Forest & Mitigation Program Manager

CLEAR CREEK WATERSHED & FOREST HEALTH PARTNERSHIP Forest & Mitigation Program Manager

Employment Status: Temporary Full-time, 2 Years. Employment beyond 2 years is contingent upon the success of the program and acquisition of additional funding which CCWFHP and COCO will actively pursue.
Reports To: Clear Creek Partnership Chair, and Chief Operations Officer at Coalitions and Collaboratives
Location: Remote/Timberline Fire Protection District Headquarters
Salary: $30.00 – $35.00 per hour / 40 hours per week ($62,400 – $72,800 annual salary equivalent)

The successful applicant will be a motivated, independent, enthusiastic problem-solver who is capable and willing to serve the larger purpose of restoring ecosystems and engaging in meaningful community dialogue. The Forest & Mitigation Program Manager is challenged to work with landowners, communities, and agency partners to co-develop multi-objective forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects. The ideal candidate will understand wildfire behavior, forest and watershed processes, and have experience in developing and implementing restoration and mitigation projects. The Forest & Mitigation Program Manager should be organized and self-motivated, capable of working independently and with a team and comfortable splitting time out in the field and at the computer. You must love the outdoors and have the physical ability to hike in sometimes remote, strenuous conditions, have your own vehicle, and lift up to 50 pounds. We offer you the opportunity to have a position with a high degree of independence and flexibility, and the ability to work in a unique and innovative program.

POSITION SUMMARY

This position will work with private landowners, local communities, fire protection districts, local governments, Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service, and others to identify strategic, shared priorities and plan on-the-ground wildfire mitigation and forest restoration projects within Gilpin County and Clear Creek County. The Clear Creek Partnership is an affiliate of Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc. (COCO) and uses COCO as our fiscal agent. This position will be hired through COCO as they are the fiscal agent for the grant funding for this position.

Primary Duties:

• Facilitate conversations, meetings and site visits with landowners and partners within Gilpin County and Clear Creek County.
• Develop communications and community outreach and engagement plans and increase awareness and understanding of wildfire risk and mitigation activities among wildland urban interface communities.
• Promote and facilitate education and engagement with communities related to forest and watershed resilience.
• Work with private landowners to plan and support parcel level wildfire risk assessments and mitigation.
• Plan forest health and fuels reduction projects and participate in Community Wildfire Protection Plan efforts.
• Facilitate and develop scopes of work and project prescriptions for restoration and fuels reduction projects.
• Assist with the design, contracting, permitting, and project management of mitigation projects.
• Develop best practices and operating procedures for cross-jurisdictional treatment design and implementation.
• Promote vegetation management, fuels reduction/mitigation projects in high-risk areas through cost-share programs and community chipping programs. Help develop local cost-share programs.
• Participate in local and regional collaborations including the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative.
• Support activities that reinforce existing collaborations and help build new partnerships.
• Assist with organizational sustainability efforts, help develop report summaries, participate in presentations to partners and/or elected officials.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience (5+ field experience) in Forestry, Conservation, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Science, Wildfire Mitigation or related field.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
• Proficient with general Microsoft suite and ArcGIS, Avenza or other GIS to collect field data and develop maps.
• Ability to understand and clearly communicate about forest restoration treatment types and systems, including restoration prescriptions, on-the-ground operations, treatment specifications, guidelines, and desired conditions for a diversity of forest and watershed ecosystem projects.
• Experience with project management from concept through implementation.
• Ability to solve complex problems using sound professional judgment, creativity, and innovation.
• Ability to participate and collaborate in a project team setting and to engage in independent creative and critical thought.
• Experience working on your own to meet the common goal of a team.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly, work in an office environment, and maintain a flexible work schedule with participation in weekend and evening events.
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license by the employment start date.
• Ability to travel to locations throughout the Boulder Creek Watershed in your own vehicle. Mileage is reimbursable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a wide array of partners that include federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private landowners.
• Ability and desire to work remotely, check in regularly, plan and implement tasks independently and create the structure you need to manage your time and meet deadlines.

Preferred Skills:

• Graduate degree in Forestry, Conservation, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Science, Wildfire Mitigation or related field.
• Experience with Community Wildfire Protection Plans.
• Basic field forestry experience (cruising, prescription development, timber marking, and/or contract administration).
• Willingness to teach skills you already have to promote community stewardship.
• Experience with grant writing and/or project proposal development.
• Strong writing skills.
• Strong GIS skills.
• Comfortable representing Clear Creek Watershed and Forest Partnership at various collaboratives locally and regionally.
• Experience developing effective community engagement processes.
• Experience with Community Wildfire Protection Plan development and implementation.

Salary and Position Details:

Remuneration for this position is $30.00 – $35.00 per hour / 40 hours per week ($62,400 – $72,800 annual salary equivalent) . This position is grant-funded for 2 years and employment over 2 years is contingent upon acquisition of additional funding. At Coalitions and Collaboratives, we offer meaningful and impactful work and the following benefits:

• 10 Paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• Company match to simple IRA
• Health Insurance
• Flexible work schedule and remote work options
• Career advancement & professional development opportunities

EEO Statement

COCO is an equal opportunity employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

We are committed to adhering to our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Policy. To learn more, please visit.
https://co-co.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DEIJ-Statement.pdf 

Clear Creek Partnership Background and Structure

The Clear Creek watershed drains a 575 square mile area originating in headwaters at the Continental Divide and extending eastward (downstream) to its confluence with the South Platte. In 2019, a pre-wildfire risk evaluation study was commissioned by the Upper Clear Creek Watershed Association (UCCWA), the City of Golden, and the Standley Lake IGA Cities of Northglenn, Thornton, and Westminster. The study report completed in 2021 identified key needs for wildfire risk management in the basin, including:

• Specific watercourse, forest, and infrastructure vulnerabilities;
• Priority mitigation project options to manage fuels, stream channels, floodplains, wildland-urban interface, and;
• A need to establish a watershed stakeholder partnership to address these issues.

The Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership (CCWFHP) was formed to meet the need for Clear Creek stakeholder coordination and collaboration to facilitate acting on wildfire risk. The Clear Creek Partnership was officially established through a Memorandum of Understanding in September of 2022 between 9 local governmental entities that are either in the Clear Creek watershed or depend on the watershed for water resources. . The Clear Creek Partnership is an affiliate of Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc. (COCO) and uses COCO as our fiscal agent. This position will be hired through COCO as they are the fiscal agent for the grant funding for this position.