Land Protection Specialist

Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DU), the world’s leading waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization, and its supporting organization, Wetlands America Trust, Inc. (WAT), one of the nation’s largest accredited land trusts, is seeking qualified candidates for a Land Protection Specialist to join a dynamic team of professionals located in Florida. DU is an accredited land trust with a portfolio of more than 600 conservation easements conserving over 492,000 acres and a revolving fee title portfolio.

The successful candidate will join DU’s talented and growing land protection team and will have the opportunity to participate in conservation efforts across the state. The position will report to the Manager of Conservation Programs - Florida and work closely with Regional Lands Program staff to facilitate fee title and conservation easement transactions and to steward DU/ WAT’s conservation easement portfolio.

As a remote employee, you may be required to come in at any time, with reasonable notice, into a DU office (or other designated location) for meetings and other business needs.

• Advance DU’s land protection program in Florida by working with landowners, partners, agency representatives, and regional staff on conservation easement acquisitions, donated conservation easements, fee title acquisitions and dispositions, and other land protection strategies.
• Identify and deliver land protection opportunities to support DU’s Landscape Conservation Priorities in Florida.
• Manage transactional components of land protection projects, including drafting and reviewing purchase agreements, option agreements, deeds of conservation easement, closing documents, and other real estate instruments.
• Coordinate due diligence activities such as title and survey review, environmental documentation, baseline information, appraisals, legal review, and funding documentation to support successful project closings.
• Track project schedules, budgets, grant requirements, and transaction milestones, and coordinate with internal staff and external parties to ensure timely completion of land protection projects.
• Support evaluation, prioritization, and selection of land protection projects in coordination with regional and national land protection staff, ensuring alignment with DU’s strategic conservation and geographic priorities.
• Collaborate on the development of conservation plans, project pipelines, and program improvements, including updates to templates, internal processes, and operational practices that strengthen land protection delivery.
• Assist with stewardship of DU/WAT’s conservation easement portfolio, including landowner communications, record organization, compliance support, and coordination of annual monitoring requirements.
• Support grant research, grant writing, and reporting for land protection projects.
• Ensure land protection activities comply with applicable federal and state laws, internal policies and procedures, funding requirements, and Land Trust Alliance accreditation standards.

• Demonstrated experience with land conservation real estate transactions, including conservation easements, fee acquisitions, and other protection strategies.
• Familiarity with local, state, and federal land protection programs and applicable policies and laws is highly desirable.
• Bachelor’s degree in applicable field with 5-7+ years of experience in land use planning, conservation, real estate, and/or fee title and conservation easement transactions.
• Successful candidate will have strong written and oral communication skills, work effectively within teams, and be highly organized and detail oriented.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in field…