Forest Practices Division – Olympia

Recruitment # 2020-12-6872

This is a full-time, permanent, represented position.

Want to join something GREAT and make a difference?

The Forest Practices Division has an opening for a leader who will help create and maintain an inspiring team environment with a culture of open communication and innovation. Your team is responsible for helping to establish and manage a multi-million dollar set of adaptive management program forest research projects that provide scientific information used by the Forest Practice Board to decide when it’s necessary or advisable to adjust administrative rules and guidance that guide management of timber harvest and other forest practices on about 12 million acres of private and state forests within Washington.

Responsibilities:

As our Environmental Planner 5 (EP5) supervisory project manager you will be responsible for supporting the Forest Practices Adaptive Management Program (AMP) to effectively and efficiently implement research and monitoring initiatives. This position reports to the Adaptive Management Program Administrator (AMPA) and acts as a key representative of the AMP with two multi-caucus research and policy committees.

You will manage a small portfolio of high profile projects, while supervising and managing the work of a planning team consisting of two Environmental Planner 4 senior-level project managers and one Environmental Planner 3 associate-level project manager in the AMP.  As their supervisor you will be responsible for ensuring a high level of project accountability in your team’s work to develop project charters, management plans, and contracts with meaningful deliverables, scopes of work, schedules, and budgets. Through caring leadership, you will oversee and manage program level performance and budget targets that span across the entire suite of active projects, ensuring that program staff are balancing the needs of each project against the needs of the program as a whole.

Working closely with the AMPA you will be asked to guide your team in responding to and implementing the priorities and initiatives of the Forest Practices Board and TFW Policy committee. You will have a critical role in helping the AMP develop and maintain an accurate long-term budget.  We will be relying on your experience and creativity to identify opportunities for continual improvement in project flow and outcomes.

We will rely on your strong interpersonal, communication and meeting management skills to work effectively with our stakeholder committees who are staffed by representatives of state, local, and federal agencies; tribal representatives; environmental groups, and large/small forest landowners.   These stakeholders must work together and with DNR AMP staff to reach agreements that provide policy guidance and science-based recommendations and technical recommendations to assist the Forest Practices Board in determining if and when it is necessary or advisable to adjust forest practice laws, rules, and guidance for aquatic resources to achieve stated goals and objectives.

Who are we looking for?

The right candidate has:

• Bachelor’s degree with major study in natural resources or a closely related field.
• 5 years of experience supervising and directing professional staff, including setting and maintaining expectations, managing workloads, and providing motivation and feedback.
• 5 years of natural resource knowledge based project management experience.
• 5 years of experience developing and managing contracts that include project scopes of work, budgets, schedules and deliverables.
• The incumbent in this position is required to travel.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and have two years of driving experience. This position requires driving as an essential function.  Employees who drive for state business, whether in a state or privately-owned vehicle, are required to possess a valid license as defined in policy PO02-006 and abide by all other driver responsibility requirements. Finalists and/or interview candidates will be asked to provide a driving record from all states in which they have held a license during the past three years.

Desirable Qualifications:

• A graduate degree in a natural resource science or closely related field and 5+ years of professional work experience in one of these fields.
• A certification in project management.
• An understanding of statistics, including experimental design, sampling procedures, hypothesis formulation and testing.
• Experience and understanding of forestry, riparian/aquatic interaction research and monitoring techniques.
• Advanced interpersonal communication and shuttle diplomacy skills (including facilitation, collaboration, negotiation and conflict resolution).
• Demonstrated ability to maintain effective working relationships with government officials, conservation caucuses, researchers, and forest landowners

The Location
One of the world’s most scenic places, Washington State offers breathtaking discoveries for people who love natural beauty and outdoor recreation, from the Pacific Coast shores to the rugged Cascade Mountains to the rolling hills of the Palouse. Your office will be located in downtown Olympia.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telework (mobile-work) is expected for most office activities. When approved to return, the incumbent is expected to report to their assigned duty station for work activities or may be approved for telework based on DNR’s telework policy.

Why work for DNR?
At DNR, we value public service, innovation and creative problem solving, safety and well-being, and leadership and teamwork. At DNR you’ll support the vision of a sustainable future by using your skills to protect and manage the state’s natural resources for both current and future generations. As a DNR employee, you’ll work with the public’s interest in mind as we manage more than 5 million acres of state-owned forest, range, commercial, agricultural and aquatic lands. But managing lands is only half of our story. We house the Washington Geological Survey, a dynamic program that is the primary source of geological products and services in support of decision making in Washington. We also protect other public resources such as fish, wildlife, water, and provide public access to outdoor recreation. Two of our largest and most important state-wide resource protection responsibilities are fire prevention and suppression, and overseeing forest practices.

We are nearly 1,500 employees strong and dedicated to making DNR a great place to work. Our mission is to serve Washington’s lands and communities; build strong and healthy rural communities; enhance forest health and wildfire management; strengthen the health and resilience of our lands and waters; and increase public engagement and commitment to our public lands and resources. In partnership with citizens and governments, we provide innovative leadership and expertise to ensure environmental protection, public safety, perpetual funding for schools and communities, and a rich quality of life.  At DNR we approach our work through the lens of making Washington a better place environmentally, economically and socially for current and future generations.

What makes DNR a great place to work?

• Commitment to organizational health and wellness
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council
• Leadership that empowers and supports employees
• Work/life balance
• Leadership development opportunities
• Educational aid and career development stipends
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Eligibility
• Opportunities to participate in wildland fire suppression assignments
• Opportunities to stretch your professional skills
• A comprehensive benefit package that includes employer contributions toward health insurance, paid holidays, retirement plans, sick leave and vacation days. Visit http://careers.wa.gov/benefits.html for more information.

Application Process
To be considered you must apply online at www.careers.wa.gov (Click on the APPLY button above). You must complete the entire online application to be considered for the position.
Required Attachments:

• A letter of interest describing how your experience and qualifications relate to the position profile, required and desired position qualifications, and special position requirements.
• Your resume – do not add it into the text of the application, it must be an attachment.
• The names of three to five professional references – you may attach a document, use the References text field in the online application, or include with resume.

Questions?  Please contact Mark Hicks at (360) 819-0406, Mark.Hicks@dnr.wa.gov   or e-mail us at DNRrecruiting@dnr.wa.gov.

This recruitment may be extended depending on the quantity and quality of the application pool. This recruitment may also be used to fill future similar vacancies for sixty (60) days.

Once you submit your online application, you can check your status by logging into your account. If you experience technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application call NEOGOV toll-free at (855)524-5627 or email CareersHelp@des.wa.gov.

Washington State Department of Natural Resources is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind.  We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities in a fair and impartial manner for all persons without regard to age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, creed, color, national origin, religion, pregnancy/parental status, genetic information, military status, political affiliation, criminal history or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.  Persons with a disability who need assistance during the screening process or those needing this announcement in an alternative format may contact DNR Recruiting staff (360) 902-1350 or (360) 902-1139.  DNR may be contacted using the Washington State Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) by dialing 711.