Manager, Midwest Urban Forestry 9

American Forests is seeking a Technical Assistance Manager for Midwest Urban Forestry to support urban forestry initiatives in disadvantaged communities. The role involves delivering technical expertise, resources, and policy guidance to municipalities in the Midwest, focusing on Tree Equity. Responsibilities include fostering relationships with local agencies, developing strategies for community engagement, and coordinating urban forestry projects. The position is based in Delaware.
Technical Assistance Manager Trees play a vital role in solving some of the most pressing issues facing our communities, our society, and our world today.
For 150 years, American Forests (AF) has stood boldly at the forefront of the conservation movement, working collaboratively and innovatively to ensure that all people have access to the benefits of trees.
As we look ahead to the next 150, continued collective action will be essential to securing a healthy, climate-resilient future for all.
To support this work, we are looking for a Technical Assistance Manager to join our UrbanForestry Field Delivery team.


Since 2018, AF has been supporting communities by using the power of trees to address environmental injustices faced by the country's most disadvantaged communities.
With this, AF created a bold goal of delivering the needed technical expertise, workforce and funding opportunities, and policy guidance to help U.
S.
cities commit to and make progress towards Tree Equity across the country.


American Forests' Urban Forestry Field Delivery team delivers tools, resources, and technical assistance to city and state leaders.
Our team of regional urban forestry specialists serve as AF's front-line staff to both proactively engage new cities in committing to Tree Equity, while also providing exceptional support and services to cities already advancing progress.


What You'll Do

As a part of the Urban Forestry Field Delivery team, the Manager of Midwest Urban Forestry (Manager) work closely with the Director, Pacific Northwest and West Coast Urban Forestry (Director), to deliver best-in-class data tools, planning, and planting support to AF's partners.


This role plays a crucial part in deepening and expanding American Forests' impact in equitable urban forestry across the country, with a focus on the Midwest region, where aging infrastructure, declining tree populations, and limited municipal resources increase vulnerability to heat, flooding, and invasive pests.
Priority focus will be on supporting American Forests' existing Catalyst Fund grantee-partners, primarily municipalities leading local urban and community forestry projects across the region in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.


The Manager will foster strong working relationships with municipalities and state agencies in the Midwest (including existing grantee-partners); connect them with American Forests' tools, resources, and expertise; and deliver technical assistance to address their barriers to prioritizing, planting, managing, and protecting urban trees where they are needed most.


"Technical assistance" may include developing and implementing strategies around community engagement and management; development of local policies, ordinances, and standards that strengthen protection and management of urban forests; planning and implementation of tree planting, protection, and maintenance programs; cross-team coordination around workforce development, youth, and volunteer engagement; and convening partners at the city or state wide scales by hosting meetings, events, or workshops to develop and implement shared visions to advance long term urban forestry and Tree Equity goals.


In providing these and other forms of technical assistance, the Manager will support American Forests' partners in measurably advancing from planning towards sustained, on the ground impact in the Midwest.


Under the direction of the Director and the Senior Director of Urban Forestry Field Delivery (Senior Director), the Manager will provide additional support as needed in other regions, including the Northeast and nationally.


Major responsibilities include:


Deliver Expertise to States and Cities (75%) 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 our technical assistance approach and offerings.
Proactively develop new relationships, project opportunities, and technical assistance offerings to grow our impact.
Support Teamwide Initiatives (15%) 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.
Operations & Administration (10%) 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.
What We're Looking For

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If this role excites you, we want to hear from .