The Nature Conservancy in Cle Elum is hiring!!!
We are currently seeking a new Conservation Forester to be based in our Cle Elum office. If you or anyone you know is interest in this exciting opportunity, please apply at the following link and do not hesitate to share this with people who may be interested in the position! The application deadline is Monday, December 28, 2020 at 8:59 pm PST. *Note that we recruited for a similar position in the spring, but were unable to fill it due to a COVID-19 related hiring freeze. That freeze has been lifted and we are excited to welcome a new member to our team.
The Conservation Forester is responsible for executing forest stewardship and management activities on The Nature Conservancy’s Central Cascades forest holdings (40,000 acres) and on adjacent public lands, including those owned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Natural Resources and the United States Forest Service.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
They may also assist, as needed, with forest management on the Conservancy’s or Partner’s forest holdings in the Willapa Bay or the Olympics Rainforest areas where the Conservancy manages approx. 35,000 acres. The Conservation Forester works closely with staff, partners, and contractors to restore forest health and stream habitat at a landscape scale while also striving to deliver social and economic benefits to the surrounding community. They work closely with a Washington forest management team to carry out the following essential functions:
Land Management & Forestry
- Plan, implement and monitor forest restoration projects including commercial thinning and pre-commercial thinning, reforestation, fish habitat improvement, fuels reduction and prescribed fire projects, invasive species monitoring and treatment, forest road improvements, road decommissioning, and road maintenance.
- Manage projects on Partners lands including Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Forest Service.
- Collect field data on forest stand inventory and stream habitat conditions and may assist external scientific assessments.
- Provide technical input to management plans, harvest prescriptions, road layout and engineering.
- Implement ongoing property management activities, such as road, trail, and gate maintenance, garbage removal, and signing.
- Support third-party audits for certification according to the Forest Stewardship Council’s standards.
- Support management and reporting for a federal Habitat Conservation Plan covering the Central Cascades Forest.
- Support Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data collection and management.
- Maintain the Conservancy’s equipment, vehicles, and other resources.
Community Relations
- Develop and foster strong community and partner relations.
- Process landowner use agreements and manage public access and recreational use as necessary.
- Support the Washington Forest Manager and forest management team and build strong relationships with forest management partners.
Project Management & Administration
- Prepares, administers, and monitors contracts, and tracks spending against approved budgets.
- Provides technical oversight for land management activities.
- Writes proposals and reports progress and results of grant-funded projects.
- Ensures program compliance with the Conservancy’s internal policies and values.
- Obtains necessary permits for all forest management, harvest operations, and road maintenance and abandonment work.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
Level of Responsibility
- This is a mid-level position that collaborates with senior staff to accomplish program goals.
- Manages on-the-ground forestry operations primarily in the Central Cascades region.
- This position reports to the Washington Forest Manager, and may supervise interns or volunteers.
Within the scope of this position, the Central Cascades Field Forester will:
- Oversee forestry, logging, and heavy equipment contractors and ensure work is performed to meet TNC specifications.
- Support the Washington Forest Manager and forest management team and build strong relationships with forest management partners.
- Ensure program compliance with the Conservancy’s internal policies and values.
- Perform tasks with minimal supervision and make independent decisions based on analysis, experience and judgment.
Work Environment and Schedule
- This position often works in harsh weather conditions, at remote locations, on steep, difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.
- This position often requires extended and/or varied work hours, including work outside of normal business hours and on weekends.
- This is a field-based position with approximately 60% of the work occurring outside in the forest environment.
- Overnight travel will be required for this position, primarily within Washington State.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
In your resume and cover letter, please address how you meet the following minimum qualifications and preferred knowledge, skills and experience:
- Associate degree and 5 years’ experience in natural resource management OR Bachelor’s degree and 3 years’ experience in natural resource management OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 3 years’ experience managing active logging projects, or commercial thinning and heavy equipment contractors.
- Experience using ArcView GIS, GPS, data loggers, and proficiency in Microsoft Office (i.e., Word, Excel, and Power Point) software.
- Experience completing multiple tasks independently with respect to timeline(s), budgets and deliverables.
- Must have valid driver’s license and experience operating four-wheel drive vehicles on remote forest roads.
- Excellent communication skills via written, spoken and graphical means in English and other relevant languages
- Experience communicating and negotiate under stressful situations with contractors, partners, forest users, and community members.
- Experience safely using and maintaining tools and equipment, including power and construction tools, chain saws, brush cutters, backpack sprayers, 4-wheel drive and all-terrain vehicles (ATV’s).
- Current Washington Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator license or ability to obtain within 6 months.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Knowledge and experience with forest restoration, fire management, and stream restoration in dry-mesic inland forests of California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, or the Rocky Mountains.
- Experience in writing and managing contracts and grants for forestry work.
- Experience tracking finances and managing budgets. Self-starting, independent worker who can thrive in a decentralized organization.
- Relationship building skills to work closely with a variety of partners, e.g., contractors, government officials, scientists, donors, tribes and the local community.
- Multi-lingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
- Experience with forest timber cruising and inventory techniques following common forest mensuration methods.
- Experience with prescribed fire and developing burn plans.
AUTO SAFETY POLICY
This position requires a valid driver’s license and compliance with the Conservancy’s Auto Safety Program. Employees may not drive Conservancy-owned/leased vehicles, rental cars, or personal vehicles on behalf of the Conservancy if considered “high risk drivers.” Please see further details in the Auto Safety Program document available at www.nature.org/careers.
Employment in this position will be contingent upon completion of a Vehicle Use Agreement, which may include a review of the prospective employee’s motor vehicle record.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply to position number 49157, submit resume (required) and cover letter separately using the upload buttons. Applications will be reviewed in the order they’re received and the position will close on Monday, December 28, 2020 at 8:59 pm PST.
Click “submit” to apply for the position or “save for later” to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited. Failure to complete required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration.
If you experience technical issues, please refer to our applicant user guide or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.
The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy’s background screening process.