Salary: $54,492.00 – $73,260.00 Annually
Location: Spokane County – Spokane, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 2023-5-7993-06082
Department: Dept. of Natural Resources
Opening Date: 05/04/2023
Closing Date: 6/4/2023 11:59 PM Pacific

Review of applications is ongoing. The hiring authority reserves the right to make a hiring decision or close this recruitment at any time after May 18, 2023. It is in the applicant’s best interest to submit material as soon as possible.

Want to join something GREAT and make a difference?
The duty station for this position is flexible within Benton, Chelan, Franklin, Kittitas, Spokane, or Yakima counties. Bring your unique skills and creativity to work every single day, in a flexible and mutually supportive work environment among others who share your passions for urban forestry and community engagement. You will teach, inspire, and motivate others to be better stewards of urban forests across a range of different projects in communities throughout the state. If you love working with people as much as you do working with trees, if you are committed to principles of equity and environmental justice, and if you enjoy working independently as part of a small team, this could be one of your most fulfilling jobs.

DNR’s Forest Resilience Division is seeking a motivated individual to join the Urban & Community Forestry Program, a small but impactful team of passionate professionals committed to the restoration, enhancement, and management of urban forests across Washington State. As part of this Division and Program, you will work alongside a talented group of planners, scientists, foresters, and outreach professionals providing services to state, private, and federal partners to increase the health and resiliency of Washington’s forested landscapes.

Our Eastern Urban Forestry Technician serves as the senior level professional for the delivery of technical urban forestry assistance to constituents of the Urban and Community Forestry Program across eastern Washington State, including the Ellensburg, Spokane, and Tri-Cities areas. This position reports to the Statewide Urban Forestry Specialist to support a broader body of work that includes providing urban forestry technical and educational assistance to stakeholders including urban forestry professionals employed by cities, towns, counties, tribes, 501(c)3 non-profit organizations, educational institutions, special taxing districts (e.g. metro parks districts), public and private utility organizations, community leaders, non-governmental organizations, DNR program staff, and others engaged in urban forestry planning and management. The DNR Urban & Community Forestry Program incorporates principles of equity and environmental justice into the delivery of program resources and services.

Duties
Responsibilities:
Implementation and delivery of urban and community forestry programming in eastern WA through tasks such as:

  • Providing UCF technical expertise to Washington State stakeholders such as cities and towns, counties, tribal governments, 501(c) 3 non-profit organizations, and educational institutions.
  • Assisting stakeholders to resolve complex problems affecting community forest management.
  • Coordinating technical assistance activities with regional urban forestry program staff and associates.

Urban forestry education, technical guidance, and project coordination through tasks such as:

  • Developing curricula and delivering training to community stakeholders on topics related to planting, maintenance, and management of urban trees.
  • Communicating industry-accepted best practices for urban forest maintenance and management.
  • Supporting UCF grantees by providing technical guidance during project implementation.
  • Cooperating with other program staff and regional associates to facilitate and deliver regional networking and educational programs and events.
  • Delivering presentations at conferences, seminars, workshops, and other events.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in forestry, natural resources, urban forestry, horticulture, urban landscape planning, landscape architecture, or related field AND 2 years of professional experience in a natural resource program area.
    OR An equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
  • Two years of urban forestry experience resulting in highly developed urban forestry technical knowledge and skills in tree identification, diagnostics, tree inventory, natural area management, and industry-accepted best practices.
  • Valid International Society of Arboricultural Arborist certification or ability to obtain within 6 months of employment.
  • Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including ArcMap, Survey123, and Collector, and other mapping tools to document work and convey information to non-technical audiences.
  • Experience of effective oral and written communications and can convey messages clearly and persuasively. Excellent public speaking skills.
  • Experience responding to and interacting in a positive, responsive, cooperative, collaborative manner with the public and other professionals (both inter-organizational and interdisciplinary).
  • Proficient with computers and Microsoft Office applications including Excel and SharePoint.
  • Works well independently and effectively manages multiple tasks at different stages.
  • Organizational management – has a strong understanding and ability to organize efficiently and the ability to develop or use systems for tracking implementation and accomplishments of several complex projects.
  • DNR Core Competencies: 
    • Personal Accountability 
    • Value Others 
    • Compassionate Communication 
    • Inspire Others 
    • Commitment to Excellence 

Special Requirements and Conditions of Employment:

  • Work is performed indoors in office environments but includes regular work in onsite, outdoor settings. May be approved to work in Kittitas, Yakima, Spokane, Benton, Franklin counties.
  • Travel is required and may include site visits statewide, may be multiple days in length, and will require overnight stays. Additional travel may be required nationally for meetings, conferences, and other activities.
  • A valid driver’s license and have two years of driving experience. This position requires driving as an essential function. 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.
  • Employees of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are required to complete their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines (be fully vaccinated against COVID-19) or be approved for a medical or religious accommodation as a condition of employment. Please note, any offer of employment is contingent and no start date will be approved until you have either verified your vaccine status or have an approved accommodation. “Fully vaccinated” means the following: An employee is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Novavax) or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen) authorized for emergency use, licensed, or otherwise approved by the FDA or listed for emergency use, or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization. 

Desired Qualifications: 

  • Professional experience working with or for a municipal urban forestry program, including direct experience with tree inventory and municipal work order software systems.
  • Two years of professional experience administering an urban and community forestry program.
  • Skills and experience with general forest health issues such as insects, diseases, invasive species, drought, wildland fire, etc.
  • Experience working with underserved or historically marginalized residents, neighborhoods or communities; firm understanding of social and environmental justice issues.
  • Experience creating forestry training programs.

Questions? 
Please contact Ben Thompson at 360-485-8651/ben.thompson@dnr.wa.gov or e-mail us at DNRrecruiting@dnr.wa.gov

Application Requirements

  • To be considered you must apply online at www.careers.wa.gov. You must complete the entire online application to be considered for the position.
  • Attach a letter of interest describing how your experience and qualifications relate to the position profile and the position required, desired and special requirements.
  • Attach a resume describing your experience and qualifications.
  • Provide three to five professional references – you may attach a document, use the References text field in the online application, or include with resume.
  • Important: Do not attach any documents that include photos or private information (social security number, year of birth, etc.).
  • Complete all supplemental questions.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/4028117/eastern-urban-forestry-technician-natural-resource-specialist-3