Stewardship Manager

The Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance (TERA) is a cross-cultural, multi-organizational collaborative that works to revitalize ecology, economy, and culture through indigenous-led stewardship. The mission of TERA, founded in 2019, is to cultivate land stewardship, livelihood, and leadership skills that weave collaborative relationships between Tribal members and the community at large for the benefit of all lands and beings. Our program goals include:

• Strengthen ties to land and culture
• Connect tribal members with meaningful livelihoods and culturally relevant work in their ancestral territories
• Regenerate local ecology of the North Coast Ranges, and improve resilience to fire
• Build capacity for Native voices to play a central role in land stewardship

TERA is in a dynamic growth phase and is building a team of professionals who are deeply committed to TERA’s vision.  

POSITION SUMMARY

The Stewardship Manager is an organized project manager who thrives in carrying a stewardship project from planning to completion. The ideal candidate has ample grant and project management experience, a deep knowledge of California coast range ecology and stewardship, with a focus on fuels reduction, beneficial burning, and management of CEQA and NEPA environmental review processes. The Stewardship Manager will work closely and collaboratively with the Executive Director (ED), TERA stewardship crew, program team, and partner organizations, to plan, implement, and oversee the implementation of ecocultural stewardship projects and associated grants from conception to completion. The position is estimated to be approximately 80% administrative work in the office, and 20% field work.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in ecology, natural resources, forestry, or related field OR equivalency of 2-4 years experience working within the natural resources field
• Familiarity with the concept and application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge
• Experience working with Tribal nations and knowledgeable about contemporary challenges, concerns, and interests of Lake County Tribal community and ecology
• 3 + years experience as Project Manager implementing fuels management and/or restoration projects
• 3 + years experience managing CEQA and/or NEPA processes
• Proficient mapping skills - preferably GIS, and/or CalTopo
• 3 + years of grant management experience
• Proficiency and flexibility with office technology, specifically Google Drive, Mac and/or PC operating systems, smartphones, conference calls (Zoom), Word, and Excel
• Able to work with diverse groups and build and maintain strong working relationships
• Able to develop and follow a prioritized plan of work, set and keep deadlines, and work on multiple projects concurrently
• Strong communication skills with the ability to listen well, and write and speak effectively
• Able to contribute to a high-functioning, collaborative team environment
• Vehicle and valid driver’s license

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Grant Management

• Manage timeline, deliverables, budget, and reporting for the following stewardship-focused grants:
  • CalFire Tribal Wildfire Resilience Grant; CalFire MultiTribal Fire Prevention Grant; Fire & Water: EcoCultural Stewardship of Tule; BLM Fuels Project; USFS Fuels Project; EcoCultural Stewardship of Clover Creek; etc.
• Collaborate with development staff on submitting accurate and descriptive grant reports on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis

Stewardship Project Management

• With support from the staff Environmental Planner, manage the pipeline of TERA’s ecocultural stewardship work from project inception through implementation
  • Project Design: Conduct collaborative site visits with Tribal and agency partners, TERA crew, and develop maps, prescriptions, and stewardship project plans that reflect Tribal ecocultural values and priorities
  • Environmental Review: Oversee environmental review (CEQA / NEPA) processes for stewardship work
  • Budget & Timeline: Manage budget and timeline to ensure timely and cost-effective completion of project work
  • Implementation: Work with intertribal hand crew to schedule project work and maintain a steady flow of work for the crew
  • Monitoring: Create regular check-ins on the work, provide feedback to the crew about work quality, and on occasion create monitoring plans
  • Reporting: Work with team to draft maps, track acres complete, and provide appropriate updates to partners

Teamwork & Supervision

• Supervise Environmental Planner and oversee environmental review CEQA / NEPA process
• Collaborate with staff to integrate crew training into stewardship projects
• Coordinate with TERA program staff as needed to support implementation of program goals (including providing subject matter information for TERA informational materials, training for implementation crews, community outreach field days, etc.)

$70,000-80,000 annually