Project Manager Job Posting 2024 — Voyageurs Conservancy

Project Manager Position Posting

Come join the Voyageurs Conservancy, the official nonprofit partner of Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota! Voyageurs Conservancy’s mission is to connect people to Voyageurs National Park, enhance the visitor experience, and protect the park for present and future generations.

Encompassing 218,000 acres, Voyageurs National Park is one of the wildest, most scenic, geologically unique, culturally, and historically rich areas of Minnesota and the National Park system, enjoyed by over 250,000 visitors annually. The park is known for its amazing water-based recreation and camping experiences, pristine lakes and world-class fishing, boreal forests, calling loons, winter ice roads, and starry skies.

Voyageurs Conservancy partners with the National Park Service to support recreation and conservation projects, enhance the visitor experience, connect youth and families to the park, and protect the wild nature of Voyageurs for future generations. At Voyageurs Conservancy, we are dedicated to ensuring that Voyageurs National Park is a public park that is preserved and protected for all people and communities. Learn more about our organizational values at www.voyageurs.org/aboutus.

Voyageurs Conservancy is seeking a qualified, enthusiastic, and culturally-competent candidate to join our team as our Co-stewardship Project Manager to help establish meaningful Tribal partnerships and execute a new process to develop a co-stewardship plan at Voyageurs National Park. The position offers a unique opportunity to work jointly with the National Park Service and its nonprofit partner to create a meaningful framework for listening and integrating Tribal knowledge into park management, stewardship, interpretation and education. This person will know how to build relationships, honor culture, create energy toward a shared vision, build community, and navigate challenges. This position will require travel throughout Minnesota, occasionally out of state, and a deep knowledge of regional Tribal communities.

Project Background
The co-stewardship project at Voyageurs National Park aims to develop a meaningful, shared co-stewardship plan and partnership strategy between the park and 26 Affiliated Tribal Nations, Canadian First Nations and the Métis Nation of Ontario, across national boundaries. Located on the ceded treaty lands of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Voyageurs National Park also acknowledges 17 other federally recognized associated nations, along with seven Canadian First Nations closely connected to the park’s lands and waters and the Métis Nation of Ontario. To the people within the Tribal and First Nations communities, the international border is a geopolitical boundary which severs their relationships with land and each other.

Despite strong interest, Voyageurs National Park has previously lacked the capacity to build deep and authentic relationships with these Nations collectively. This effort will change that precedent and open sustained communication and relationship building channels. This step to build authentic partnership and collaboration with multiple Tribal communities will result in stronger and culturally responsive stewardship of Voyageurs National Park; richer interpretation, natural, and cultural resource programs; as well as a more inclusive and equitable landscape where

Indigenous communities can connect with their ancestral lands and own an ongoing shared leadership role in their stewardship. NPS staff, including Voyageurs National Park staff, the Tribal liaison at the Regional Office, and NPS leadership will be deeply involved in this project with the associated Tribal communities. This position will foster collaboration and implement co-stewardship initiatives between Voyageurs National Park and 26 associated Tribes, First Nations and the Métis. The goal is to integrate Indigenous knowledge and practices into park management and conservation.

Co-Stewardship Project Manager

  • Full-time exempt employee

  • Employment term Q1 2025 to December 31, 2027

  • 40 hours/week

  • Minnesota-based preferred. Hybrid position.

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop and maintain strong partnerships with Tribal governments, representatives, and community members.

  • Facilitate open communication and collaboration between Tribal/First Nations and park management.

  • Coordinate resources, schedules, and budgets for project activities.

  • Advocate for the preservation of traditional knowledge, cultural and natural resources.

  • Organize workshops, field days, and community events to engage community partners.

  • Identify funding opportunities and write grant proposals to support co-stewardship initiatives.

  • Manage project budgets and financial reporting.

  • Establish metrics to evaluate the success of co-stewardship initiatives and report findings.

  • Prepare regular updates and presentations for project partners and park management.

  • Acknowledge, review, and analyze complex and/or controversial elements of projects, using consensus-building techniques.

  • Negotiate project agreements and contracts for services.

  • Develop and implement methods for substantively involving the public in the planning process.

  • Write and/or coordinate the production of project reports, correspondence, and briefing materials.

  • Use cultural competency to build trust with Tribal and Indigenous communities.

  • Draft co-stewardship plan/framework and plan/strategies for ongoing success and collaboration.

  • Provide supervision and delegate tasks appropriately to the project assistant. Monitor their progress to maintain accountability and ensure alignment with project objectives

  • Create and manage a repository for knowledge, tools, and lessons learned from the project to support future initiatives and capacity building.

  • Develop and deliver training programs for NPS staff, Conservancy staff/members,Tribal partners, and community participants to enhance skills related to project objectives.

  • Design strategies for long-term sustainability of co-stewardship efforts beyond the scope of the current project.

  • Work with NPS staff to ensure project activities meet compliance requirements.

  • Mediate conflicts or disputes among rights holders to ensure project objectives are met in a spirit of collaboration

  • Support initial coordination, planning and resource development of associated projects that are developed from the co-stewardship planning process which may include interpretive, education, and cultural and natural resource projects.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in anthropology, environmental science, Indigenous studies, natural resource management, or related field.

  • Experience working with Indigenous communities in co-production of knowledge

  • Strong project management skills.

  • Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills

  • Ability to build trust and collaborate across cultures, especially Indigenous communities

  • Knowledge of conservation practices and environmental policies.

  • Practical knowledge, skills and experience in at least one of the following areas:
    Principles and practice of outdoor recreation, Traditional Knowledge, conservation, cultural and natural resources, land planning and protection

  • Diverse and deep knowledge and experience in developing planning strategies at various scales and designing implementation strategies that involve different and complex levels of government and the community including public involvement strategies.

  • Experience with bringing Indigenous groups and government groups together to collectively improve management of natural and/or cultural resources and/or interpretation

  • Knowledge of gathering data, analyzing complex problems, and making recommendations concerning conservation strategies and the significance of natural resource areas.

  • Ability to research, analyze, and interpret complex information.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in anthropology, environmental science, Indigenous studies, natural resource management, or related field

  • Familiarity with grant writing and fundraising processes

  • Experience working with Indigenous communities in co-management or stewardship contexts

  • Project management and supervisory experience

  • Practiced knowledge of appropriate practices to establish trust relationships with Tribal governments, Indigenous communities, and non-governmental organizations

  • Practical knowledge, skills and experience in several of the following areas:
    Principles and practice of outdoor recreation, Traditional Knowledge, conservation, cultural and natural resources, land planning and protection

  • Knowledge of National Park Service operations, especially natural and cultural resource management and Tribal relations

  • Possess practical knowledge and expertise relating to the NPS’ historical impact on Indigenous communities, Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous sovereignty, and governance.

Location

This position is hybrid, with in-person events and meetings required and the ability to work from home. Applicant expected to often be at Voyageurs National Park, Voyageurs Conservancy Headquarters, Tribal lands in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota, and First Nations and Métis lands in Ontario. Voyageurs Conservancy is based in Minneapolis and also has office space at Voyageurs National Park’s headquarters in International Falls.

Compensation and Benefits

  • Compensation: $80,000-$89,000

  • Health insurance, 50% employer premium paid for employee (family optional)

  • Health Savings Account (optional)

  • Simple IRA with up to 3% employee match

  • Paid time off and 11 holidays

  • Ongoing professional development and training

Working Conditions

  • Physical Environment: Typical office setting and home office

  • Employees travel within Minnesota and the Voyageurs National Park area, requiring some overnight trips. Employees are required to drive personal vehicles for official business.

  • We require some evenings and weekends for events.

  • We value flex hours and fostering work-life balance with our staff.

  • Occasionally events and programs require activities such as boating and hiking.

How to Apply

Send a cover letter, resume, and references (in one combined PDF document labeled with applicant name) to chausman@voyageurs.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and are due by December 27.

Voyageurs Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.