Founded in 1971, Save Mount Diablo (SMD), a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, California non-profit corporation, is a nationally accredited land trust. SMD acquires and preserves land on and around Mount Diablo, including the mountain’s sustaining Diablo Range. SMD has protected land through land use advocacy and policy work for more than 50 years and is in the middle of a program expansion to the full 12-county Diablo Range, especially in the Land Use & Advocacy Program. This Land Use Advocate (LUA) position presents an outstanding opportunity for an experienced community activist with a land use background to continue and expand that work by applying their knowledge of land use planning to public campaigns, policy response and development, grassroots advocacy, and development projects undergoing formal environmental review in an expanding geographic area. The LUA will also be involved in improving internal organizational systems to streamline departmental administration and project tracking, sustain and increase public engagement in land use issues and formalize knowledge of organizational land use achievements.
This is a full-time, exempt position that reports to the Land Conservation Director, and works in close collaboration with the Senior Land Use Manager.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
- Agency agenda tracking, project research and review, and analysis.
- Representing SMD at community and government agency meetings; making persuasive public comments and presentations.
- Responding to land use projects in the 12-county Diablo Range from Contra Costa County south to Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties, including ballot measures, a national monument campaign, reservoir projects, High Speed Rail, alternative energy projects, etc.
- Travel up and down the Diablo Range to attend advocacy and decision-making body meetings requires use of a vehicle.
- Land use project research, analysis, review and interpretation, and developing or supporting strategy, land campaigns and other responses to development proposals, including document and report creation, EIR comment letters and legislative digests.
- Developing and implementing elected official, planning agency and public outreach and landowner education programs, including constituent hikes and site visits.
- Preparing and directing development of photo, map and other graphic materials for land use reports and presentations.
- Assisting with departmental administration, scheduling and internal reporting.