Employment Opportunities

Looking to join the American Battlefield Trust team? Explore our open full-time positions and part-time internship opportunities below. Find out more about the benefits and highlights of working at the Trust on our career page.

• Executive Assistant to the President
• State and Local Relations Vacancy
• Major Gifts Officer
• Internships

Open Positions

Executive Assistant to the President

The American Battlefield Trust, the nation’s premier historic land preservation nonprofit organization, seeks an Executive Assistant to the organization’s President. The Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters.

Location: Washington, DC
Reports To: President/CEO
Job Classification: Full-Time; Exempt

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Conserves president’s time by reading, researching, and routing correspondence; drafting letters and documents; collecting and analyzing information; and initiating communications
• Maintains president’s appointment schedule by planning and scheduling meetings, teleconferences, and travel
• Plays a key role in communication and coordination with the Board of Trustees, partner organizations, public officials, members, and donors
• Supports Board & donor events, including taking meeting minutes and providing logistical support for Board of Trustees meetings
• Provides on-call administrative support to the American Battlefield Trust’s operating departments to further our mission of battlefield land preservation and education

Required Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Outstanding organizational, time management, interpersonal, and verbal & written communication skills  
• Flexible and a self-starter; able to multitask while also being highly detail oriented
• High School degree (Bachelor’s degree preferred)
• Excellent MS Office knowledge
• At least three years of experience in an administrative, managerial, or other relevant capacity preferred
• Personal qualities of integrity, discretion/confidentiality, sense of humor, and a commitment to the preservation and education mission of the American Battlefield Trust

To apply for the position, please send resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and references to executiveassistant@battlefields.org.  No calls, please.

At the American Battlefield Trust, we build parks and tell stories — the narrative threads that make up the rich tapestry of our nation. Our culture calls for hardworking, entrepreneurial individuals that take calculated, intelligent risks and are always looking for opportunities to learn and improve. Our staff is united by a commitment to excellence and a passion for keeping American history alive. 

Since 1987, the Trust has saved more than 53,000 acres of hallowed battlefield land from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. We have reached millions of students and other life-long learners through our education programs.  As our nation heads toward the 250th anniversary of its birth, we are looking to grow even more and build upon our previous successes.  

State and Local Relations Vacancy

The American Battlefield Trust, the nation’s premier historic land preservation nonprofit organization, seeks a politically savvy government relations professional. The Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters.

Location: Washington, DC
Reports To: Chief Policy & Communications Officer
Job Classification: Full-Time; Exempt

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Promote historic battlefield preservation and heritage tourism initiatives among state and local officials
• Develop strategic partnerships with national and regional nonprofit organizations that help support the Trust’s mission

Required Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree
• 3-4 years of relevant professional experience
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and writing skills
• Experience in politics, grassroots advocacy, and/or public relations
• Demonstrated interest in American history and/or land conservation

To apply for the position, please send resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and references to policyresumes@battlefields.org.  No calls, please.

At the American Battlefield Trust, we build parks and tell stories — the narrative threads that make up the rich tapestry of our nation. Our culture calls for hardworking, entrepreneurial individuals that take calculated, intelligent risks and are always looking for opportunities to learn and improve. Our staff is united by a commitment to excellence and a passion for keeping American history alive. 

Since 1987, the Trust has saved more than 53,000 acres of hallowed battlefield land from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. We have reached millions of students and other life-long learners through our education programs.  As our nation heads toward the 250th anniversary of its birth, we are looking to grow even more and build upon our previous successes.  

Major Gifts Officer

The American Battlefield Trust, the nation’s premier historic land preservation nonprofit organization, seeks a Major Gifts Officer to build relationships with donors who are passionate about preserving our nation’s history and telling its story. The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters.

Location: Washington, DC
Reports To: Senior Philanthropic Advisor
Job Classification: Full-Time; Exempt

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The Major Gifts Officer will work with a caseload of approximately 150-200 donors who have already expressed interest in battlefield preservation. This position will be mostly responsible for gifts of $10,000-$100,000, but will be given the flexibility to pursue larger gifts on a case-by-case basis.

• Will qualify a caseload of 150-200 donors that have already been screened for capacity and have already indicated an interest in our mission.
• Will manage a list of top donors within this caseload and will create and track goals for each of these donors. This will include having a plan including communications, marketing, and stewardship for those individuals.
• Will build relationships with individuals in this caseload with emphasis on meeting face-to-face. The Major Gifts Officer would be expected to be on the road at least 25-35% of the time.
• Will work closely with other development staff such as the prospect researcher, the Senior Philanthropic Advisor, and the Director of Development to learn about projects that need major donor funding, and develop proposals for individuals as needed.
• Will work closely with members of our Real Estate and Education staff to craft effective and compelling opportunities for prospective donors.
• Will perform other major donor activities such attending events, developing strategies and more.

Experience, Abilities & Skills

• Passion for our mission of battlefield preservation and an interest in American history.
• Five to ten years of professional experience in roles related to building relationships with donors, clients, or customers--preferably in major gifts fundraising or in sales. 
• The ability to create personal contact with donors while learning about their passions and motivations. The ability to execute strategies that result in retention, upgrading of donors, and gifts to support specific important projects.
• Excellent organizational skills, as well as superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to have a strong working relationship with peers, management, and the Board of Trustees.

To apply for the position, please send resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and references to Tom Moore, Senior Philanthropic Advisor at developmentresumes@battlefields.org. No calls, please.

This position is based in Washington, DC. During the period of COVID-19 restrictions, the Major Gifts Officer will work primarily on a remote basis. After the restrictions are lifted, this position will work primarily from our DC office, however some flexibility regarding remote work can be considered. 

If you like history, preservation and education, this role will give you the opportunity to get to share that interest with other Americans who share this passion. In addition to travelling the country engaging our members and building relationships with them, the major gift officer will attend events and battlefield tours (with the best historians in the country!).

The American Battlefield Trust’s fundraising is based around various battlefield preservation projects throughout the year, as well as education projects that tell the story of the importance of what happened on those battlefields. For example, this coming year will provide opportunities to raise large sums of money for land at major battlefields that would otherwise be lost forever to development. We have a large number of dedicated members who care strongly about our work, and we have close relationships with our donors. We want to build strong relationships with even more of our supporters so that we can save more land before it is developed, and expand our education mission to inform the public about our country’s history and inspire future generations to continue to appreciate it.

At the American Battlefield Trust, we build parks and tell stories — the narrative threads that make up the rich tapestry of our nation. Our culture calls for hardworking, entrepreneurial individuals that take calculated, intelligent risks and are always looking for opportunities to learn and improve. Our staff is united by a commitment to excellence and a passion for keeping American history alive. 

Since 1987, the Trust has saved more than 53,000 acres of hallowed battlefield land from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. We have reached millions of students and other life-long learners through our education programs.  As our nation heads toward the 250th anniversary of its birth, we are looking to grow even more and build upon our previous successes.  

Internship Opportunities

Please note: Though the American Battlefield Trust is accepting resumes at this time, our internship openings are subject to change as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop. Job seekers are welcome to submit their application and reach out to interns@battlefields.org to confirm openings.

The American Battlefield Trust provides students interested in history and conservation with outstanding opportunities to work on meaningful projects and gain perspective on the dynamics of an efficient, top-rated nonprofit organization.

The Trust offers paid part-time internships in our Washington, D.C. office, up to 30 hours per week, as needed throughout the year. Successful candidates may be able to arrange for varied tenures, depending on availability. While we strive to accommodate the schedules of qualified candidates, the selection process is competitive and organizational staffing needs are consideration criteria.

We are currently accepting applications for the following department(s). Please see the department descriptions below:

• Government & Public Relations (Spring/Summer)

Successful candidates will be contacted by a staff member directly. As part of the selection process, candidates may be asked to participate in an interview, either in person or over the phone. We regret that due to the volume of submissions, we may not be able to respond personally to all applicants. No calls, please.

Candidates must specify the department (first and second choices are welcome) for which they wish to be considered. Application packages containing a cover letter, resume and two writing samples (no more than five pages; excerpts welcome). Please submit applications specifically for the Development internship to developmentresumes@battlefields.org, and all other departments to interns@battlefields.org, or:

American Battlefield Trust
ATTN: Intern Coordinator
1156 15th Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20005

Internship applicants can expect the following per department:

Development:

Interns will learn the mechanics of the nonprofit industry, including event planning, prospect research and donor and member cultivation and management.

Education:

These internships entail a wide variety of Civil War and Revolutionary War research, writing, content creation and image or video editing in support of our education programs on our web site, at American Battlefield Trust events and in print. These are just some of the opportunities available to you as an intern for the American Battlefield Trust Education Department. For motivated History majors, who are looking to hone and develop their public history and program management skills, this internship is for you.

Government & Public Relations:

Interns assist with multimedia advocacy and outreach efforts; planning, preparing for and executing select special events; drafting and distributing news releases; and supporting a wide variety of government and public relations initiatives throughout the year.  

Land Preservation:

Interns will work on land acquisition projects that may include the review of land records, transaction documentation and grant tracking — a perfect fit for detail-oriented law students.

Digital Media:

Interns assist with social media, marketing, digital video editing, and web publishing to help 19th-century history meet 21st-century technology.

More opportunities

If you’re interested in bringing your experience and passion to the Trust, but we don’t have the right position available right now, please email our HR Manager at cgaluska@battlefields.org with your resume and contact information, and we’ll reach out if we ever have an opportunity that we think might be a good fit.  

The American Battlefield Trust is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.