Rich people stuff: what do you call this employee?

November 15, 2022 5:40 AM

So, there's a very wealthy estate with a lot of land attached. The owners have made part of that property a wildlife refuge, and the pertinent state and/or federal authorities manage that land. The rest of it is still quite a chunk of significant acreage, though and this employee manages it. What are they called?

In a sort of "bespoke" position, this employee reports directly to the owners, and handles / oversees things like harvesting (or not) and replanting timber and any crops that are grown on the land (there are definitely some orchards, for example), as well as overseeing the welfare and management of a limited number of livestock (horses, some sheep, fowl), and organic wildlife. They look after the health of the property generally and liaise both with the Wildlife Refuge people and with the employers' contractors, etc., for any new construction to be sure it doesn't adversely affect the land. They might have a small number of people working under them, but mostly they contract out for projects (let's say they need to clear a dam, or grade some earth) or hire seasonally. Their main task and raison d'être is "protect, manage and nurture the land."

What is a reasonable job title for this person?

posted by taz to Home & Garden (17 answers total)

Groundskeeper.
posted by sarajane at 5:43 AM on November 15, 2022 [7 favorites]

Best answer: "Land manager"

This is the term used by land trusts and scientists and agronomists etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_management
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:44 AM on November 15, 2022 [13 favorites]

Or estate manager (might be more UK specific)
posted by crocomancer at 5:48 AM on November 15, 2022 [8 favorites]

Best answer: Land steward is another common term for this. Here's a real-life example of it done well near me. While it has transitioned into foundation ownership, it was previously owned by a sole (ultra-wealthy) landowner.
posted by hessie at 5:51 AM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Director, Land Management
Director, Land Stewardship
Director, Property Management
Director, Grounds Management
posted by desert exile at 6:03 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Ranger of the Great Park, if you happen to be Charles III.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:47 AM on November 15, 2022

Best answer: I know a person with this job in the US (southeast, if it matters). She uses Estate Manager and Director of Land Management interchangeably (but I think the latter is what is on her business card/LinkedIn).
posted by thivaia at 6:47 AM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Agree with Land Manager, but depending on the ratio of agricultural tasks to other stuff they could well be a Farm Manager.
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 6:51 AM on November 15, 2022

I would be mad if that were my job and my title wasn't "Ranger."
posted by ob1quixote at 7:30 AM on November 15, 2022 [3 favorites]

caretaker.org has stuff like this
posted by aniola at 9:31 AM on November 15, 2022

Best answer: Yeah, I work in this industry and "Land Manager" came to mind. However, that term is often a generic one that refers to the organization with the legal responsibility for land management (in the case of conservation easements, for example). So the Land Manager of record might be, for example, a corporation. The person doing the work, depending on their level of responsibility, might be, e.g. a "Land Steward", "Stewardship Coordinator", "Stewardship Program Manager", or one of desert exile's suggestions.
posted by agentofselection at 10:53 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

In the US, ranger tends to mean that you are a peace officer (aka a cop who can make arrests). The Bureau of Land Management has thousands of land managers but only a few hundred rangers.
posted by rockindata at 12:36 PM on November 15, 2022

Estate Steward, Land Steward
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:14 PM on November 15, 2022

Ranger seems perfect, but maybe not for someone in the US, it seems. Sounds perfect, though for someone in, for example, Greece. Otherwise, Land Manager or Estate Manager sound about right, albeit nowhere near as cool.
posted by dg at 9:18 PM on November 15, 2022

Estate Agent? Groundskeeper? Steward?
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 12:12 PM on November 16, 2022

Response by poster: Thank you so much, everyone!! Great answers!
posted by taz at 2:01 AM on November 19, 2022

Caretaker, Administrator, Groundskeeper, Steward, Warden.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:29 PM on November 21, 2022