The Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is a small state agency located in Olympia, Washington that plans for and provides funding to: create and maintain opportunities for recreation; protect the best of the state’s wild lands, farms, and forests; and recover salmon.

RCO strives to maintain a workplace that is respectful, inclusive and family-friendly where all team members feel safe to bring their true selves to work.  We believe in a culture where everyone continually improves and has the opportunity to lead.

At RCO we envision:
A state that has abundant outdoor recreation spaces, healthy habitats, and working farms and forests that support people, fish, and wildlife.

What you will be doing:
This position provides leadership and supervision to a team of professional level staff that manage grants and contracts focused on recovering salmon and conserving important habitats. The work involves building and maintaining partnerships with key stakeholders, implementing policies under the guidance of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB), and working closely with the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office (GSRO) on the implementation of the statewide salmon strategy.

We are looking for:
A motivated leader who can work with diverse stakeholders on important salmon recovery and natural resource issues.  If you possess strong skills in leading and supervising others, partnership building, development and implementation of grant programs, communications, problem solving, and a passion for recovering the state’s salmon runs, then you may be a great fit.

The work you will enjoy doing includes:

• Lead and supervise a team of 11 professional level staff that administer multiple grant programs and manage projects to recover salmon statewide.
• Establish team and individual job expectations and performance measures, and ensure staff have the tools and skills needed to be successful in their duties.
• Promote a team environment where staff are encouraged to solve problems openly and constructively.
• Work with other agency leaders to create and maintain an agency culture where staff feel safe to be themselves.
• Ensure millions of state and federal dollars are properly distributed and managed for salmon recovery.
• Work collaboratively with the GSRO, regional salmon recovery organizations, lead entities, other state agencies, and project sponsors to carry out the programs of the SRFB and the RCO.
• Ensure salmon recovery projects and contracts are properly implemented and reported correctly, and long-term requirements are maintained over time.
• Understand, analyze, and make decisions around the nuances of grant program policies and guidance to assist staff with complex issues that can occur during grant and contract management.
• Represent RCO and the SRFB at various salmon recovery related meetings and functions.
• Work with other staff to create salmon recovery grant policy and manuals.
• Explain and make recommendations to the SRFB on issues related to funding levels, grant policy, and contracting.
• Work with federal agencies to secure and manage salmon recovery funding.
• Research and prepare materials for legislative committees and RCO Executive Management on the use of salmon recovery funds, grant program administration, and implementation of related policies.

What you need to qualify:

• 3 years of experience managing or working in salmon or species recovery, natural resource management, or related program.
• 3 years of recent experience (within the last 5 years) leading and supervising a fast-paced team of professional level staff.
• An understanding or personal philosophy about what it takes to be an effective leader.

What we desire:

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in natural resource management or closely related field.
• A compassionate person who wants to help others improve and succeed.
• Professional experience working with managers, boards, elected officials, or other decision-making organizations on natural resource or salmon recovery related issues.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a complex authorizing environment that demands political sensitivity, good judgment, and the ability to establish and maintain collaborative working partnerships with a variety of constituencies.
• The ability to effectively communicate verbally and in-writing.
• Knowledge of applying for and managing grants.
• The ability to manage a large workload with little oversight.

Things to consider before applying:

• You must be willing and able to occasionally work in excess of 40 hours per week and may travel for short periods that may include overnight stays.
• RCO is head-quartered in Olympia WA on the state’s capital campus. However, the right person may be able to successfully carry out this job remotely (in-state) with occasional travel to Olympia for meetings and/or other functions.
• You must have and maintain a valid driver’s license free from serious traffic violations.
• RCO may hire only those who are legally authorized to work in the United States.

Please attach the following documents in order to be considered, failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

• A letter of interest (no more than 2 pages) that illustrates your personality and voice to describe why you are the successful candidate and how you meet the qualifications for this position.
• Current resume or CV, detailing experience, and education.
• A list of at least three (3) professional references (non-RCO, non-GSRO) with current phone numbers and email addresses attached or available to provide at the time of interview.

By submitting these materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify information. Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed.

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.

Persons with a disability who need assistance with their application or need this announcement in an alternative format, may call (360) 664-1960 or toll free (877) 664-1960. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact RCO’s Deputy Director Scott Robinson at scott.robinson@rco.wa.gov or (360) 867-8784.

Should you have any questions regarding the online application, contact Angie Anderson at (360) 407-8446 or jobs@des.wa.gov.