Manager, Midwest Urban Forestry

American Forests• US,

4d•Remote

About The Position

American Forests (AF) is seeking a Technical Assistance Manager to join its Urban Forestry Field Delivery team. This role is crucial for expanding AF's impact in equitable urban forestry, focusing on the Midwest region. The Manager will provide technical expertise, workforce and funding opportunities, and policy guidance to help U.S. cities achieve Tree Equity. The team delivers tools, resources, and technical assistance to city and state leaders, serving as front-line staff to engage new cities and support existing ones in their progress towards Tree Equity. The Midwest region faces challenges such as aging infrastructure, declining tree populations, and limited municipal resources, increasing vulnerability to environmental stressors. The Manager will prioritize supporting Catalyst Fund grantee-partners, primarily municipalities leading urban and community forestry projects in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Requirements

3-5 years of professional experience in urban forestry or a closely related field, ideally in the Midwest, with familiarity working alongside municipal or state agencies, community-based organizations, and other local or regional partners.
Demonstrable knowledge of urban ecology, urban forestry and arboriculture standards and best practice, municipal operations, canopy assessment, and community-based approaches to tree planting and care.
Relevant experience in policy, planning, or community engagement is also valued.
Ability to learn and apply American Forests’ tools and resources, and to explain technical concepts clearly to partners with varied backgrounds and expertise.
Experience collaborating with racially, culturally and economically diverse audiences and supporting partnership-based approaches to collaboration, including past participation or leadership in working groups, coalitions, or working teams.
Experience supporting and coordinating a portfolio of projects in a remote work environment, with the ability to support deliverables, track progress, and contribute to shared performance goals.
Interest in supporting program sustainability and growth, including assisting with developing project proposals, maintaining documentation, and implementation of funded scopes of work.
Familiarity with social equity and environmental justice principles, objectives and practices as they relate to urban forestry, community investment, and access to tree canopy.
Experience working with grants, contracts, or public funding.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust, document work clearly, and support productive partner relationships.
Highly organized and proactive, with strong attention to detail, comfort working in a dynamic environment, and willingness to help improve team systems and processes over time.
Commitment to American Forests’ values, which include advancing the interests of all people, embracing all perspectives, prioritizing work not by popularity but what is needed most and empowering people to take action, and a commitment to social and environmental justice.

Nice To Haves

Education or credentials in urban forestry, urban planning, landscape architecture, environmental science, or related field preferred.
ISA Certified Arborist and/or Certified Urban Forest Professional strongly preferred, or ability to attain certification within 3 months.

Responsibilities

Maintain regular communication with grantee partners, city staff, state agencies, community-based organizations and other regional partners to stay informed of their needs, barriers, and gaps.
Deliver on project scopes, timelines, budgets, and deliverables for assigned technical assistance projects.
Manage logistics, timelines, and documentation of all project activities.
Steward partner relationships across the region by responding to requests and tracking local needs to inform technical assistance approach and offerings.
Proactively develop new relationships, project opportunities, and technical assistance offerings to grow impact.
Contribute to workshops, trainings, webinars, and presentations to deliver American Forests’ tools and resources to a variety of audiences, both in the Midwest and nationally.
Train and assist partners in using Tree Equity Score, Tree Equity Handbook, and other tools and resources to advance local, state and regional Tree Equity programs and projects.
Contribute to a technical assistance library by identifying and/or developing valuable resources, case studies, and project summaries.
Manage administrative tasks including scheduling, file organization, expense tracking, and internal coordination.
Participate in team meetings, trainings, planning sessions, and organization-wide activities.
Provide support for national initiatives and special projects as capacity and regional priorities allow.
Manage and report regional project information via Airtable and Microsoft Office tools, including supporting the Director in developing regional project narratives and budget updates upon request.
Provide additional support on other duties as assigned to collaborate across the team and ensure the successful delivery and administration of team strategies.