Program Manager- Restoration

Program Manager - Restoration

Position Background:

The Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust), a non-profit grantmaking organization, seeks a Program Manager on the Restoration Team for our Annapolis, MD, location. The person in this position will lead a team of three to five staff that implement grant programs supporting stormwater retrofits, climate resiliency, native plants and habitat enhancement, research, and clean water goals for communities in the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Bays, and Youghiogheny watersheds. The person in this role reports to the Vice President of Programs for Restoration and will work closely with the other Program Manager(s) on the Restoration Team.

The person in this role must be both a “doer” and a “thinker” and perform a wide variety of tasks both strategic and tactical. This is a hybrid position with an anticipated minimum of two days per week in the office, and the others may be remote. This person will be a key member of a high-energy, collaborative team of 40+ professionals who work diligently to advance the Trust’s mission and daily consider the Trust’s core values of learning, science and innovation, grantee focus, diversity and inclusion, fiscal responsibility, and transparency accountability. This is a full-time, salaried position (40 hours per week).

The full Restoration team manages award programs and partnerships that fund stormwater best management practice (BMP) planning, design, and implementation; research on certain BMPs where there are gaps in knowledge; and small-scale individual landowner rebate programs. This Program Manager position will support his/her/their sub-department as they manage funding from ~20 sources to make new awards to community-based grantees, local governments, and contractors; manage existing awards; and report to partners. The Program Manager will take a lead on developing new partnerships and managing existing partnerships. The position will require site visits a few times a month to proposed and completed project sites.

Established in 1985, the Chesapeake Bay Trust uses grant-making as a method to promote community-based participation in the restoration and protection of the natural resources of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay region. In the past fifteen years, the Trust has doubled its grant-making five times through new revenue from a wide range of partners, with current annual grant-making of approximately $25 million. The Trust currently allocates these funds through 350 to 400 awards per year to entities who apply through open, competitive calls for proposals as well as programs such as the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps.

Specific Responsibilities:

The Program Manager will play a pivotal role in driving the Trust's mission forward through the following responsibilities:

• Administer a portion of the Restoration team’s award program portfolio that is focused on stormwater management and restoration best management practices (BMPs), climate resiliency, native plants and habitat enhancement, restoration research, and supporting clean water goals for communities, including leading one or two grant programs (e.g., Pooled Monitoring Initiative’s Restoration Research Award Program) and overseeing staff to lead the remaining programs in the portfolio.

Specific activities include:

• Conducting outreach across the region to encourage new and diverse applicants
• Providing technical assistance, supporting applicants in developing strong proposals
• implementing grant proposal review stages that are informed by the Trust’s existing review committee process
• Preparing award summaries for decision by the Trust’s Board of Trustees
• Administer awards in a wide range of sizes ($5,000 to potentially as large as $1M), including preparing award agreements and contracts, assisting awardees, reviewing status and final reports, approving payments, reviewing revisions, and more
• Ensuring programs are staffed and supported, including tracking budgets, preparing job descriptions, interviewing candidates, developing work plans, and overseeing work plans
• Considering and lead new efforts to overcome barriers and realize better restoration outcomes (e.g., convening on topics of interest to the Trust such as maintenance, resiliency, etc.)
• Developing a suite of professional development activities to undertake, which could include participating in and presenting at conferences, at seminars, at symposia, and/or in publications
• Taking on other duties as assigned and that are associated with all Trust staff

Qualifications and Skills:

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of professional experience, at least 5 of which demonstrate progressive experience.

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

• • Strategic thinking skills: ability to set priorities, balance short-term and long-term objectives
  • Skills in staff management and mentorship
  • Proficiency in managing budgets and contracts
  • Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite of programs, especially spreadsheet programs
• Exceptional project management and time management skills, with the ability to manage and meet tight deadlines and deliver successful outcomes
• Ability to work independently as well as in group settings
• Demonstrated experience in and a track record of success in managing restoration efforts, e.g., watershed planning, oversight of design/implementation of restoration projects, implementing restoration projects, and/or active participation/membership in the Chesapeake Bay watershed/stormwater community
• Experience in engaging underserved and/or historically excluded communities
• Ability to conduct site visits to project locations (personal vehicle or access to a vehicle/transportation) and a valid driver’s license or access to transportation options required to facilitate site visit travel and travel to the office
• Experience using the latest science, research, and/or best practices to guide restoration efforts is a plus

If you have the qualifications and skills listed above, you are encouraged to apply.

Salary and Benefits: $93,000 to $105,000 with an excellent benefits package and opportunities for related professional development.

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, 7 accrued sick days, and personal days annually
  • Compensatory time available for overtime hours worked
  • Ten paid holidays per year
  • Individual Professional Development fund

A successful candidate with less experience in some of the responsibilities listed above will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of this range. A successful candidate with more experience in the responsibilities listed above will be considered at a higher starting salary.

Application Instructions and Deadline:

The position will remain open until filled, but for best consideration apply by September 15, 2025. Please submit your resume and cover letter. 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 earlier. Please do not simply list your previous experience. Your cover letter should describe what makes you a strong candidate specifically for this position, and why this position is a match for you.

The 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. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and have or are able to relocate to an address in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, or Washington, D.C. The Trust does not participate in programs that require sponsorship for work visas.