Capital Project Manager - Southern Appalachian Outdoor Recreation

Trust for Public Land•Chattanooga, TN

1d•$82,400 - $96,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Building on 30 years of conservation and outdoor leadership across the Southeast, Appalachia United Outdoor Program seeks a Project Manager to lead and deliver outdoor recreation capital projects across Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. This position will focus on managing the completion of community trail networks, stream access, regional shared-use trails, and other priority outdoor recreation destination amenities supporting economically distressed and rural communities across Appalachia. The Project Manager will oversee projects that expand equitable access to the outdoors, enhance connectivity between communities, and generate health, wellness, and economic benefits

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent expertiserequired; Master’s in planning, landscape architecture, natural resources, or related field preferred.
5+ years of experience in public interest design, construction management, conservation, land use planning, or related infrastructure project management.
Knowledge of environmental permitting, civil design and engineering, and public funding processes for trails and recreation.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex construction projects with diverse partners.
Strong public speaking, writing, and communication skills.
Experience working with political jurisdictions at multiple levels (local, state, federal).
Ability to travel across TN, GA, AL, SC, and NC up to 30% of the time, including some evenings and weekends.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Appalachian landscapes, economies, and communities.
Experience with local and regional trail development, Rail to Trails conversions, stream access projects, or community-informed trail network development.
Familiarity with federal, state, and local funding sources (e.g., LWCF, DOT, EPA, state recreation grants) and associated compliance requirements.
Experience overseeing procurement processes, contractor selection, and consultant management.
Ability to coordinate effectively with public agencies, community organizations, design teams, and construction partners.
Skilled in translating community engagement into project scope and design decisions.
Knowledge of environmental assessments, remediation considerations, and resilience/sustainability best practices.
Strong risk-management skills and ability to foresee and resolve issues during design and construction.
Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Asana, Smartsheet, GIS platforms).
Comfortable navigating political environments and communicating technical issues to non-technical stakeholders.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing board materials, funder updates, and public presentations.
Passion for advancing outdoor access for all through community-centered design and strengthening outdoor recreation economies.

Responsibilities

Independently manage outdoor recreation infrastructure projects, master planning, design-development, permitting, procurement, and construction management for a variety of outdoor recreation infrastructure projects.
Oversee and manage engineering consultants, environmental contractors, construction managers to deliver completed capital improvement projects that realize economic impact for priority communities across Southern Appalachia.
Actively create and manage project budgets, contracts, schedules, and funding reporting requirements.
Build and strengthen collaborations to activate public lands with outdoor recreation alongside local governments, counties, state and federal agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations.
Support local coalitions and steering committees to ensure strong community engagement and project alignment.
Serve as a regional advocate for outdoor recreation as a driver of economic development, health, and resilience.
Pursue and manage public funding sources for trail, park, and recreation projects (federal, state, and local).
Support philanthropic strategies in collaboration with partner staff to secure operational and capital resources.
Act as a spokesperson for Appalachia United Outdoor Program at public meetings, community events, and in the media.
Promote the importance of outdoor recreation access in strengthening local economies, protecting natural resources, and improving quality of life