Application Guide
How to Apply for Program Manager
at Resources Legacy Fund
🏢 About Resources Legacy Fund
Resources Legacy Fund (RLF) is a mission-driven nonprofit that has spent 25 years building the strategic and financial infrastructure for lasting environmental progress. Unlike traditional advocacy groups, RLF operates as a behind-the-scenes architect, forging trusted partnerships and creative campaigns to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental injustice across Western North America. Working here means contributing to high-impact initiatives in a collaborative, remote-first environment with a proven track record of policy wins.
About This Role
As Program Manager, you will be the operational backbone of RLF’s wildfire resilience initiatives in Washington and California, managing everything from grantmaking and coalition coordination to strategic planning and team retreats. Your work directly supports frontline communities and ecosystems by translating complex policy goals into actionable projects and partnerships. This role is ideal for someone who thrives on building structure around ambitious environmental campaigns and enjoys working across diverse stakeholders.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with a video check-in with coalition partners in Washington or California to align on grant deliverables, followed by drafting a grant agreement for a new wildfire resilience project. Afternoon hours could be spent synthesizing meeting notes into a strategic planning document or coordinating logistics for an upcoming team retreat, with time set aside to review a contract for compliance. The role blends independent work with collaborative touchpoints, requiring flexibility across time zones and topics.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Resources Legacy Fund Is Looking For
- 3+ years of hands-on experience in western wildfire resilience, conservation, or climate policy, with a clear understanding of the unique ecological and political landscapes of California and Washington.
- Exceptional project management skills, including the ability to juggle multiple grants, contracts, and coalition meetings while maintaining attention to detail and meeting tight deadlines.
- Strong writing and editing skills, with a talent for synthesizing technical or policy-heavy information into clear, compelling proposals, reports, and communications for diverse audiences.
- Comfortable navigating complex stakeholder environments (e.g., state agencies, tribal nations, NGOs, and local communities) and a genuine commitment to learning policy development and advocacy strategies.
📝 Tips for Applying to Resources Legacy Fund
Tailor your resume to highlight specific wildfire resilience or conservation project management experience, using metrics (e.g., grants managed, coalition partners engaged, acres treated) to demonstrate impact.
In your cover letter, explicitly connect your experience to RLF’s unique role as an architectural partner—not just an advocate—and show you understand their behind-the-scenes approach.
Research RLF’s recent wildfire resilience initiatives (e.g., the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force or Washington’s wildfire strategy) and reference them in your application to show genuine interest.
Emphasize your ability to work remotely and independently, as this role is fully remote; provide examples of how you’ve managed projects or coordinated teams across time zones.
Submit a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to synthesize complex information (e.g., a grant proposal, policy brief, or meeting summary) for a non-technical audience.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Highlight your specific experience with wildfire resilience or related environmental issues in California and/or Washington, and how it aligns with RLF’s strategic focus.', 'Demonstrate your project management and grant administration expertise, with concrete examples of managing contracts, due diligence, and reporting.', 'Show your ability to work in coalitions and facilitate meetings among diverse stakeholders, emphasizing your collaborative and diplomatic skills.', 'Express your commitment to environmental justice and equity, and how you see this role contributing to RLF’s mission of addressing environmental injustice.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Review RLF’s website and recent news to understand their key initiatives, especially the Wildfire Resilience Program and their work with the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force.
- → Read up on the current wildfire policy and funding landscape in California (e.g., CAL FIRE’s programs) and Washington (e.g., DNR’s wildfire strategy) to speak knowledgeably in interviews.
- → Familiarize yourself with RLF’s core values, particularly their commitment to environmental justice and equity, and how these principles are integrated into their project work.
- → Look into RLF’s funding sources and partners (e.g., foundations, state agencies) to understand the financial and collaborative context of the role.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn’t mention wildfire resilience or RLF’s specific approach—this signals lack of genuine interest.
- Focusing only on advocacy or policy experience without demonstrating project management and grant administration skills, which are core to this role.
- Overlooking the remote aspect: failing to address how you stay productive and connected while working remotely can raise concerns about fit.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Resources Legacy Fund!