Capital Project Manager – Southern Appalachia

Who We Are:

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is the leader of a movement to connect everyone in America to the outdoors. A national nonprofit, TPL partners with communities to create high-quality parks and protect public lands—especially in communities that need them most—to improve public health, create social cohesion, strengthen historic and cultural connection to place, and increase climate resilience. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, generated over $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit www.tpl.org

position Summary: Building on 30 years of conservation and outdoor leadership across the Southeast, Appalachia United Outdoor Program seeks a Project Manager to lead and deliver outdoor recreation capital projects across Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. This position will focus on managing the completion of community trail networks, stream access, regional shared-use trails, and other priority outdoor recreation destination amenities supporting economically distressed and rural communities across Appalachia. The Project Manager will oversee projects that expand equitable access to the outdoors, enhance connectivity between communities, and generate health, wellness, and economic benefits

Essential Functions:

• Project Management & Delivery (60%)
  • Independently manage outdoor recreation infrastructure projects, master planning, design-development, permitting, procurement, and construction management for a variety of outdoor recreation infrastructure projects.
  • Oversee and manage engineering consultants, environmental contractors, construction managers to deliver completed capital improvement projects that realize economic impact for priority communities across Southern Appalachia.
  • Actively create and manage project budgets, contracts, schedules, and funding reporting requirements.
• Partnership Development (20%)
  • Build and strengthen collaborations to activate public lands with outdoor recreation alongside local governments, counties, state and federal agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations.
  • Support local coalitions and steering committees to ensure strong community engagement and project alignment.
  • Serve as a regional advocate for outdoor recreation as a driver of economic development, health, and resilience.
• Funding & Resource Development (10%)
  • Pursue and manage public funding sources for trail, park, and recreation projects (federal, state, and local).
  • Support philanthropic strategies in collaboration with partner staff to secure operational and capital resources.
• Community Engagement & Advocacy (10%)
  • Act as a spokesperson for Appalachia United Outdoor Program at public meetings, community events, and in the media.
  • Promote the importance of outdoor recreation access in strengthening local economies, protecting natural resources, and improving quality of life

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent expertiserequired; Master’s in planning, landscape architecture, natural resources, or related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in public interest design, construction management, conservation, land use planning, or related infrastructure project management.
• Knowledge of environmental permitting, civil design and engineering, and public funding processes for trails and recreation.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex construction projects with diverse partners.
• Strong public speaking, writing, and communication skills.
• Experience working with political jurisdictions at multiple levels (local, state, federal).
• Ability to travel across TN, GA, AL, SC, and NC up to 30% of the time, including some evenings and weekends.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with Appalachian landscapes, economies, and communities.
• Experience with local and regional trail development, Rail to Trails conversions, stream access projects, or community-informed trail network development.
• Familiarity with federal, state, and local funding sources (e.g., LWCF, DOT, EPA, state recreation grants) and associated compliance requirements.
• Experience overseeing procurement processes, contractor selection, and consultant management.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with public agencies, community organizations, design teams, and construction partners.
• Skilled in translating community engagement into project scope and design decisions.
• Knowledge of environmental assessments, remediation considerations, and resilience/sustainability best practices.
• Strong risk-management skills and ability to foresee and resolve issues during design and construction.
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Asana, Smartsheet, GIS platforms).
• Comfortable navigating political environments and communicating technical issues to non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing board materials, funder updates, and public presentations.
• Passion for advancing outdoor access for all through community-centered design and strengthening outdoor recreation economies.

Compensation:

Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment, and this role will ideally be located in Tennessee with the ability to travel to NC, SC, GA, and AL. As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for the Trust for Public Land’s comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, vacation and sick pay plus holidays, a year end office closure, and a 403(b)-retirement plan, currently with up to a 7% company match. We offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience; the anticipated hiring range for this position is $82,400-$96,000.

Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.