Position: Project Associate
Field: Land Conservation, Real Estate Transactions
Reports To: Conservation Director
Department: Transactions
Location: Seattle, WA
Position Type: Full time, Salaried, Exempt
Salary Range: $42,000
Benefits: Forterra’s benefits include ten paid holidays per year and up to 160 hours of paid time off (PTO) leave. Employees are eligible to enroll in the employer-sponsored medical, dental, and flexible spending account (FSA) plans. Employees are eligible to enroll in Forterra’s 401(k) program. Forterra also provides a subsidized Orca Card program for public transit commuters.
About
Forterra is a Green Pathways Partner. Green Pathways is a program that creates a pathway to the green sector for low-income young adults in living wage entry-level positions in the environmental justice movement.
Forterra aims to make sure the Pacific Northwest is livable and beautiful for generations to come. To accomplish this, Forterra focuses on land — how we all live, work and play sustainably on it today, knowing we will see significant growth over the next century.
Over the past 29 years they’ve become the common ground where people, often with very different points of view, come together around a shared love for this place. Forterra emphasize the connection between people and place — vibrant cities and healthy lands. Forterra work in all landscapes, from our most urban cities to our most majestic wild places. And they apply their broad range of skills including land conservation, stewardship, policy innovation and community engagement — all with one mission, to sustain our region.
Summary of Position
The Transaction Team engages in conservation and community building transactions in Western Washington. A key focus of this work is on conservation of natural resources in a variety of landscapes from wilderness to working forests, in remote areas as well as rural and suburban/urban settings. Resources that we focus on protecting include old-growth forests and other rare ecosystems, wildlife, fisheries, sustainable forestry or agriculture and outdoor recreation. Our team looks for opportunities to preserve and restore critical landscapes across western Washington.
This position would support lead transactions staff in property investigation, data gathering, resource analysis, and preparation of materials for grant applications and other needs, as well as grant writing. This position will provide research and grant writing experience in addition to building practical business and professional skills. The focus of this position will be on natural resources, supporting Forterra’s traditional land conservation work.
Specific Duties
I. Compiling readily available data. Approximately 35% of work hours. Project Associate will research and compile relevant data on a variety of resources, including water/wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat, topography, public use, and access. This work will include learning how Forterra makes decisions on what lands/projects to pursue for conservation, as well as learning about legal descriptions and mapping for conservation project inquiries. Project Associate will serve as the initial contact for landowners interested in conserving their properties. Project Associate will be responsible for logging and tracking conservation property inquiries.
II. Support Conservation Directors in Transactions Work. Approximately 20% of work hours. Order and track due diligence requirements, such as title reports, appraisals, property surveys, and environmental assessments. This work will include learning about each stage of due diligence for a land transaction, and what elements are required to complete an acquisition.
III. Assist Conservation Directors with billing and invoicing for projects and grants (accounts payable and account receivable). Approximately 25% of work hours. Includes coordination with Finance team members to process invoices, and ensure completeness and accuracy for our reimbursable expenses.
IV. Support of lead staff in transactional activities. Approximately 20% of work hours. This may include administrative tasks (copying, filling), routing and tracking documents for Forterra’s internal signature review process, and scheduling meetings with groups, such as landowners, funders and agencies.
Required Qualifications
- Experience balancing multiple projects at the same time, keeping them on track to meet different or competing deadlines.
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
- Resourcefulness and strong problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently and collaborate with a team.
- Excellent writing and communication skills.
- An interest in environmental protection, conservation of natural resources, wildlife and habitats, and/or environmental advocacy.
- Basic knowledge and experience with Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, and Outlook
Preferred Skills
- A competitive candidate should bring to the team useful knowledge and skills. In addition to the above required qualifications, it is a plus if candidates have a basic understanding of one or more of the following:
- Natural Sciences, Forestry, Environmental Studies, Geography, or related fields.
- State and federal lands (e.g., national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges; state parks, Natural Resource Conservation Areas (NRCAs), and Natural Area Preserves (NAPs)
- Public lands survey and legal descriptions
- Basic GIS skills to prepare maps and slides for presentations;
- ability to work with GIS manager on more elaborate mapping requirements
- Real estate transactions
- Grant writing
Travel, Working Conditions and Physical Environment
This position is subject to activities beyond typical indoor environmental conditions of a professional office setting. Forterra will provide accommodations for people who are differently abled. The physical requirements of this position may include:
- Ability to exert up to 30 pounds of force occasionally and/or an equivalent amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Handcarts and team member assistance are available for support as needed.
- Ability to sit or otherwise remain in a stationary position at a computer workstation for the majority of the work day. There is flexibility for the person to move between different locations inside the office as needed.
- Ability to frequently move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office equipment, etc.
- Typical team working hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Individuals may work with their team leader to determine a schedule that meets specific needs.
- Ability to communicate accurately with leadership, co-workers, and volunteer leadership, clients, and vendors about matters related to the daily operations of the organization.
- Ability to travel to and from Forterra’s office in downtown Seattle, occasionally attend partner and community meetings in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties, along with occasional field visits. Public transit, carpooling with team members and ZipCar are compensated for external meeting travel.
Background Check
A criminal background will not automatically eliminate you from consideration. However, because this position involves access to confidential/sensitive information and physical assets, Forterra will not hire into this position anyone who has been convicted of a criminal offense related to theft or fraud. A criminal history background check will be conducted on the final candidate prior to beginning employment.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Forterra believes that historic and current methods of real estate acquisition and development disproportionately affect the most marginalized people in society – including people of color, low-income people, women, and LGBTQ people. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members or other marginalized communities.
Forterra is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or any other class protected by law. Assistance and/or reasonable accommodations during the application process are available to individuals upon request. To request assistance or accommodation, please contact Human Resources at [email protected], 206-292-5907 and also cc Florence Sum at [email protected].