Manager - Federal Relations/ORLP Technical Assistance Program (Temporary)

Who We Are:

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is the leader of a movement to connect everyone in America to the outdoors. A national nonprofit, TPL partners with communities to create high-quality parks and protect public lands - especially in communities that need them most - to improve public health, create social cohesion, strengthen historic and cultural connection to place, and increase climate resilience. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, generated over $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.

Position Summary:

This role supports the implementation of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) technical assistance program that Trust for Public Land (TPL) deploys in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS administers the competitive ORLP grant program nationwide to invest in projects that acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes and to develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities. Through this partnership, TPL and NPS are committed to helping more communities create new parks and outdoor recreation spaces in all 50 States, U.S. Territories and Commonwealths, and in Tribal, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. The Senior Fellow is responsible for overall program coordination, strategic implementation, partner engagement, and delivery of technical assistance.

This position serves as the day-to-day operational lead for the program, coordinating staff, consultants, NPS partners, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure successful execution of program goals, deliverables, timelines, and funding requirements. The manager works across multiple disciplines including federal grants, technical assistance, capacity building, administration, and communications.

This position is term-limited, and dependent on available funding, with an anticipated end date of December 31, 2027.

Essential Functions

Program Management and Implementation (30%)

• Lead program operations and administration of the ORLP technical assistance program, overseeing day-to-day implementation of program goals, objectives, milestones, and outcomes.
• Coordinate program activities across multiple staff and NPS partners.
• Manage relationships with staff, consultants, and partners to ensure project deliverables are completed successfully.
• Support strategic decision-making and collaborate with organizational leadership on program priorities and opportunities.
• Serve as a thought partner and collaborator with the Federal Relations and Center for Community Impact teams to implement program outcomes.

Technical Assistance (35%)

• Support the implementation of internal trainings and onboarding for staff that will implement TPL’s signature one-on-one application support program.
• Provide tailored, hands-on technical support to help eligible communities successfully navigate the ORLP application process.
• Share resources that support communities in their identification of high-impact outdoor recreation projects, evaluation of ORLP eligibility, development of local match funding strategies, and structuring feasible implementation pathways.
• Identify training needs to build local capacity for first-time applicants.

Resource Development and Outreach (35%)

• Collaborate with program leadership to design and implement webinars and learning opportunities to socialize the ORLP program and technical assistance offerings.
• Develop tools, resources, and training materials that support internal and external audiences for ORLP technical assistance program implementation.
• Help strengthen relationships among communities, state agencies, and federal agencies to support long-term collaboration.

Qualifications

• Strong commitment to TPL’s shared values (Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope) to effectively work across the organization.
• Bachelor’s degree in planning, environmental studies, political science, community development, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.
• Minimum five (5) years of work experience within related fields.
• Knowledge of federal grants, parks, public lands, outdoor recreation, tribal and indigenous lands, or related fields.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects and partnerships.
• Experience designing and facilitating trainings, workshops, or peer-learning programs.
• Demonstrated ability to identify risks, improve processes, and implement operational efficiencies.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Experience working with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, and cross-sector partners.
• Experience managing consultants, contracts, subgrantees, and external project partners.
• Strong project management and budget management skills, including experience managing projects within established financial parameters.

Compensation:

Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment, and this role will ideally be located near our Washington DC office. As a temporary, full-time employee, you will be eligible for the Trust for Public Land’s comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, sick pay, a personal day, and a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the anticipated hiring range for this temporary position is $82,500-90,000. This role is set to conclude on December 31, 2027.

Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.