Manager - Federal Relations/ORLP Technical Assistance Program (Temporary)

Trust for Public Land•Washington DC, WA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that partners with communities to create parks and protect public lands. This role supports TPL’s implementation of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) technical assistance program in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS). ORLP is a nationwide competitive grant program that funds land and water acquisition for parks and outdoor recreation, as well as development or renovation of outdoor recreation facilities. TPL and NPS aim to help communities create parks and recreation spaces across all 50 states, U.S. territories and commonwealths, and Tribal, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. The manager is the program’s day-to-day operational lead, responsible for overall coordination, strategic implementation, partner engagement, and technical assistance delivery. The role coordinates staff, consultants, NPS partners, and other stakeholders to ensure program goals, deliverables, timelines, and funding requirements are met. It works across federal grants, technical assistance, capacity building, administration, and communications, and collaborates with organizational leadership and the Federal Relations and Center for Community Impact teams. This is a temporary, full-time, term-limited position dependent on available funding, anticipated to conclude December 31, 2027. TPL uses a hybrid work environment, and the role is ideally located near its Washington, DC office.

Requirements

At least five years of work experience in related fields.
Knowledge of federal grants, parks, public lands, outdoor recreation, Tribal and Indigenous lands, or related fields.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects and partnerships.
Experience designing and facilitating trainings, workshops, or peer-learning programs.
Demonstrated ability to identify risks, improve processes, and implement operational efficiencies.
Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills.
Experience working with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, and cross-sector partners.
Experience managing consultants, contracts, subgrantees, and external project partners.
Strong project management and budget management skills, including experience managing projects within established financial parameters.
Strong commitment to TPL’s shared values of Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope.
Bachelor’s degree in planning, environmental studies, political science, community development, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is preferred.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor’s degree in planning, environmental studies, political science, community development, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day operations and administration of the ORLP technical assistance program, overseeing program goals, objectives, milestones, and outcomes.
Coordinate program activities across staff and NPS partners.
Manage relationships with staff, consultants, and partners to ensure successful completion of deliverables.
Support strategic decision-making and collaborate with organizational leadership on program priorities and opportunities.
Collaborate with the Federal Relations and Center for Community Impact teams to implement program outcomes.
Support internal training and onboarding for staff delivering TPL’s one-on-one application support program.
Provide tailored, hands-on assistance to help eligible communities navigate the ORLP application process.
Share resources to help communities identify high-impact outdoor recreation projects, evaluate ORLP eligibility, develop local match funding strategies, and plan feasible implementation pathways.
Identify training needs to build local capacity among first-time applicants.
Collaborate with program leadership to design and deliver webinars and learning opportunities about ORLP and its technical assistance offerings.
Develop tools, resources, and training materials for internal and external audiences.
Strengthen relationships among communities, state agencies, and federal agencies to support long-term collaboration.