[This was the position an NRES alumna started in at Heartlands Conservancy over 8 years ago and she would love to hire other NRES alumni.]
HeartLands Conservancy is growing, and so is our team! We're a nonprofit environmental organization located in downtown Belleville, Illinois, that works with communities, partners, farmers, and agencies to preserve land and water; promote greener, resilient places to live; and get people outside. Our mission is to conserve, connect, and restore the natural and cultural resources that sustain the communities of southwestern Illinois.
We're looking for our next Environmental Programs Associate. You're the one we're looking for if you're collaborative and detail-oriented. You love solving complex problems and working with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to tell a story. You thrive working in a team environment and providing support to multiple team members and projects simultaneously. You have good organization, time management, and communication skills. Oh, and you love maps, wildlife, the environment, and the St. Louis Metro East.
Minimum Requirements
You must have at least a bachelor's degree in natural resource management, sustainability, environmental science, geography, GIS, or a related field. Equivalent work experience will be considered.
You must have experience and working knowledge of ESRI ArcGIS software, Microsoft excel and word.
Again, these are minimum requirements. Read on if you have those skills and experience.
About HeartLands Conservancy
Before we get into more of the position details, let's talk about what we do. We're the largest nonprofit environmental organization serving southwestern Illinois. We believe that nature has the power to strengthen and transform communities in the St. Louis Metro East. For over 30 years, we have been working to improve the quality of our drinking water, better manage flooding, increase biodiversity, promote smarter development patterns, and create healthier and happier places.
Our work has a huge impact on people's lives, and that's what we love most.
About Our Team
You'll be working with the entire HeartLands team in a critical support role. You'll be reporting to Mary, the President & CEO. However, the majority of your work will be providing support to our project manager, Tyler; conservation manager, Sarah; and strategic initiatives director, Laura. These team members lead our big projects and initiatives, are extremely talented, and really love coffee.
As we said earlier, you'll be working with the whole team. We all currently live in southwestern Illinois. Many of us grew up here, came back here to raise (or be nearer to) our families, or fell in love with it and never want to leave. We are fierce champions for our region and often serve as representatives of the area to the larger St. Louis Metro, the state, and the midwest - sometimes even the nation!
We have a team of truly exceptional people who are passionate about all of the above and have the technical skills and drive to get the work done.
About the Position
The primary role of the Environmental Programs Associate is to support the team in completing a diversity of environmental projects within the Metro East region. This will include managing and displaying GIS data, preparing written reports, research, and planning/conducting public outreach events.
The position works extensively with ESRI ArcGIS software to create useful and readable maps. A significant portion of the work involves collecting, digitizing, storing, interpreting, and displaying GIS data layers. Layers are most often related to natural resources, such as soils, floodplains, contours, and land cover. Prior experience in creating and managing databases, such as in Excel or Access, is necessary to be successful in the position.
The position requires proficiency in communication skills, both internally and externally. You will need good writing skills, ideally with experience in writing about environmental resources. You'll also need to be able to provide regular status updates to your teammates, present findings to diverse audiences, and respond warmly to client and public inquiries. Work also includes research and presenting research to the team and clients.
The position often requires other duties as assigned. You will occasionally need to be outdoors in a variety of conditions - weather, terrain, and remote locations. You'll need to attend site visits with a variety of teammates, and you will assist with other organizational events, such as our hiking club, treks series, education events, and fundraisers. You'll need to travel throughout the region and sometimes the state for a variety of reasons. We reimburse mileage beyond your typical commute at the federal rate.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 30 pounds. Long periods of sitting required. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
You are our ideal candidate if you:
Have a degree and some experience with GIS mapping, Microsoft excel and word
Are able to quickly understand the team and clients' needs and create deliverables that work for specific projects.
Excel at juggling multiple projects and timelines.
Are dependable and able to meet client, grant, and internal deadlines.
Are intensely curious. You'll ask your colleagues lots of questions as you learn our processes, mapping styles, and project needs.
Can integrate, communicate, and make sense of ALL THE DATA and information involved with our projects, for yourself, clients, and to help others make better decisions.
Can communicate, listen, explain, persuade, explore and otherwise get all the things done in writing. Yes, we like talking to each other, but much of our teamwork happens at different times and through digital communications (such as email).
We work collaboratively here so you'll listen to ideas, questions, and critiques from teammates with grace and patience. That said, you know your stuff and can logically explain decisions. You see this type of exchange as critical to the success of yourself and our organization.
Bonus Points:
You already live in/grew up in/have a connection to and love the Metro East/southwestern Illinois (not required but a bonus!)
You have some knowledge of or experience with Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop
You know what HUC stands for
You've used google docs or sheets in team projects
Experience working and communicating directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds
Experience considering the impacts of the work on multiple communities, including communities of color, in technical analysis
Ability to speak Spanish
More Details About the Position:
You'll be working full-time, 40 hours per week.
The starting salary range is $37,500-41,000 per year, depending on qualifications. Salary is reviewed once annually.
We reimburse you up to $450/month to cover your medical, dental, and vision premiums.
We're all adults. There's no need to punch a clock, or ask for permission to take off early one afternoon to go see the doctor. We look at what you're accomplishing; not how long you sit in front of a computer. So, we provide flexible scheduling options, with vacation and medical paid time-off, as well as 10 paid holidays.
We know that life happens, so after 90-days, all full-time employees qualify for up to four (4) weeks of paid family medical leave to care for the birth/adoption of a child, family member, or your own serious health condition.
After working here for a year, you're eligible to participate in our SIMPLE IRA, and we provide a 3% match to your contributions.
So, you meet most of the above criteria, and enjoyed (endured?) reading this incredibly long job description? Then here's how you apply for the position:
Application Process:
Email, with the subject line Environmental Programs Associate – [Your Name], the following docs (keep it under 5MB total, please):
Resume, not to exceed three pages
List of References, not to exceed one page
Cover Letter, not to exceed two pages
Send to: careers@heartlandsconservancy.org
This position will remain open until we've made an offer. Candidates will be contacted for further consideration. We'd like to fill this position by the end of May 2020, so the first round of interviews will likely be at the end of March or in early April.
We are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage applications from candidates of color.
HeartLands Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. HeartLands prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, disability, veteran status, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation (real or perceived), or any other characteristic protected by applicable United States federal or Illinois state law.
See https://www.heartlandsconservancy.org/careers.php.
