JOB SUMMARY

The Manager will collaborate across the organization to achieve the National Trust’s mission as well as the Preservation Services & Outreach (PS&O) Department’s purpose of strengthening the national historic preservation movement to save historic places that tell the full American story. The PS&O Department, informed by the National Impact Agenda – which was crowd-sourced by the National Trust to guide and inspire the preservation movement towards a vision for strategic change -- achieves the Department’s purpose through grantmaking and technical assistance, convening people to promote best practices in preservation, and advocacy to save important historic places.

Reporting to a Senior Director of Preservation Programs, this position will help support the National Trust’s Preserve Route 66 Initiative leading up to the centennial celebration of Route 66 in 2026. A key focus of the Preserve Route 66 Initiative is to tell the full story of Route 66 by expanding preservation and interpretive efforts at key historic sites in the Route 66 corridor between Chicago and Los Angeles, including historic places related to Native American, Latinx, African American, Women, Immigrants, Veterans or other economically distressed sites demonstrating significant preservation needs.

The Manager will conduct outreach and community engagement in communities along Route 66, as well as provide technical assistance and help ensure successful outcomes for Route 66 grants and for select Route 66 advocacy efforts. Specifically, the Manager will build on the Route 66 outreach completed during the assessment phase through virtual and in-person outreach to strategically build relationships, identify needs at underrepresented Route 66 sites, connect Route 66 stakeholders to services and opportunities, and provide technical assistance and grants to move preservation and storytelling forward.

While the Manager’s work on the Preserve Route 66 Initiative will comprise the majority of the responsibilities for this position through 2026, there will be additional duties including, collaborating on select advocacy work undertaken by the Preservation Division, and providing technical assistance to stewards of historic places through National Trust grant programs. Candidates with experience working with either indigenous or Latino/a/x communities along the Route 66 corridor between Chicago and Los Angeles will be given preference, and the ideal candidate will be embedded in one of these communities along the Route 66 corridor.

Overall, this position will work closely with other National Trust staff members who are part of the Preserve Route 66 team to contribute to building PS&O into a cohesive, efficient, and effective department, and to support the National Trust’s commitment to investing in preservation’s future by growing collaborative networks and engaging the public.

This is a 3-year bequest-funded position.

DUTIES

Preserve Route 66 Initiative: Working closely with the Preserve Route 66 team, the Manager will assist with the following duties:

• Conduct community outreach and engagement to strategically expand the National Trust’s reach in underrepresented communities along Route 66
  • Conduct virtual and in-person outreach with selected historic sites and communities along Route 66 to identify preservation needs;
  • Connect Route 66 sites to existing preservation services within the National Trust, including but not limited to services that may be available through the Preserve Route 66 initiative’s funding including grants and technical assistance;
  • Work in collaboration with Route 66 interns to continue to research overlooked historic sites connected to the Route 66 story as a microcosm of America;
  • Update and expand the existing “case book” of underrepresented historic sites along Route 66 to help the Trust evaluate and respond to their preservation needs;
  • Coordinate the delivery of preservation services to targeted historic sites including managing Preserve Route 66 projects as needed;
  • Promote Preserve Route 66 initiative opportunities along the Route.
• In partnership with the Preserve Route 66 team, assist in working with the Trust’s Marketing Division and Development Division to explore ways to leverage the Route 66 bequest to expand the impact of this multi-year initiative.

Additionally, the Manager will serve as a team member working across the Preservation Services & Outreach Department and across the National Trust supporting other programs and grants, such as America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, Preservation Funds, Diversity Scholars Program, Backing Historic Small Restaurants, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5 years of professional level experience, including experience in historic preservation advocacy, particularly in a matrixed and geographically dispersed non-profit. Relevance of experience and size and type of organization worked for may be taken into account when considering background/qualifications.
• Knowledge of underrepresented communities along the Route 66 corridor and/or experience in community outreach and engagement, with particular emphasis on experience working with indigenous and/or Latino/a/x communities.
• Experience and/or education/training in the field of historic preservation or related fields such as urban planning, architecture, cultural resources management and other aligned professions.
• Experience coordinating projects. Excellent organizational skills, work management skills and attention to detail essential.
• Ability to work independently to carry out tasks as assigned and communicate effectively with supervisor as questions arise.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including issue identification and prioritization.
• Strong project-management skills, including project budgeting and planning. Ability to achieve results with general supervision.
• Effective presentation skills. Excellent writing, spelling, grammar, and proofreading skills, as well as strong verbal communication and customer service skills.
• Experience successfully interacting with key stakeholders and building trusting relationships. Proven ability to collaborate and achieve results. When working in the office, public contact and ability to work successfully in close proximity to others required. When working off site, the ability to work effectively in a remote environment, maintaining productivity and communications to meet deadlines and goals, is required.
• Demonstrated competence using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other video conferencing platforms in a professional setting. Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel required, as well as with virtual meeting platforms Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Familiarity with other software, including databases and GIS, a plus.
• Demonstrated success in engaging culturally diverse colleagues and stakeholders. Bi-lingual language skills a plus. Ties to culturally diverse affinity groups, professional organizations, or related associations are a plus. Able to talk effectively about identities such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, or gender in plain, specific terms as they relate to cultural heritage. Experience supporting or involvement in DEIA programming a plus.
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task efficiently, and respond to a high volume of ongoing requests in a timely fashion. Ability to adapt and be flexible in a dynamic work environment. Ability to work effectively with frequent interruptions required. Able to handle frequently changing and/or unscheduled tasks with accuracy. Entrepreneurial spirit and skill set a plus.
• Ability to continually develop skills related to use of rapidly changing technology and communications best practices.
• Option for remote work or in the National Trust’s office in Denver or Washington DC. Residency in one of the Route 66 states (CA, AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS, MO or IL) and ideally residency close to Route 66 to facilitate outreach is preferred.
• Travel required (up to 25% of time)
• Regular and reliable attendance required.