Aquatic Projects Manager Position Description

 Aquatic Projects Manager Position Description

Position Title: Aquatic Projects Manager

Reports to: Executive Director

Status: Full-time, exempt

Compensation: $42,000 and benefits, DOE

General Position Description

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council seeks a qualified individual to serve as our Aquatic Projects Manager (APM). The APM develops, manages, and provides leadership for stream and floodplain enhancement initiatives and projects, works with other staff members to implement the Oregon Conservation Strategy and Council action plans, and develops and implements project effectiveness monitoring plans. This is a full-time salaried position that reports to the Executive Director.

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed and Council

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed (MFWW) is located southeast of Eugene-Springfield and is a fourth-field watershed comprised of approximately 870,000 acres. The Middle Fork Willamette River provides the cities of Oakridge, Lowell, and Springfield with quality drinking water and at the confluence with the Coast Fork, forms the headwaters of the Willamette River. The MFWW supports healthy populations of aquatic and terrestrial species, including populations of bull trout, Oregon chub, spring Chinook, winter steelhead, trout, northern red-legged frogs, western pond turtles, bald eagles, migratory and song birds and native and rare plants. The MFWW contains rich and diverse ecosystems with significant opportunity to protect, restore and enhance species viability and habitat for now and future generations.

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council (MFWWC) is 501c3 non-profit organization with a volunteer-based partnership of diverse watershed stakeholders that focus on promoting sustainability and making the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed a better place to live, work, and visit; for now and future generations. We work together as a community to restore and sustain the ecological integrity and economic viability of the Watershed. Public land accounts for approximately 70% of the watershed area and the remaining private lands are located in the lower

watershed (communities of Fall Creek, Little Fall Creek, Jasper, Lowell, Dexter, Lost Creek and Pleasant Hill). Working with private landowners within these communities is the focus of the MFWWC while also working closely with the US Forest Service and partner agencies to improve watershed health on public land in the upper watershed. For more information, please visit our website at www.mfwwc.org

Habitat Restoration Program Background

Our organization has increased its capacity in the past several years with experienced and committed staff and board of directors. Council efforts focusing on local issues, the benefits of habitat protection, enhancement and restoration, incentive programs for landowners, and watershed education have resulted in increased community and partner support for watershed enhancement projects in the MFWW. In the past few years we have conducted a number of substantial watershed-wide projects that guide the actions of this Program, including:ten-year action planning, water quality monitoring, fish passage barrier identification and prioritization, invasive weed containment and treatment, floodplain habitat assessment, large-scale channel enhancement, and a watershed education program. We promote science-based planning and monitoring, and adaptive management.

Current Priority Projects for the Aquatic Projects Manager

Fish Passage Surveys and Project Design- In 2006, the MFWWC worked with a local contractor and fisheries biologists from ODFW, BLM, USACE, Lane County and the McKenzie WC to establish a GIS-based study and prioritization criteria for ranking fish passage barriers throughout the watershed. We are now working with private landowners to conduct field surveys of the passage barriers, which will inform the priority restoration actions for fish passage. The APM will continue this effort and secure funding to design and implement passage barrier removal projects for high-priority sites.

Little Fall Creek Channel Enhancement Project- Little Fall Creek (LFC) is an unobstructed stream, located below all dams on the MFWR, providing the best potential habitat for spring Chinook in the MFW. Through science-based Model Watershed planning efforts completed in 2010, it was determined that enhancing channel complexity by increasing the quantity of large wood and/or boulders was a high priority action. The APM will work with an engineering firm to survey LFC and develop hydraulic modeling and restoration designs for the placement of large wood in the channel. APM will manage implementation of project designs.

Floodplain Feasibility Study & Habitat Restoration Project: In 2009-2011, with funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, we identified 17 priority sites for restoring river and floodplain dynamics along the lower MFWR. Through a prioritization process involving an analysis of cost-benefit ratio, potential ecological uplift, feasibility and landowner willingness, we selected the top five of these restoration projects to receive 30% engineered designs. We conducted a focused public outreach campaign to engage landowners and secured a commitment from a key landowner to move forward on implementation planning for the top two projects. The APM will work to establish designs and funding to implement the top two floodplain restoration projects located in Elijah Bristow State Park.

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Effectiveness Monitoring- To determine success of applied restoration methods, the APM will work with staff and partners to monitor project effectiveness.

Additionally, the APM will work closely with staff to integrate and coordinate efforts from the 10-Year Headwaters to Confluence Action Plan, Water Quality Monitoring project, and Floodplain Feasibility and Restoration Project into the Habitat Restoration Program.

Position Description: Role and Responsibilities

The MFWWC seeks to hire a skilled and talented Aquatic Projects Manager to be the lead staff person for channel and floodplain restoration projects as part of the Habitat Restoration Program. The APM will work closely with the Restoration Specialist, Executive Director, and other staff, landowners, grantors and partners to conduct strategic planning and develop and implement projects within the Council work plans.

Duties and Responsibilities

                Promotes and continues the development of the Program mission and structure;

                Writes successful grant proposals and acquires funding to support the Program;

                Develops and manages contracts and project budgets;

                Coordinates with a diversity of partners, public and private landowners, NGOs, contractors and other MFWWC programs to meet the common goals for restoration in the watershed;

                Disseminates information about our program findings and accomplishments through report writing, web and newsletter publications and presentations at meetings;

                Supports field operations and secures and supervises contract labor to perform services necessary to complete planning and restoration work;

                Engages landowners in restoration program efforts and works cooperatively with landowners, coworkers, volunteers, partners and the public;

                Develops and implements monitoring plans to measure and document effectiveness of restoration projects;

                Participates in council activities and meetings as requested;

                All other duties related to the Program as assigned; and

                Follows and supports MFWWC policies and procedures;

                Establish nature of work and deadlines and ensure they are met;

                Propose and implement procedures to improve work flow and responsiveness

Relationships with others

Employees in this position have regular telephone and in-person contact with staff throughout the organization including members of the Board of Directors, staff from agencies and other entities, the business community, and the public. Employees represent the organization and act on behalf of the Executive Director when providing or receiving information, when scheduling and arranging appointments, meetings, and conferences, and when performing special projects or assignments. Employees in this position may deal with sensitive issues which require confidentiality, tact and diplomacy.

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Supervision Received

Employees in this position work with a high degree of independence under general direction of the Executive Director. Work is reviewed through regular informal meetings and in periodic performance reviews. Reviews will take into account achievement as well as standards of performance.

Supervision Exercised

Working with Executive Director, APM will select and supervise employees and field crews associated with Restoration Program. Select and supervise interns and volunteers as needed or assigned.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have a working knowledge of hydrology, fisheries, river and floodplain dynamics, experience in land management practices, and channel restoration science. The candidate will have experience in floodplain and channel enhancement projects, project management, working with public and private landowners and completing successful collaborative projects. The candidate must have excellent written and verbal communication skills, the ability to work well independently and as a team member, and a passion for working on behalf of clean water, fish and wildlife habitats and for the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed and its community. Candidate must be able to work outdoors in inclement weather and mountainous terrain.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

                Master’s of Science Degree in hydrology, geology, geomorphology, fisheries biology or a related field with two years experience or a Bachelor’s of Science Degree plus five years experience;

                Experience developing and managing habitat restoration projects (riparian and channel);

                Experience conducting environmental monitoring, and managing and analyzing data;

                Experience managing multiple/complex projects simultaneously;

                Project management skills including: knowledge of and experience with contract development and oversight, project planning, budgeting, permitting and producing legally sufficient documents;

                Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, ESRI GIS software, and Adobe PDF;

                Ability to work with diverse perspectives, maintain confidentiality, skills for consensus building;

                Experience writing grant proposals and successfully acquiring grant awards;

                Reliable transportation.

Work Environment

Work will take place at the MFWWC office (Elijah Bristow State Park, Dexter OR) and throughout the 870,000-acre watershed. Duties combine both indoor and outdoor tasks and require the ability to work long hours in the field in inclement weather, use hand tools, lift up to 50 lbs., and traverse steep slopes. A valid

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Oregon driver’s license is required and the use of personal vehicle at any time for transportation to project and meeting sites. Mileage for business-related trips is reimbursed at the State of Oregon rate.

The MFWWC staff, independent contractors, partners and board of directors are a highly-functioning team. We seek to add a qualified APM to our team who shares our interest in enhancing and protecting the ecological integrity and economic stability of the Middle Fork Willamette watershed for now and future generations.

Compensation

This is full time, exempt, position. Full time is considered 40 hours per week. Compensation will begin at $42,000 plus a competitive benefits package. Compensation may increase after the first year, depending upon performance and the APM’s ability to secure grant funding. Opportunities for professional development are possible for this position.

Application Instructions

To apply for this position, submit all of the following:

                A cover letter;

                Curriculum Vitae or Resume;

                A writing sample of no more than 3 pages (e.g. grant proposal or technical report); and

                Contact information for three professional references

Application packet must be received by:

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 by 5:00 pm. No late submissions will be accepted. Review of applications will occur on August 31, 2011. Interviews will occur by September 13, 2011.

E-mail application packets to: director@mfwwc.org

Please direct questions for this position to: Eve Montanaro, Executive Director

E-mail: director@mfwwc.org Phone: 541-937-9800

For more information on the MFWWC, please visit our website at http://www.mfwwc.org/.