Description
Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC) is the nation’s largest trails organization—with a grassroots community of more than 1 million strong—dedicated to building a nation connected by trails, reimagining public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors. Founded in 1986, Rails to Trails Conservancy's national office is located in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in Ohio, Baltimore, and Milwaukee. For more information, visit www.railstotrails.org. Connect with RTC @railstotrails on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter).
Job Summary
The Content Coordinator will work in close collaboration with the TrailLink team and colleagues across the organization. The position is responsible for creating and managing online trail and trail use content on TrailLink, a flagship program of RTC. TrailLink is the official trail guide of Rails to Trails Conservancy, featuring maps, descriptions, photos, reviews, and navigation tools for more than 40,000 miles of public recreational trails across the United States, including rail-trails, bike trails, walking trails, and greenways. Through its extensive offerings, accessible online and through TrailLink’s mobile apps—RTC has connected million of people to trails nationwide.
Job Location
This position is in our Washington, D.C., National Headquarters and is eligible for a hybrid work schedule (working two days per week in the D.C. office) in accordance with RTC’s policies.
Job Duties
The TrailLink Content Coordinator supports TrailLink, Rails to Trails Conservancy's trail-finder platform, by researching, creating, publishing, and maintaining trail information for open multiuse trails in the United States. The TrailLink Content Coordinator will:
- Maintain RTC's open trails database, including trail name, facts, descriptions, photos and external links
- Perform outreach to identify new rail-trails and multiuse trails through a variety of research methods
- Audit existing records for extensions, new amenities and connections to other trails
- Research and evaluate OpenStreetMap (OSM) data sources to expand TrailLink's trails catalogue
- Manage the creation and enrichment of TrailLink trail records using OpenStreetMap
- Review and validate programmatically generated records before publication
- Ensure newly created records and content align with TrailLink's SEO requirements
- Assist with managing distribution to online channels and social media platforms
- Coordinate with RTC’s GIS Specialist to update, track and maintain trail and trail amenity information on trail maps
- Communicate with TrailLink users, trail managers, local organizations, and government
- Report regularly on new open-trails outreach and audit strategies
- Proactively identify areas to improve processes, new content and user experience
- Coordinate with RTC staff to ensure all internal trail updates and content (including photos) created throughout the organization are shared and published on TrailLink, including content generated from RTC’s eNews, magazine, guidebooks and TrailNation projects
- Assist with other TrailLink-related duties as needed
Supervisory Responsibilities
- This position does not have any supervisory responsibilities.
Requirements
Basic Qualifications and Personal Attributes
- Undergraduate degree or 1–2 years’ work experience in communications, content creation and/or CMS database management
- Exceptional writing and communication skills
- Proficiency in data entry and database and/or CMS management preferred
- Proficiency in mapping tools, including ArcGIS and Open Street Map (OSM)
- Proficient in a broad variety of research techniques, both online and through personal outreach
- Understanding of SEO, LLMs and site traffic analysis
- Understanding of copyright issues and permissions as they relate to creating and publishing website content
- Excellent interpersonal skills
Work Environment
Normal office setting with low to moderate noise level.
Skills Required
- Undergraduate degree or 1-2 years' work experience in communications, content creation and/or CMS database management
- Exceptional writing and communication skills
- Proficiency in data entry and database and/or CMS management
- Proficiency in mapping tools, including ArcGIS and OpenStreetMap (OSM)
- Proficient in a broad variety of research techniques, both online and through personal outreach
- Understanding of SEO, LLMs and site traffic analysis
- Understanding of copyright issues and permissions related to publishing website content
- Excellent interpersonal skills
What We Do
At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), we believe that communities are healthier and happier when trail networks are central to their design. Since 1986, RTC has worked to bring the power of trails to more communities across the country, serving as the national voice for the rail-trail movement. With more than one million grassroots supporters, 23,000 miles of rail-trails on the ground nationwide and more than 8,000 miles of rail-trails ready to be built, our focus is on linking these corridors—creating trail networks that connect people and places, bringing transformative benefits to communities all across the country. Our flagship initiatives—TrailLink.com, TrailNation™ and the Great American Rail-Trail™—bring that strategy to life, connecting millions of people by trail. For three decades, RTC has served as the national voice for trails, setting the precedent that rail-trails are need-to-have community assets and establishing policies and practices that ensure these trails are built. Learn how: railstotrails.org.
