DIRECTOR OF LAND PROTECTION
Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Topsham, Maine
WWW.MCHT.ORG
Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) is seeking a Director of Land Protection to be based in
either its Topsham or Somesville, Maine office. Qualified individuals should send a cover letter
and resume to: Search Committee, MCHT, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 201, Topsham, ME
04086, or search@mcht.org.
MCHT is a statewide conservation organization dedicated to protecting land that is essential to
the character of Maine; its coastline and islands in particular. Since 1970, the Trust has
conserved more than 137,000 acres, including productive farm and forest land, important scenic
and recreational shorelands, ecologically sensitive areas, bold headlands and 300 coastal islands.
The Trust protects land through conservation easements, fee donations, fee purchases, and
partnerships with land trusts, municipalities and other government agencies. MCHT also
promotes responsible land conservation statewide through its Maine Land Trust Program that
supports a network of local land trusts throughout the state. MCHT is a membership-supported
organization with a very active board of directors and advisory council.
Position Overview
The Director of Land Protection reports directly to the President and is an integral member of
MCHT’s senior management team. He or she works closely with staff as well as the Board of
Directors, Advisory Council, and other volunteer leaders to guide the organization’s
conservation efforts.
The Director of Land Protection oversees MCHT’s direct land conservation activities and is a
representative of MCHT in collaborative ventures with partner organizations in Maine and
nationally. MCHT seeks a Director of Land Protection who embodies the values of the
organization: someone who loves the coast and its communities and believes it is important to
preserve their spectacular beauty, ecologically significant areas, traditional public access, and the
working coastal lands, harbors and features that characterize Maine. A key part of the role will
be to implement expanded approaches to land conservation that promote human and community
well-being in the Maine coastal area and beyond.
The chief responsibilities of the Director of Land Protection are:
 Providing leadership and vision to the organization and volunteers on all aspects of land
conservation;
 Providing inspired leadership to a highly skilled land protection staff;
 Direct engagement with key donors and enhancing and expanding the involvement of
land protection staff in the organization’s fund-raising efforts for land conservation,
stewardship and general support;
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Maintaining the organization’s commitment to best practices and innovation in land
conservation transactions and stewardship;
Enhancing MCHT’s leadership in the land conservation field through active participation
in state, regional and national networks, public speaking, or writing for publication; and
Actively participating in the final design and implementation of organization’s strategic
plan to be completed in 2013.
Principal Accountabilities
 Oversee all aspects of MCHT’s land protection activities;
 Manage the organization’s departmental and projects budget for land acquisition
including a variety of restricted and unrestricted funding sources;
 Serve on MCHT senior management team, working with the President and other group
leaders to set organizational strategies, funding needs and priorities, and to encourage
collaboration among staff of all departments [other departments include Land Protection;
Stewardship; Development, Communications; Finance; and Administration];
 Represent MCHT in collaborative ventures, in local communities and with government
entities
 Lead a staff, currently of 9 staff (FTE), providing effective management to assure
attainment of performance goals and professional development;
 Serve as staff and primary contact to the Lands Committee of MCHT’s Board of
Directors, which oversees the implementation of the organization’s land protection
strategies;
 Work directly with MCHT General Counsel to assure legal sufficiency of all projects;
 Engage directly on a limited number of land conservation projects and grant applications;
and
 Maintain professional affiliations and enhance professional growth by keeping abreast of
the latest trends in land conservation and continually improve upon these for the benefit
of MCHT.
Qualifications:
 Proven performance in land conservation with at least 7-10 years of progressively
responsible experience and achievement;
 Significant experience and success in conservation transactions, including communitybased projects involving multiple stakeholders;
 Demonstrated experience with complex financing structures for conservation projects;
 Demonstrated understanding of land conservation stewardship issues;
 Proven success managing a staff of professionals;
 Clear capacity for strong organizational leadership participation;
 Demonstrated experience and success with fund-raising from individuals, foundations
and public sources;
 The personal integrity, character and drive to conduct an effective program in keeping
with the mission and culture of MCHT;
 Excellent writing, speaking, leadership and organizational skills;
 Basic technology skills; deeper knowledge of conservation-related applications desirable;
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Passion for and knowledge of the MCHT mission and vision and land conservation in
general;
The warmth, humor and leadership qualities that will promote energy and enthusiasm
within MCHT, and with its volunteers and constituents;
Demonstrated ability to work easily and effectively with a wide range of people,
including major donors, corporate executives, foundation leaders, volunteers, news
media, leaders of private conservation organizations, local community members and
fellow staff members;
Comfort and effectiveness working in a group as well as independently; and
Willingness to work differing hours and to travel as [and when] necessary, occasionally
on weekends and evenings.
Personal Skills and Characteristics:
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Strategic
Confident
Self-starter with a strong work ethic
Collaborative
Effective communicator
Sense of humor
Leadership
Respectful
Creative
Entrepreneurial
Compensation:
This position comes with a competitive salary and benefits package that includes health
insurance, pension and vacation.
MCHT BACKGROUND
Maine Coast Heritage Trust is a non-profit organization that conserves and stewards Maine’s
coastal lands and islands for their renowned scenic beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities,
ecological diversity, and working landscapes. MCHT promotes the conservation of natural
places statewide by working with land trusts, communities and other partners.
Since its founding in 1970, Maine Coast Heritage Trust has been a conservation leader at the
state and national level: pioneering the use of conservation easements; helping to form the Land
Trust Alliance; creating a model statewide service center for land trusts; realizing its ambitious
goals for the $100 million Campaign for the Coast in the 2000’s; and recently earning national
accreditation for excellence in its standards and practices – all while maintaining steadfast
commitment to protecting one of America’s iconic coastlines for public benefit.
While the Trust was initially formed to help facilitate the protection of islands and coastline of
the waters around Mount Desert and beyond, the demand for voluntary land conservation
throughout the state soon led to an expanded mission and organization, and indeed a broader and
thriving land trust movement in Maine. To date, Maine Coast Heritage Trust has worked with
private landowners and partner organizations to conserve more than 137,000 acres in Maine,
including 300 coastal islands. MCHT itself holds a growing portfolio of lands and conservation
easements, ranging from the beaches of York County to the saltwater farms of the mid-coast and
the rugged headlands and islands down east near the Canadian border. In addition to the direct
acquisition of these lands and easements, MCHT is deeply engaged in effective land
stewardship, community partnerships and outreach. The Trust is also active at the state and
national level on issues that directly relate to its mission, such as seeking public funding for land
conservation, defending and expanding tax incentives key to land protection work, and
promotion of exemplary practices in the land conservation community.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s organizational values include: a commitment to voluntary land
conservation and responsible stewardship; embracing the highest ethical standards; working in a
collaborative, pragmatic, and problem-solving fashion; instilling a conservation ethic by
connecting people to the land; and a dedication to excellence in all of its work.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust is one of only 181 land trusts in the country that has received
accreditation from The Land Trust Accreditation Commission. With headquarters in Topsham,
Maine, MCHT has offices in Mount Desert Island, Sullivan, and Rockport. MCHT is governed
by a 20-member Board of Directors. In addition, a 29-member Advisory Council, comprised of
retired directors and experts in pertinent fields, assists MCHT in various aspects of its work. The
organization’s current budget is approximately $5.3 million and staff size is approximately 45
FTE.
The Trust is currently engaged in strategic planning effort to review and refine its future
direction. Significant opportunities and challenges have been identified that are likely to guide
the organization’s future direction. The new Land Protection Director will play a leadership role
in shaping and implementing these steps. These include among others:
 An emerging consensus that successful land conservation in the future will require a
greater emphasis on human and community well-being. This emphasis in turn will
require deeper engagement with a wide-range of community stakeholders.
 A need to explore the opportunities for a stronger statewide consensus around the
interdependent relationship of community well-being and Maine’s landscapes.
 The maturing of Maine’s land trust community and the resulting need for expansion and
strengthening of MCHT’s traditional role in this community.
The organization has a cooperative and collegial spirit that enables significant interaction across
the departments, within the board and between the staff and the board. This cooperation extends
to the work MCHT does with other land trusts and conservation groups to foster their work as a
strategic goal. A critical part of MCHT’s success has been a culture that does not care who gets
credit for the work as long as it gets done.
This is a unique opportunity to work and live in one of the most pristine and treasured settings in
America today, while directly impacting the preservation of this unique natural landscape.
Land Protection at Maine Coast Heritage Trust
MCHT is a financially strong and stable organization that has seen steady growth over the life of
the organization. And in spite of the economic down turn in mid 2008, the organization has been
completing 30-40 land conservation projects annually and has exceeded its fundraising goals for
that year and the years following. Over the past five years, MCHT has spent an average of $
6.25 million annually on land conservation acquisition, raised through public and foundation
grants and private philanthropy, and has received an annual average of $6.29 million in
additional donated land value.
The Board and staff are currently undertaking a comprehensive strategic planning initiative to be
completed in the spring of 2013. Land acquisition is anticipated to continue as a central element
of the organization’s mission.
The land protection team consists of 9 FTE staff members, including the Director of Land
Protection. The staff is responsible for identification, negotiation, and execution of the real
estate transactions (projects) leading to land conservation including both fee acquisition and the
acquisition of partial real estate interests, most notably conservation easements. LP Staff carry
out these projects on behalf or in partnership with local, state and federal agencies, local land
trusts and on behalf of MCHT directly. MCHT has built strong relationships with all these
partners including the Maine Land Trust Network, which includes the overwhelming majority of
Maine land trusts. Staff is also involved in public and private fund-raising for most projects
including acquisition and transaction costs along with stewardship funds. Fund-raising support
is also provided by MCHT’s Development staff. Project financing arrangements are often
complex and MCHT seeks to innovate in financing structures to advance its mission.
The Director of Land Protection will be part of the senior management team and one of six
functional group leaders within the organization that include Land Protection, Stewardship
(land), Communications (incl. Advocacy and assistance to Maine land trust community),
Development, Administration and Finance. As part of this team, the Land Protection Director
plays an essential role in the formation and implementation of the organization’s strategies
informed by the state’s land conservation needs and the broader national trends in land
conservation.
Historically, MCHT’s land protection efforts have benefitted from a loyal base of supporters
dedicated to preserving lands along Maine’s coast. A significant element of MCHT’s success is
the set of relationships built with landowners and communities over many years. The land
protection staff maintains a presence in communities all along the coast including those areas in
which local land trusts are active. Indeed, land protection staff have significant responsibilities
working with local land trusts to provide technical and material support across a wide range of
land conservation activities. These responsibilities will become more, rather than less,
important in the coming years. In addition to building close MCHT relationships with local land
trusts, the new Director will also need the ability to work directly with communities through
engagement with many different kinds of stakeholders.
MCHT has a strong board and land protection committee that are actively engaged in overseeing
the organization’s strategic direction. There is direct interaction and strong, positive
relationships between the Board and staff. There are particularly close relationships between the
Committee Chairs and the senior manager who staffs each committee.
In this collegial setting, the Director of Land Protection is charged with strengthening MCHT’s
land protection efforts in an overall environment of uncertain public funding and evolving land
conservation techniques and strategies.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, handicaps,
sexual orientation, or for any other reason unrelated to a candidate’s ability to perform the
responsibilities associated with the position.