County Coordinator – Wildfire Mitigation Specialist

Status: Part-time 30 hours per week (FTE 0.75)

Location: Montezuma County

Reports to: Executive Director

Background: Wildfire Adapted Partnership (www.wildfireadapted.org) is a regional nonprofit organization that promotes wildfire education and preparedness, planning, and hazardous fuels mitigation across Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, and San Juan counties.  Wildfire Adapted works with a wide range of partners including: federal, state, local organizations/agencies, communities, and residents with a vested interest in wildfire preparedness.

Job Purpose: The County Coordinator manages WAP’s programs in Montezuma and Dolores counties by coordinating the Ambassador Program and providing wildfire education, planning, and mitigation support to residents.  The coordinator also serves as a regional liaison between federal, state, county, and local representatives to encourage information exchange and strengthen collaborative partnerships between agencies and communities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Coordinate all aspects of the Ambassador Program in Montezuma County (and Dolores County) including:
• Manage volunteer Ambassadors including recruitment, orientation, recognition, and striving to ensure Ambassadors are fulfilling most of their agreed-upon commitments.
• Host bi-monthly meetings for Ambassadors and partners.
• Resolve problems as they arise, ensuring regular media coverage for the program and tracking annual accomplishments.

• Understand and effectively speak to wildfire-related issues to deliver consistent and site-specific messaging about wildfire risk and mitigation actions.
• Attend, coordinate, and help facilitate community, homeowner association, and other stakeholder-related meeting opportunities to promote WAP programs, and strengthen community-based relationships, assisting with the development of educational materials and presentations.
• Plan and carry out workshops to support neighborhood wildfire preparedness efforts.
• Work with communities to encourage the development of parcel-level wildfire risk assessments, community assessments and/or Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), and facilitate the implementation of fuels-reduction projects recommended in these planning documents.
• • Coordinate and conduct homeowner wildfire risk assessments and manage the Defensible Space Cost Share Program and other incentive or mitigation projects in Montezuma and Dolores counties.
• Coordinate with land management agencies (local, state, and federal) to plan for and implement strategic cross-boundary fuels-reduction treatments and participation in other collaborative efforts/groups.
• Support reporting efforts by tracking detailed programmatic information.
• Understand and promote national programs such as Fire Adapted Communities, Firewise USA®, and the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.

Candidate will be able to work from a home office and will travel throughout Montezuma County and to a lesser extent Dolores County to attend meetings, complete site visits, and coordinate with Ambassadors.

Qualifications:

• College degree in a related field, or 2 years of experience in wildfire education and mitigation or natural resource management
• Experience with project coordination and working with volunteers
• Proven coalition building experience around community issues
• Strong organizational skills; ability to handle multiple priorities and deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and experience with public speaking and working with the media
• Excellent computer skills and experience with Microsoft Office programs
• GIS experience preferred
• Proven experience working with many different agencies and partners around a public issue
• Ability to work independently
• Experience with event planning
• Grant writing and fundraising experience preferred
• Willingness to work some evenings, weekends and holidays

Compensation and Benefits:

Compensation DOE ($21-$23/hour).  Benefits include: prorated group medical plan, paid holidays, annual leave, sick leave, employer retirement contribution, and professional development.