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Primary Purpose of the Position:
The Minnesota Program Manager provides the leadership role in NPCA’s park protection work of the Upper Midwest, including parks in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Reporting to NPCA’s Midwest Regional Office (MWRO), the manager is directly responsible for identifying park protection issues, developing and executing park protection campaigns in coordination with MWRO staff in Chicago and local partners, building and sustaining ally networks, maintaining relationships with key Minnesota NPCA supporters, and coordinating Upper Midwest advocacy on NPCA’s national park priorities. The Program Manager is responsible for:
- Developing and executing park protection campaigns at the national parks of Minnesota and South Dakota; working in cooperation with MW Regional Director and other key staff;
- Building support for NPCA’s air quality campaign in Minnesota and working to advance the goals of that campaign with members of NPCA’s air and climate team;
- Advancing NPCA’s organizational priorities, such as park funding, Land & Water Conservation funding, the America’s Great Outdoors initiatives, and other priorities as they arise;
- Maintaining, expanding, and deploying NPCA network of parks advocates and supporters in support of those campaigns;
- Cultivating and maintaining relationships with Minnesota donors and supporters, including Minnesota members of the Midwest Regional Council, with the support of the MWRO and NPCA’s Development team;
- Cultivating relationships with Minnesota and South Dakota Congressional delegation in support of our park protection campaigns, our national parks and NPCA priorities.
Essential Functions: % of Time
- Park Protection/NPCA Strategic Campaigns: 75%
- Coordinating with NPCA’s Air Program staff, the Program Manager (PM) will become an active participant within NPCA’s Air/Climate Team. The PM will have as a goal, heightening media focus on this issue and will emphasize stimulating grassroots and grasstops engagement on air quality issues; testifying at Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; building the air coalition; and other actions in our air quality campaign.
- The Program Manager will oversee and further develop park protection campaigns at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Voyageurs National Park. The PM will work with the Regional Director on park protection at Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore.
- Through increased program work at Voyageurs, St. Croix, Mississippi River, and Badlands, the PM will extend the base of allies and partners that NPCA is currently working with.
- The PM will work with members of Connecting People & Parks to raise awareness of Mississippi National River and Recreation Area as a good model of engagement and partnership in an urban national park.
- The PM will cultivate the Minnesota and South Dakota Congressional delegations to support NPCA park funding campaigns and other critical NPCA and park-specific priorities.
- Working with NPCA’s media team, the PM will represent NPCA’s Upper Midwest park issues to media in an effort to engage and educate media about the importance of our issues at these parks.
- Development 25%
- The PM will work with Regional Director of Development to establish a goal for increasing the number of Capital Campaign prospects and also to develop, with the direct oversight of the RD, a development plan specific to the Upper Midwest.
- The PM will work directly with the RD and development foundation staff so that the Minnesota program is presented to the appropriate foundations in the state.
- The PM will help lead the Minnesota caucus of the MWRO Regional Council, a group of grasstop leaders that help advance NPCA’s program and fundraising agenda.
Total 100%
Other:
This position will be NPCA’s only staff member in Minnesota, and although the office will be situated in close proximity or in the same building as NPCA partners or allies, the position will essentially be a “one-person” operation. The Minnesota Program Manager must possess initiative to work in a relatively isolated setting, removed from co-workers, while being focused on goal-oriented campaign development and execution to protect national parks.
Promotes policies that are sensitive to the needs of a diverse workforce. Respect employees regardless of their position or background. Participates in developing department goals, objectives, and systems. Participates in administrative staff meetings, organization-wide meetings, staff committee meetings, training programs, and attends other meetings and seminars as designated by the supervisor. Assists in evaluation of reports, decisions, and results of department in relation to established goals. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee in this position.
Minimum Work Schedule: 37.5 hours per week, Monday – Friday; will periodically require weekend and evening work. Significant local and regional travel required for meetings and events. Other required travel (can change from year to year): Periodic trips to Chicago for MWRO staff meetings; Washington D.C. for new employee orientation; annual one week staff retreat in Washington D.C. area; annual one week regional staff retreat in a national park.
Minimum Scope of Position: Interacts with MWRO Staff, Government Relations, Development, Communications, and other NPCA departments.
Minimum Qualifications, Competencies, Skills, Education, and Traits:
- BA or BS required.
- Minimum three-four years of experience designing, coordinating and implementing public relations, issues, or conservation campaigns;
- Interest in and/or experience with federal agencies, national park and public lands issues;
- Superior communications skills, both verbal and written;
- Demonstrated ability to work with a variety of individuals and organizations and build effective coalitions;
- Record of accomplishment and productivity in an individualized workplace;
- Strong self-starter; able to work independently;
- Proven creative and strategic thinking skills;
- Basic computer skills.
Core Values
Live, honor, and own the organization’s Core Values:
- Commitment to Mission: Commitment to the national parks is essential to our success.
- Empowerment: Having the tools, skills, facts and inspiration to advocate on behalf of the national parks.
- Teamwork: Teamwork, built on a fundamental trust in and respect for each other, is integral to our success.
- Accountability: Being accountable to each other, our members, and the public, as well as to the excellence, timeliness, and integrity of our work, and the implementation of these core values.
- Innovation: Exercising insightful creativity, perseverance, and strategic risk-taking to successfully complete our work.
- Diversity: We believe in and celebrate the diversity of cultural backgrounds, community traditions, and political perspectives at NPCA and in the National Park System. By integrating such diversity into our work, we will most effectively accomplish our mission.
Physical Effort and Dexterity: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Physical Environment: This position will be NPCA’s only staff member in Minnesota, and although the office will be situated in close proximity to NPCA partners, the position will essentially be a “one-person” operation.
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