Job Opportunity: Trail Project Manager

Downloadable PDF :SRG Trail Project Manager Position

Encompassing 1.2 million acres over 1,700 square miles, Schuylkill River Greenways NHA links 3.2 million people across five Pennsylvania counties – Schuylkill, Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia – to the unparalleled opportunities afforded by the Schuylkill River, the Schuylkill River Trail and the surrounding watershed.

The mission of SRG is to connect residents, visitors and communities to the Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill River Trail by serving as a catalyst for civic engagement and economic development in order to foster stewardship of the watershed and its heritage.

About the Position: Trail Project Manager

The Trail Project Manager will provide professional services for planning, designing, building, and managing sections of the Schuylkill River Trail and the Schuylkill River Water Trail.  All Trail construction projects are located in Berks and Schuylkill Counties.

The position involves all aspects of trail development and management including master planning, grant writing, acquisition of property and easements, design, consultant procurement and management, and construction management.  The Trail Project Manager should have engineering, landscape architecture, project management or similar experience.   They should also have GIS, graphic and cartography skills, grant writing and project management expertise, and excellent communication skills.  In addition, the Trail Project Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of maintenance and management of 30+ miles of the Schuylkill River Trail owned by SRG in Berks and Schuylkill Counties.

The Trail Project Manager will work with the entire SRG team to promote and develop the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, and support SRG events.

The Trail Project Manager will report to the Trail Director and will work from the Schuylkill River Greenways office at 140 College Drive, Pottstown, PA.  Work will at times be around heavy equipment and construction sites.  During the Covid Pandemic, SRG is following PA and county guidelines for masking, social distancing and workplace gatherings.  Employees must be able to work effectively from home.

SRG is seeking to fill this position with a trail building professional with 5 to 10 years of related experience. Salary range is $55,000 to $60,000 plus benefits.

Qualifications

The successful applicant will be expected to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Excellent analytic and communication skills, both written and verbal
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in engineering, landscape architecture or related field preferred, but very significant, related work experience may be accepted in lieu of degree
• Demonstrated technical skills, including: GIS, CAD, graphic and cartography, trail design, ability to review engineered plans
• Experience in land and easement acquisition
• Experience in grant writing, administration and reporting
• Experience in bid package preparation for complex constructions projects
• Licensed to operate a motor vehicle and experience in using a variety of common trail building and hand tools for maintenance
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite software a must
• Must be able to work independently, but also be comfortable with collaborative working relationships, relating well with people and partners at all levels and from all communities
• Experience in managing employees, interns, volunteers and/or temporary employees
• Proficiency in MS Office word processing, spreadsheet and database management and other office software; knowledge of Acrobat, online meeting platforms
• Genuine interest in issues related to land and water conservation, community stewardship and trails; previous experience in non-profit or government work a plus
• Must be able to attend occasional evening or weekend meetings and/or events
• Position requires some work outdoors and standing for long periods of time

The Trail Project Manager will be expected to work from SRG’s offices in Pottstown, PA.

Position Details

Following is a more detailed listing of some of the duties and responsibilities of this position:

Trail Management and Trail building:

• All trail work, both maintenance of current trail and building of future trail, is in Berks and Schuylkill Counties
• Trail maintenance planning and implementation, including oversight of sub-contracted maintenance work
• Organize and manage volunteer trail efforts including clean-ups and group outings
• Assist in long range planning and development of trail sections
• Application, management and administration of grants, including state, federal and private foundation funding
• Prepare consultant requests for proposals, contracts, bid documents
• Assist in managing the funding, design and permitting of trail construction projects, including bridge projects
• Provide technical assistance: respond to public inquiries, attend meetings, consult with planning commissions and transportation agencies and other regional partners
• Administer third party requests for SRT use
• Perform property research, negotiate with landowners, work with government agencies for approvals, obtain appraisals, navigate local, county and state permitting and regulation
• Design, order and install signage for trail information, warnings and caution signs
• Coordinate with and convene trail managers and owners for all sections of the SRT
• Keep SRT map updated and widely distributed

Water Trail Management:

• Assist in Water Trail inventory, planning, and reporting
• Assist in planning for and pursuing Schuylkill River Water Trail Strategic Management Plan
• Assist in creating new and improved water access points up and down the river, including stakeholder coordination, grant procurement, design and engineering and construction oversight

General SRG Administrative Duties:

• Staff meetings, financial reporting, filing, report creation
• Participate and support SRG events including the Sojourn, the Ride for the River, Annual Meeting and other events
• Attend occasional board meetings and/or public information meetings
• Help prepare various maps and graphics for other staff members when needed
• SRG is a collaborative, team environment and this position will occasionally support other SRG staff with mission related projects and programs

Physical Requirements

• While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently required to sit, bend at the waist, drive to various locations and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel or squat, climb stairs and lift up to 50 lbs.  Occasionally the employee will need to climb ladders, twist or rotate at the waist or carry over 50 lbs.  Close vision is required for reading of drawings and computers, and distant vision and depth perception are required for surveying and land analysis.

How to Apply:

Please send cover letter and resume via e-mail with the subject line “Trail Project Manager Position”   to:

Elaine Schaefer, Executive Director,  eschaefer@schuylkillriver.org.

All submissions must be received by 4 PM on September 21, 2020.