The Project Manager position offers an exciting opportunity to apply technical and project management skills to meaningful and impactful conservation work in some of California’s most beautiful landscapes. They will work among a dynamic team including licensed engineers, a registered professional forester, and other natural resource professionals. The successful candidate will manage a diverse set of projects in pursuit of multiple resources goals including wildlife habitat restoration enhancement (with a focus on salmonid recovery), streamflow augmentation, watershed restoration, water quality improvement, climate-smart agriculture, and drought and fire resilience. They will work with a variety of partner organizations as well as landowners/managers to accomplish the RCD’s mission. The individual must be highly motivated, enjoy working in a team environment, have strong attention to detail and organizational skills, be flexible to changing workload priorities, have strong written and verbal communication skills, and have an ability to execute assignments efficiently and in a timely manner. This position allows for a diverse workload both in the office and the field.
Essential Functions
- Manage instream flow, rural rainwater catchment, and habitat enhancement projects throughout District providing technical assistance, landowner coordination, and project implementation.
- Manage conservation projects on working lands from initial planning through implementation and monitoring. Conservation projects may include but are not limited to conducting rural/ranch road assessments, vegetation management projects, implementation of agricultural best management practices, and creation of riparian planting plans.
- Strong Geographic Information Systems (GIS) skills and experience.
- Manage District grants compliance which includes, but is not limited to, preparing bid packages, coordinate fulfillment of District contracts, insurance and licensing for outside contractors and vendors, labor compliance with applicable laws, provisions, codes, regulations, and policies, assist with negotiation contract terms as needed, and provide long-term monitoring of on the ground conservation projects throughout District.
- Manage grant agreements and contracts, including maintaining funder relationship, reporting, deliverables, and monitoring of budgets. Communicate regularly with management regarding contract needs or issues.
- Lead grant proposal writing, primarily for publicly funded grants.
- Collaborate with partner organizations to build relationships, establish shared priorities, identify opportunities to leverage each other’s work and develop new initiatives together.
- Conduct outreach to build landowner/manager participation in the RCD’s programs. Represent the RCD at community events, including networking, tabling, and speaking as needed.
- Communicate and coordinate regularly with other staff regarding outreach, grant deliverables, landowner needs, and priorities for current and future RCD projects and programs.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Applicant Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have previous experience in conservation project management, including permitting, CEQA, and contractor oversight. They will have working knowledge in at least one of the following: soil science and carbon farming principles; forestry and vegetation management; water quality and nonpoint source pollution control. They will be adept at managing both the big picture (e.g., partner relationships and watershed-wide priorities) and the details (e.g., contractual requirements). They will enjoy working with people of all different backgrounds and be motivated to develop new projects and procure grant funding.