations (large and small), press releases, and at networking events.
5. Working independently to solve problems and errors. Much of the Conservancy’s work involves finding unique, customized solutions to partners’ challenges. Errors and unknowns will be encountered. The Program Manager will be required to handle a range of technical challenges, to devise solutions based on available resources, and to assist team members in the same process. Furthermore, Conservancy projects have pushed the boundaries of several purpose-built software packages. When such issues are encountered, the Program Manager must be able to identify them, navigate issues with software support specialists, and disseminate solutions to team members.
6. Providing training and technical assistance to non-GIS Conservancy staff. On a continuing basis, Conservancy staff members require technical and mapping assistance. The Program Manager will be expected to maintain flexibility for addressing urgent, unplanned needs, providing troubleshooting assistance, and teaching others.
7. Compiling deliverables and writing grant reports. Project deliverables may include maps, memos, short or long reports, slide decks, datasets, or grant reports. Applicants should be able to write concisely and effectively, design impactful maps, and communicate progress to funders.
Requirements
KEY QUALIFICATIONS
The Program Manager should be an organized, dependable, and goal-driven leader with a passion for the mission of the Chesapeake Conservancy – public access, conservation, and education and stewardship of the Bay and its resources. Candidates must be able to challenge conventions, to thrive independently as well as on a team in a relaxed, dynamic office culture, and to think creatively. Other essential skills include adaptability, independence in problem solving, strong oral and written communication, and an ability to teach others technical material.
Job Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred), ideally with a concentration in Environmental Science or Geography.
• Three years of professional GIS experience including demonstrated project/staff management.
• Demonstrated GIS and remote sensing experience, including proficiency in geospatial analysis programs (ArcGIS Desktop 10.x).
• Authorization to work in the United States.
• Ideally, applicants will have experience with ArcGIS Desktop and/or Pro, remote sensing software (ENVI, eCognition), and web
and/or Python scripting, although all necessary training will be provided.
• Experience with or research on water issues in different geographies, especially the Western U.S., Pacific Northwest, the Great
Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico/Mississippi River.
In addition to a resume and cover letter, applicant must submit a writing sample demonstrating the ability to communicate complex or technical information in a clear and accessible format.
LOCATION
This position will be based in Annapolis, Maryland, however travel throughout the United States for meetings with partners will be required. While trips will likely be shorter, candidates must be able to travel for up to a week at a time.
Chesapeake Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer. Salary and benefits are commensurate with the candidate’s relevant professional experience and/or education with an expected salary range between $70-80,000.
The Conservancy offers a competitive employee benefits package that includes health and dental insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, and participation in a retirement savings plan. Opportunities for advancement and professional development are available.
Applications will be reviewed as their materials arrive, with an anticipated start date in late January or early February 2019.
