Regional Representative

Firm: Greenbelt Alliance
Location:
Solano County, CA

Payment: Paid
Category: Community Development
Contact: Adrianna
jobs@greenbelt.org

Posted: Oct 10, 2016

Greenbelt Alliance seeks a committed, experienced, and enthusiastic candidate for the position of Regional Representative. The right, self-motivated individual will have the exciting opportunity to ensure that the right development happens in the right places. The Regional Representative will lead Greenbelt Alliance’s cutting-edge advocacy campaigns in one of the Bay Area’s most challenging and rewarding areas for directing growth, in Solano County.

The Organization:
For over 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the leading land use advocacy organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the champion of the places that make the Bay Area special, we protect the region’s open spaces and make sure our cities and towns grow in a way that creates great neighborhoods for everyone.

Greenbelt Alliance is one of the most effective and well-respected environmental organizations in the Bay Area. Our work has encouraged Bay Area cities and counties to adopt land-use policies to effectively protect over two million acres of natural and agricultural lands. We were one of the first environmental organizations in the nation to establish a program to endorse and advocate for smart growth developments, improving more than 140 neighborhoods around the region and endorsing over 70,000 homes to be built to date.

With a committed staff of 19 savvy professionals at the forefront of the smart growth movement, Greenbelt Alliance has a strong team spirit and sense of fun. We are headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Walnut Creek, as well as a new office to be established in Solano County.

Position Summary:
The Regional Representative will be Greenbelt Alliance’s leading voice in Solano County, providing leadership in our unique niche of conservation and smart growth issues. S/he will be responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of advocacy efforts in Solano County.

Greenbelt Alliance has long been engaged in Solano County as part of its work across the North Bay. We are now providing an additional commitment of resources for a new office and staff dedicated to Solano County issues.

Examples of Greenbelt Alliance’s successful advocacy efforts in Solano County include:

• Securing adoption of a voter initiative to ensure that the county government cannot approve sprawl development on important natural and agricultural lands,
• Establishing voter-approved urban growth boundaries around key cities, and
• Helping secure support for important smart growth development projects.

See www.greenbelt.org to learn more about our work in Solano County and the entire Bay Area.

As the primary contact for a range of stakeholders, including elected officials, city and county staff, and community leaders, the Regional Representative will act independently to determine how to most effectively engage the organization—drawing on high-level standards and goals set with organizational leadership.
The Regional Representative will report to one of Greenbelt Alliance’s Program Directors and work closely with the entire Greenbelt Alliance team, including staff in San Francisco, volunteers and allies in Solano County, and other regional staff throughout the Bay Area.

S/he should have experience with managing outreach and/or public advocacy programs across a broad range of stakeholders. The Regional Representative should be an analytical thinker and problem solver as well as an excellent writer. S/he should be able to proactively lead and act independently while at other times respond effectively as part of a team led by others.

Key Responsibilities:
Advocacy: Lead local campaign efforts for smart growth planning and development, protection of open space, and improved quality of life in Solano County. Responsibilities include campaign planning, coalition building, and policy advocacy. A special focus of the Regional Representative will be to promote the establishment of an Open Space District in Solano County similar to those in the other Bay Area counties.

Policy Analysis: Analyze public policy alternatives that will impact conservation and smart growth in the Solano County and, in collaboration with others at Greenbelt Alliance and allies, develop policy positions.

Persuasive Communication: Build relationships with local media, serve as key spokesperson on local land use issues, develop media campaigns with Greenbelt Alliance’s Marketing and Communications Department, write opinion pieces, organize media events, make public presentations.

Organizing and Outreach: Recruit and coordinate activists for specific campaigns and to build long-term political effectiveness in local communities. Reach out to community organizations and the public to increase awareness and inspire action that results in the protection of open spaces and communities that are vibrant and livable places for future and current residents.

Management: Run the Solano County field office and manage volunteers.

Qualifications:
The Regional Representative will be an enthusiastic self-starter with some combination of experience in the following areas:
• Strategic and campaign planning
• Analyzing, developing and/or implementing public policy (experience on land use, open space conservation, urban planning, housing, and/or community development policy preferred)
• Building relationships with community leaders and elected officials
• Engaging stakeholders to create positive change in their communities
• Volunteer recruitment and management
• Public speaking before citizen organizations and elected bodies
• Interacting with the media and serving as a spokesperson
• Writing persuasively on tight deadlines
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple issues, campaigns, and diverse relationships
• Bachelor’s degree in Planning, Environmental Studies, Urban Studies, Public Policy, or another appropriate field required, with subsequent work or graduate experience preferred.

Flexible schedule and access to a car also required.

Most importantly, the Regional Representative will be enthusiastically committed to protecting the Bay Area’s greenbelt of natural landscapes, farms, and ranches, and to creating thriving neighborhoods that meet the needs of people from all walks of life.

Essential Job Functions:
Job requires employee to be able to:
• Comprehend complex issues and communicate effectively to diverse groups
• Interact and cooperate with co-workers in a variety of situations and work as part of a team
• Interact professionally with press and diverse stakeholders
• Plan and think strategically
• Take initiative
• Both accept supervision and work independently
• Manage a small office and volunteers
• Drive 50-60 miles a week on average, with some occasional 100 mile trips
• Use a computer to write for an extended period of time
• Express ideas in spoken and written form clearly and concisely
• Be passionate about the Bay Area and conservation and smart growth issues

Compensation:
Salary dependent on experience. Compensation includes full employer-paid health and dental insurance for employees, generous vacation and sick time, and an exciting, team-oriented work environment. Flexible spending accounts, Commuter Checks, and 403(b) retirement accounts also available.

To Apply:
Email a resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to jobs@greenbelt.org. Be sure to include the job title followed by your name in the subject line.

Greenbelt Alliance values a diverse workplace and is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to engaging the skills and leadership of people of color, LGBT persons, and other people from diverse backgrounds. People from these and other traditionally marginalized backgrounds and communities are strongly encouraged to apply.