The Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) protects, restores, and manages King County’s water and land using the best available science, innovation, and collaborating with our partners and the community. WLRD employs scientists, engineers, policy experts, ecologists, and project managers dedicated to protecting the health and integrity of King County’s natural resources, so that they can be enjoyed today and for generations to come. WLRD provides flood control services, stormwater management, and other natural resource management services throughout the county. The division houses three salmon recovery forums, acquires open space, restores habitat, monitors water quality, controls noxious weeds, and provides economic and technical support for forestry and agriculture. The Rural and Regional Services Section of WLRD supports multi-jurisdictional efforts in a variety of business areas, such as the planning and implementation of strategies and actions to protect and restore healthy salmon populations in the three major watersheds within King County. 

JOB DESCRIPTION:
 

The Green/Duwamish/Central Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Manager will lead a multi-disciplinary team responsible for technical, policy, capital, and administrative aspects of watershed management and salmon recovery for the Green/Duwamish/Central Puget Sound Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA 9), which also includes Vashon/Maury Island. This position will work for 16 local governments in WRIA 9 who have entered into a cost-shared Interlocal Agreement to provide for the joint development and implementation of a watershed-based salmon conservation plan. King County is the service provider to the Interlocal Agreement.  The Agreement establishes a WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum (Forum) comprised of elected officials from the 16 local governments as well as stakeholders and other interested parties.  The Salmon Recovery Manager is the lead staff to the Forum and coordinates the regional process for implementing the watershed’s salmon conservation plan including: capital project funding, grants administration, program implementation, and adaptive management and monitoring.  The Forum has a management committee and a technical and implementation committee, supported by the Salmon Recovery Manager and other team staff. The Salmon Recovery Manager works closely with staff from member jurisdictions and plays a lead advocacy role for plan implementation.

Permanent Telecommuting Requirement

The work associated with this position will be performed remotely on a permanent basis.  There will be situations where the employee is required to report to a County worksite. Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team.

Work Location: Primarily teleworking and the King Street Center 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle WA 98104.

Work Schedule:  This full-time position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and is not overtime eligible. This position is based on a 40-hourworkweek.  The typical work schedule is 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday– Friday. Attendance at evening meetings and weekend events will be required from time to time. 

• Provides leadership and visibility for salmon recovery in WRIA 9 as well as leading advocacy for implementation of the WRIA 9 Salmon Habitat Plan – “Making Our Watershed Fit For A King” (Plan).

• Functions as primary contact for media, regional efforts, businesses, and others for WRIA 9 Plan implementation.

• Works with WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum and Management Committee chair(s) to set agendas and convene Forum and Management Committee meetings.

• Develops work program, staffing plan, budget and schedule of deliverables in concert with member jurisdictions for Forum approval.

• Supervises staff of three people paid for by the WRIA 9 interlocal agreement member jurisdictions to coordinate the completion of the Forum work plan.

• Provides leadership to staff committees serving WRIA 9 Forum to ensure that efforts are well integrated and work plan deliverables are met.

• Develops structure, policies, strategies and issue papers for Forum work in collaboration with member jurisdiction staff and stakeholders.

• Identifies and solicits funding for implementation of the Plan.

• Represents WRIA 9 interests at regional and state salmon recovery staff forums.

• Acts as the lead entity coordinator for the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board process.

• Coordinates with other watershed leads across Puget Sound and Washington State, member jurisdiction staff, stakeholders, and other agency staff to encourage implementation of programmatic actions and further the implementation of the salmon plan.

• Coordinates with internal county staff from multiple disciplines to work collaboratively on watershed issues, including capital and policy coordination related to river and floodplain management.

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Regional Planning, Natural Resource Management or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience which would provide the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties as described; and at least five years of increasingly responsible program management work that is applicable to the essential job functions of this position.
• Experience working directly with public officials and their staff coupled with a demonstrated knowledge of interjurisdictional governance public planning processes, salmon conservation and/or water resources management.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and verbally, with varied audiences.
• Ability to work collaboratively and build consensus with diverse interests including scientists, citizens, representatives of other County, Tribal, City, State and Federal agencies, employees and supervisors.
• At least two years experience managing complex, multi-party natural resource planning efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to run and facilitate meetings.
• Familiarity with broad water resource issues including watershed planning, water quantity, water quality, river management, and the Endangered Species Act and habitat requirements for salmonids.
• Strong familiarity with salmon recovery efforts, ideally in Puget Sound, and the roles of local, state, tribal and regional organizations.
• Ability to take initiative within the scope of the position, to develop and implement plans, and prepare recommendations for action.
• Ability to effectively plan, organize, prioritize work on a daily basis.
• Ability to work on multiple tasks accurately and quickly in a high pressure/short deadline environment.
• Ability to grasp issues quickly and manage changing priorities. 

DESIRABLE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Master’s degree in related field.
• Two years of experience supervising staff.
• Knowledge of the organizational and technical aspects of salmon recovery planning and implementation efforts in Puget Sound and the State of Washington.
• Experience and understanding of rural land use issues, agriculture, forestry, and flood hazard management.
• Current understanding of potential climate change impacts and their implications for salmon recovery.
• Solid experience working with tribal governments on salmon recovery issues.
• Experience working with local, state and federal funding processes.

Our Ideal Candidates Excel at the Following Competencies:

• Motivating Others/Teamwork: Creating and maintaining a climate in which people want to do their best in a collaborative environment.
• Strategic Agility:  Seeing clearly ahead and anticipating consequences and trends accurately. Bringing broad perspective and knowledge to the work to create breakthrough strategies and plans.
• Political savvy:  Maneuvering through complex political situations effectively and is sensitive to how people and organizations function.
• Written Communication: Writing clearly and appropriately in a variety of communication settings, styles, and to a diverse set of audiences. 

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

 
A valid Washington State Driver’s License or ability to obtain within30 days of hire. 

206-263-1986