Grassland Conservation Marketing Manager

Playa Lakes Joint Venture

Grassland Conservation Marketing Manager
 

Position Summary

Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) is looking for an outgoing, team-oriented, self-motivated person who is enthusiastic about creating stories, messages, and marketing communications products that engage agricultural producers and rural communities to conserve and restore grasslands through brush removal, prescribed fire and other management practices. The primary role of the Grassland Conservation Marketing Manager is to develop marketing communications plans, content, and products that support the conservation priorities of the PLJV partnership. The Grassland Conservation Marketing Manager will work in close collaboration with the PLJV Marketing Communications Director, PLJV Social Science Specialist, and conservation delivery partners to create relevant, effective communications that drive conservation actions and to develop and implement trainings for conservation delivery staff on how to use those products to more effectively engage landowners in grassland conservation.
 

Primary Duties

• Work with social science, marketing communications and conservation delivery staff to develop and test messages that increase landowner participation in grassland conservation practices, particularly chemical and mechanical brush removal and prescribed fire.
• Develop training materials and an online training platform to help partners more effectively promote brush removal and grassland management and engage landowners in those practices.
• Develop and create content to expand the TomorrowsGrassland.com website, which is designed to drive landowner engagement in brush removal, prescribed fire and other management practices; manage ongoing updates to the website using a custom WordPress CMS.
• Develop marketing communications materials, based on social science results, to promote brush management practices in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.
• Write and design printed materials (brochures, flyers, direct mail, infographics, etc) for partners to use and adapt in their brush management and grassland conservation outreach efforts.
• Develop articles, social media messages, and other content that can be used by PLJV partners to promote grassland conservation; work with local partners and media outlets to get those messages out to identified audiences.
• Work with local conservation partners to create materials to promote and support producer outreach events.
   

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, advertising, business administration, public relations, journalism, or related field. 
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in marketing, communications, and/or public relations with progressive responsibility and demonstrated success.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including copywriting, proofreading and editing; experience creating articles, promotional materials, presentations, website content, and proposals, with an emphasis on telling engaging stories.
• Proven ability to translate complex concepts into succinct, clear, accessible language for a variety of audiences.
• A professional and resourceful style; the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative, and to manage multiple tasks and projects at the same time.
• Solid understanding of and experience in project management with outstanding organizational, planning and time management abilities.
• Demonstrated experience in developing website content and other online communications tools. 
• Demonstrated skills in graphic design and layout of printed materials such as brochures, flyers, reports, infographics, etc.
• The ability to work effectively and communicate with a variety of people in both rural and urban environments. Must exhibit tact, sensitivity, flexibility and the ability to listen to and understand different perspectives. 
• Proficient with Google Workspace; Adobe Acrobat, InDesign and Photoshop; Canva; Microsoft Word and PowerPoint; and WordPress CMS.
   

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with or understanding of grassland habitats, wildlife habitat conservation, Farm Bill conservation programs, or agricultural communications.
• Background in agriculture or close ties to the agricultural community.
• Skills in media relations, including writing and distributing news releases and engaging local media.
• Experience telling stories through other mediums such as video and podcasts.
• Bilingual and able to read, write and speak Spanish proficiently.
• Proficient with Mailchimp or other e-newsletter platforms; knowledge of Basecamp or other project management applications is an asset.
   

Other Requirements/Physical Demands

• Must possess and maintain a valid state driver’s license.
• While much of the work is sedentary, the Grassland Conservation Marketing Manager may need to conduct off-site meetings that may include traversing wet, rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces in hot, cold, dry, or humid environments.
   

Travel Required

• Travel requirements may be as much as 30-40% at times, depending on the nature and scope of a project, with more time spent traveling in Kansas and Oklahoma than other parts of the PLJV region.
• Travel by various means of surface and air transportation is required to attend meetings with staff, board, and partners.
   

About Playa Lakes Joint Venture

PLJV is a regional partnership of federal and state wildlife agencies, conservation groups and private industry dedicated to conserving bird habitat throughout portions of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Our mission is to conserve the playas, prairies and landscapes of the western Great Plains through partnerships for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. The Joint Venture facilitates cooperation among a broad coalition of partners on the national, regional, state and local levels to fund and implement habitat conservation. We provide regional planning, value­-added efficiency and implementation approaches, while our partners provide financial, technical and local expertise to develop conservation projects. In addition, PLJV supports local conservation partnerships, state agencies and other partners by developing various decision support tools, as well as providing education about how to use the tools to target and deliver the most effective habitat conservation. PLJV also works with a variety of partners to inform landowners about conservation programs and to target conservation efforts in areas that will provide the most benefit.
 

Supervisor

The position reports directly to and is evaluated by the Marketing Communications Director, who defines the work to be accomplished in terms of objectives and priorities and provides guidance on overall messaging. Work plans for the position will be determined by the Marketing Communications Director and the Grassland Conservation Marketing Manager, based on the organization’s communications strategies and objectives including methods and techniques most appropriate for accomplishing those objectives. 
 

Salary, Benefits, and Start Date

Starting salary is commensurate with education, experience, and location with an expected range of $67,000-$72,000. PLJV offers a generous benefits package, including full medical and dental coverage, HSA with annual contribution to defray medical deductibles, and a 7% salary match toward our retirement plan. We anticipate this position will begin working in December.
 

Job Location

This is a remote position. The candidate will need to be located within the PLJV region with easy access for traveling throughout western Kansas and western Oklahoma, which can include the Denver metro area and Colorado Front Range. Priority will be given to those candidates who are willing to live in western Kansas or western Oklahoma.
 

How to Apply

Playa Lakes Joint Venture is an Equal Opportunity Employer and seeks a diverse applicant pool. The deadline for applications is 6:00 p.m. MT, on October 28, 2025. Please send the following items, in order, as one PDF document to Miruh Hamend at m.hamend@pljv.org. 

• Cover letter (include location and available start date)
• Resume
• Two writing samples
• Two graphic design/layout examples
   

Do not submit any application materials that have been generated using AI; applications will be analyzed to detect the use of AI.