Deputy Director of Tribal Relations

Deputy Director of Tribal Relations, Exempt
Recruitment #2024-4-A183
Full-time, Exempt, Non-Represented position
Location: Natural Resources Building- Olympia, WA
Flexible Work Hours and Partial Telework flexibility may be available and considered
Salary: $95,050-$110,861 Annually
To allow for growth and salary progression the full salary range is: $95,050-$116,696 Annually

Review of applications is ongoing. We reserve the right to make a hiring decision or close this recruitment at any time after 4/17/24. It is in your best interest to submit materials as soon as possible.

Responsibilities:
This position will assist the Commissioner, Director of Tribal Relations, the Executive Committee, and the agency at large, in establishing and maintaining strong, enduring relationships with;

• Federally recognized Tribes who have an interest in Washington State natural resource issues,
• Non-Federally recognized tribal communities,
• Migrant indigenous people, and
• Urban Indian populations.

This includes serving as an experienced practitioner on issues of Tribal sovereignty, treaty, and Indigenous rights in public lands management. This position is to support the work and mission of the agency and ensure that we demonstrate respect for sovereignty and treaty-reserved rights. We will do this by maintaining authentic and professional relationships with the Tribes and Indigenous people who live in and retain rights in Washington state.

This position will also serve as a subject matter expert on environmental justice (EJ) practices with Indigenous populations and will support all divisions in the agency to implement EJ practices with tribal communities, and will coordinate research, evaluations, and reporting for EJ-specific legislative analysis for DNR. The impact will be Department-wide providing technical expertise by assisting programs across the agency with tools and capacity in program design and evaluation. Outcomes include coordinating the Annual Report to the legislature on HEAL ACT compliance with Indigenous populations and supporting the design and implementation of HEAL Act requirements.

This position is the foundation for DNR’s Tribal Relations and Environmental Justice work because it provides needed capacity and expertise as the agency embarks on a multi-year re-design of process and policy with legally required tribal considerations as a core component.

Required Qualifications: 

• Demonstrated experience successfully working alongside and building relationships with urban and rural WA Tribes, migrant Indigenous, Tribal organizations, businesses, and private industry partners in the pursuit of broad public policy goals.
• Experience working for a Tribal elected official, non-Tribal elected official, or other high-level executives.
• Demonstrated a history of designing programs to advance racial equity and justice across programs and organizations.
• Demonstrated experience successfully moving a high-priority, high-profile project involving multiple, competing interests from start to completion.
• Ability to directly support scientific and program staff at DNR in meeting HEAL Act goals.
• Demonstrated experience successfully working alongside, building, and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including business and private industry partners, government officials, agency staff, senior managers, and the public in the pursuit of broad public policy goals.
• Ability to research the social, economic, and political context of natural resources and resilience issues in Washington.
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as coordinate, facilitate, and manage the work of ad hoc teams formed from cross-agency resources.
• Active listening skills as demonstrated by the ability to resolve conflicts; and receive and convey ideas, thoughts, and information.
• Demonstrated ability to write for targeted audiences effectively and to communicate persuasively at all levels of the organization and externally.
• Ability to manage multiple short-term and long-term projects simultaneously.
• Highly skilled communicator who can take politically and emotionally charged topics and move groups and individuals through both learning and skill building.
• Proven track record creating and delivering trainings and content in matrixed organizations for diverse audiences.