Senior Program Manager – Tennessee Urban Programs

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 tpl.org.

position Summary:

Building on more than 30 years of conservation, park, and community development leadership in Tennessee, Trust for Public Land seeks a Senior Program Manager, TN Urban Programs to advance equitable access to parks, public spaces, trails, schoolyards, and welcoming community places in Tennessee’s urban and growing communities.
The Senior Program Manager will lead a portfolio of urban park, public space, schoolyard, trail, and community development initiatives across Tennessee. Working under the direction of the Tennessee State Director and in close collaboration with Tennessee program staff, the Senior Program Manager will translate statewide priorities into coordinated workplans, cultivate municipal partnerships, apply subject-matter expertise to complex program challenges, and inform program design and innovation in execution.

The position will serve as a primary relationship manager for municipal and community partners, independently engaging local governments and organizations to help them leverage TPL’s national expertise, technical assistance resources, conservation tools, and implementation capacity. Working across Tennessee’s major metropolitan regions and emerging urban centers, the Senior Program Manager will engage municipal staff, department directors, city managers, elected officials, school district leadership, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders to identify opportunities, navigate competing priorities, and advance community goals.

The Senior Program Manager will work closely with Tennessee philanthropy, land protection, community strategy, and capital project management staff to coordinate resources and deliver integrated support to local partners. The role will identify risks outside the norm, recommend process improvements, and consider how project decisions affect other functions and the broader Tennessee program. While the position will help guide projects from concept through implementation, responsibility for technical design, construction oversight, and capital project delivery will reside with dedicated project management staff and consultants. Success will be measured not only by delivery of new public spaces, but by stronger civic participation, belonging, trust, and community influence for residents who will call these public spaces their own.

Essential Functions:
PROGRAM & PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Lead a portfolio of urban community development, park, schoolyard, trail, and public space initiatives across Tennessee, aligning work with the direction and priorities established by the Tennessee State Director.
• Coordinate multiple concurrent projects and partnerships, with accountability for workplans, project financial goals, timelines, partner commitments, and measurable outcomes.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned municipal and community partners, independently managing day-to-day relationships and advancing agreed-upon project tasks.
• Apply subject-matter knowledge at a high level of complexity and serve as a technical lead on urban parks, public space, schoolyards, and community development strategies.
• Identify risks outside the norm, opportunities for greater efficiency, and innovations in program execution; communicate recommendations and implications across the Tennessee team.

MUNICIPAL PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Develop and maintain productive working relationships with municipal staff, department directors, city managers, elected officials, school district leadership, nonprofit partners, and community stakeholders.
• Build and strengthen partnerships with local governments, public agencies, community organizations, and civic leaders to expand access to parks, public spaces, schoolyards, trails, and welcoming places that improve health and wellness, strengthen historic and cultural connections, grow social cohesion and civic engagement, and increase climate resilience.
• Independently represent TPL at municipal meetings, public events, conferences, and community planning discussions, communicating program goals and advancing project outcomes.
• Support local partners in identifying opportunities and structuring public-private partnerships that strengthen communities and align with TPL priorities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and connector, helping partners navigate complex opportunities and access relevant TPL resources and expertise.

COMMUNITY STRATEGY & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

• Implement Tennessee’s urban parks, public space, and community development priorities by translating statewide direction into actionable project strategies, workplans, and partnerships.
• Lead engagement activities in partnership with TPL’s Community Strategies team and Tennessee Welcoming Places Program for community visioning, planning, and public space implementation.
• Coordinate with TPL’s national technical assistance teams to integrate planning, policy, GIS, research, funding, and implementation support for local partners.
• Build local leadership and community capacity to turn community priorities into actionable projects, while identifying approaches that can strengthen program execution across Tennessee.
• Lead equitable community engagement processes grounded in accessibility, trust-building, cultural responsiveness, and clear feedback loops that show how community input shapes project development and implementation.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION

• Collaborate closely with Tennessee philanthropy staff to identify and steward opportunities that grow local and enterprise-wide donor pipelines; contribute to proposal development, donor engagement, and funder stewardship in support of program goals.
• Coordinate with Tennessee land protection staff to identify conservation, public access, park acquisition, and trail opportunities and ensure urban program work connects effectively with land protection strategies.
• Work alongside capital project management staff and consultants to transition projects from planning and partnership development into implementation and construction, with clear roles, handoffs, and accountability.
• Partner with Tennessee staff to align community engagement, conservation, public funding, philanthropy, and project delivery strategies, anticipating cross-functional impacts and resolving coordination challenges.
• Inform program design decisions for the Tennessee State Director and contribute innovative approaches that strengthen statewide and regional program execution.

ADVOCACY & EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

• Serve as an advocate for equitable access to parks, public spaces, outdoor recreation, and welcoming community environments.
• Communicate the health, economic, environmental, and community benefits of parks and public spaces to diverse audiences.
• Act as a spokesperson for TPL with municipal leaders, community organizations, donors, media, and other stakeholders, representing program priorities with sound judgment and professionalism.
• Promote TPL’s mission and role as a trusted partner helping Tennessee communities create vibrant, healthy, connected, and welcoming places.

Qualifications:

• Strong commitment to TPL’s shared values (Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope) and demonstrated ability to work effectively across the organization.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred in urban planning, public administration, community development, landscape architecture, public policy, geography, natural resources, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in urban planning, community development, municipal relations, public sector partnerships, parks and recreation, nonprofit leadership, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success leading multiple projects, partnerships, or community initiatives simultaneously, including accountability for workplans, budgets, timelines, and competing stakeholder interests.
• Experience independently working with municipal governments, public agencies, elected officials, nonprofit partners, and other external stakeholders to advance project outcomes.
• Advanced facilitation, coalition-building, and community engagement skills, with the ability to serve as a technical lead in areas of subject-matter expertise.
• Knowledge of public funding programs, grant opportunities, community development strategies, and the interdependencies among program, philanthropy, conservation, and project delivery processes.
• Demonstrated ability to identify non-routine risks, recommend process improvements, inform program design decisions, and implement innovative approaches to program execution.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to travel throughout Tennessee, including occasional evening and weekend commitments. Experience mentoring or supervising staff, consultants, or partners is a plus.

Compensation:
Trust for Public Land is a hybrid work environment, and this role will ideally be located near a Trust for Public Land office. 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 $91,078 – 105,000.

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.