WIMBERLEY, Texas — The Texas Land Trust Council is working with a diverse, statewide coalition consisting of numerous land and water conservation, agricultural, fish and wildlife, parks and open space organizations to research and develop a strategy to pursue large-scale statewide funding for land and water conservation activities in Texas. We have nearly completed our feasibility research and are now looking to secure professional support to move this effort forward.
This coalition seeks an experienced Campaign Manager to lead the effort to achieve long-term, statewide sources of funding for land conservation for a variety of purposes including the preservation of farm, ranch and forest lands, protection of drinking water sources and surface water flows, preservation and restoration of fish and wildlife habitat, and the addition of parks and open spaces for public recreation. The successful candidate will wear many hats, including but not limited to running and coordinating a successful research effort, organizing a diverse group of stakeholders, campaign planning and strategy development and advocacy, and ultimately running a successful campaign to advance statewide public funding for permanent, additional land and water conservation in Texas.
The Manager will lead and work with our existing Executive and Steering Committee members and partners to build an even broader coalition of support, including diverse constituencies such as fish and wildlife advocates, water and agricultural organizations, hunters and fishermen, recreational sports enthusiasts, county and city parks supporters, as well as political, business and conservation leaders. This will be a historic effort to both engage and benefit all Texans, and we will need to attract a diverse constituency of bipartisan legislators and supporters from across the state, from our most rural communities to our densest urban centers.
Scope of work for the Campaign Manager will include working with the Texas Land Trust Council (TLTC) and its coalition partners, managing and engaging various committees (Executive, Steering, Advisory), as well as oversight and coordination with the political strategy firm, public relations, polling, and other contractors to move the campaign forward on all fronts. A key component to the success of our effort will be engaging professional public opinion research tools and techniques to gather the qualitative and quantitative data needed to develop and guide develop and guide the creation and implementation of the campaign.
This effort will consist of multiple phases. Phase 1 is the research and feasibility, coalition-building, and legislative strategy development phase that will allow us to create a thoughtful and informed legislative path/proposed mechanism for statewide conservation funding in Texas. The Executive Committee has already started this process, working with The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land to produce feasibility studies to help guide future decisions.
(Phase 2 will consist of the development outreach and implementation of a voter education campaign that will get us to the finish line, if we are successful with Phase 1.)
Responsibilities
The Campaign Manager will be responsible for overall planning, day-to-day management, and execution of the campaign effort. They will provide comprehensive project management and campaign oversight and coordination with all partners and coalition members. We anticipate that this will quickly ramp up to be a full-time workload.
The scope of work for the campaign manager during the initial 6-9 months would include coordinating meetings of, development and outreach to, and management of various committees involved in this effort; drafting RFPs – for review and approval by the Executive Committee, circulating the RFPs and managing the recruitment process for needed consultants, helping to recruit coalition members, scheduling committee meetings, working to develop project timelines and plans, plan/manage/execute events related to this effort, and working with TLTC, the political, public relations or other consultants, and all coalition partners to move the campaign forward.
Specifically, the Campaign Manager will be responsible for:
• Coordinating work of campaign leadership, coalition partners, and consultants (Executive Committee, Steering Committee, Advisory Committees, etc.)
• Developing the strategy and timeline for campaign development and execution and working with all consultants and in partnership with coalition leaders.
• Assisting with development and implementation of campaign plan and budget and ensuring all aspects of campaign are implemented on time and within budget
• Building diverse coalition of organizations from across Texas to support the effort/legislation/measure
• Working with local community leaders to build a grassroots presence and volunteer base throughout the state
• Undertaking all campaign activities, as necessary, including coordinating research, polling, public relations, outreach and advocacy, etc.
• Assisting with database development to further campaign efforts
• Developing communications activities and campaign materials (including print, web) and internal and external communications ( i.e. op-eds, case statements, one-pagers, etc.)
• Planning/coordinating/
• Developing a speakers bureau; scheduling and coordinating appearances by speakers
• Coordinate earned media, paid media plan, and overall public relations plan
• When appropriate, act as campaign spokesperson
• Support additional campaign fund raising activities
• Responsibly execute the day-to-day decisions
• Assume a proactive leadership role to foresee public and political opposition and deal with them in a timely, strategically sound fashion
• Additional activities, as needed, to assist and further the effort
Desired Skills and Qualifications:
• Experience with and ability to work with and build a diverse coalition of stakeholders, committees, and consultants working towards a common goal
• Experience working on both sides of the aisle at/with the Texas Legislature (budgetary experience, a plus)
• Experience managing large ballot measure or electoral campaigns
• Two-five years of previous political or campaign experience, or related experience
• Experience in media relations or experience working with the media
• Experience with land and water conservation, agricultural, or environmental issues, a plus
• Strong communication, analytical, and writing skills
• Ability and experience as a public speaker
• Highly organized and strong management skills
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and handle a variety of projects simultaneously
• Interact successfully with various consultants
• Bachelor’s Degree required
Timeframe:
Work will occur in phases. Phase 1 will focus on building the foundation and infrastructure for a successful campaign and will run from October 2022 through June 2023. The initial contract will be for nine months, with the ability to add extensions thereafter.
Application Guidelines:
Interested applicants/firms are invited to submit a resume, cover letter outlining of relevant experience and qualifications in carrying out similar work, contact information for 3 references, and desired monthly contract fee. Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to lori@texaslandtrustcouncil.org with “Campaign Manager Proposal” as the subject.
UPDATE: Applications due on or before September 18, 2022 at 5:00pm.
–Texas Land Trust Council