Program Officer- Outreach and Education

he Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust) seeks a qualified candidate to serve as a Program Officer on our Outreach and Education Team. The Program Officer will support the Outreach and Education team’s programmatic work, including administration of grant programs focused on intersectional work at the nexus of community health and environmental well-being. The Program Officer will support existing program work and new related grant programs as they are developed, with a particular focus on administration of the Trust’s Outreach and Restoration Grant Program. The selected candidate will also work to implement the Trust’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work plan.  This position will support the Trust’s core values of learning, science and innovation, engagement of our awardee community, diversity and inclusion, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability. The Program Officer will be expected to work a minimum of two days at the Trust office in Annapolis, Maryland, during the initial probationary period, with the remainder of the time worked from a remote location. After a successful six-month probationary period, the staff member can discuss with their supervisor moving to a different hybrid or remote work plan for the year. The Program Officer will report to the Program Manager for Capacity Building and Community Engagement. The selected candidate will be a key member of a 40+ person staff and will support outreach and engagement aspects of the Trust’s award program portfolio that focuses on human dimensions of environmental conservation. 

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 state government in 1985. The Trust currently makes 425+ grants and other awards per year ranging from $100 to ~$500,000 for projects that empower people to restore local natural resources. In the past 15 years, the Trust has increased its grant-making fourfold through various revenues streams under the purview of four Trust departments, with annual awards of approximately $12-28 million. 

Specific Duties: 

• Support administration of the Outreach and Education team’s award programs focused on environmental stewardship, resident engagement in natural resource restoration, environmental education, climate resiliency, and environmental justice with a particular focus on administration of the Trust’s Outreach and Restoration grant program.
• Advertise widely across the state of Maryland and Chesapeake Bay watershed (depending on the funding source) to identify potential applicants to the award programs, identify what help these applicants might need to apply and successfully complete a project, encourage them to apply, and provide help as they develop project ideas and grant proposals.
• Reactively, respond to potential applicants who have expressed interest in the grant programs, and aid with the application process including the incorporation of sustainable practices considering future climate change impacts, and management of contractors to provide technical assistance.
• Lead the analysis and review of grant applications received by the Trust.
• Lead the refinement and/or development of Requests for Proposals and other program materials for programs managed.
• Prepare grant summary reports and analysis for Technical Review Committees, funding partners, and the Board of Trustees.
• Administer awards in a wide size range ($2,500 to potentially as large as $250,000), including preparing grant agreements and contracts, assisting awardees with project issues, reviewing status and final reports, approving payments, reviewing revision requests, and more.
• Work with awardees throughout their project to report successes, discuss and overcome any obstacles to the outcomes, where relevant, management of contractors to provide technical assistance for current or future awardees/partners, and report products to funding partners, the general public (e.g., in newsletters, on the website), and/or the Trust staff.
• Develop a suite of professional development activities, which could include participating in (and presenting at) conferences, at seminars, at symposia, and/or in publications.
• Advance recommendations received from the Trust’s external diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice advisory committee and the Trust’s internal action team.

Qualifications

• The successful candidate must have specific experience and a track record of success with engagement of communities in community health and natural resources issues.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders, using strong communication and interpersonal skills to support collaborative efforts and achieve objectives.
• Experience engaging disadvantaged communities is a plus.

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

• 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).
• Ability to work independently as well as in group settings.
• Exceptional project management and time-management skills, with the ability to manage and meet tight deadlines.

Position Salary and Benefits

$50,000-$60,000 with an excellent benefits package and opportunities for related professional development through workshops, training programs, and conferences.

Benefits include: 

• Health Insurance with choice of medical plan and prescription, dental, vision, and life and disability insurance options, along with flexible spending accounts
• 401K retirement savings program with match
• Starting at 10 accrued vacation days, 4 personal days, and 7 accrued sick leave days annually
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Professional Development fund

Application Instructions and Deadline

The position will remain open until filled. Please submit a resume and cover letter for full consideration. Your cover letter is the most important piece of your application.  In your cover letter, please address your ability, based on your skills and experience, to accomplish the specific duties of the position as outlined above. Please describe why you would be an excellent member of the Trust team and why you would be an excellent choice for this position. Applicants that do not address these two points in a cover letter but instead simply outline past experience are unlikely to be considered.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, 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, Virginia, 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.