Program Associate, Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships

Description of Job

This position supports the work of the Colorado Outdoor Partnership (CO-OP) and Regional Partnerships Initiative. CPW advances its mission through grant programs that support community engagement, collaboration and; partnerships, and reducing barriers to the outdoors This Program Associate will support community engagement and planning by supporting the Regional Partnerships program coordinators. The CO-OP convenes organizational leaders from across sectors and interest areas working to ensure Colorado’s land and water remain healthy to support wildlife, working lands, and outdoor recreation. The Regional Partnerships Initiative is establishing a network of partnerships across the State that are working to advance locally driven solutions to ensure that Colorado remains a beautiful and healthy place to live, work and play. Together, the CO-OP and Regional Partnerships are collaborating to develop Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy, a collaborative vision for conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable recreation.
Primary duties include:

• Assist with organizing workshops, meetings, and communities of practice, including logistics, notetaking and facilitation
• Support information sharing, networking, and collaboration
• Develop outreach and communications materials including email newsletters, social media, reports, and web page content
• Develop, track, and maintain relationships with grant applicants and recipients
• Support solicitation, organization, review, and approval of grant requests; support grant administration
• Support statewide planning initiatives
• Represent CPW with professionalism at public events and forums

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Minimum Qualifications (substitutions offered): The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 2 years professional experience in Outdoor Recreation, Natural Resources, Wildlife Management/Biology, or related field and an undergraduate or graduate degree. Experience with Microsoft Office, Excel, Google Suite. Candidates should be well organized, detail-oriented, and have excellent communication skills (oral and written). They should be able to work independently and with a team, have experience interacting with colleagues and customers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, demonstrate interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities, and bring positive and creative thinking to the position.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience with coalition building, community engagement, project management, and content creation is beneficial. Training in and/or understanding of current best practices in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in conservation and the outdoors a plus.
Substitutions: Work experience and/or education from an accredited college, university or distance learning program with course work in natural resources management, outdoor recreation, parks, or related fields may substitute for minimum qualifications.
BENEFITS: This position participates in PERA (public employee retirement program) and accrues paid sick leave. Potential for professional development, training opportunities, and conference attendance.

Supplemental Information

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. 

The Department of Natural Resources is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us 

ADAAA Accommodations

Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us.us at least five business days before the date that any accommodation will be required to allow us to evaluate your request and prepare for the accommodation. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and type of accommodation needed. Please ensure that you have this information available well in advance of the assessment date.

E-Verify employer: 

The Department of Natural Resources participates in E-Verify in accordance with the program’s Right to Work for all newly-hired employees. Employees are queried through the electronic system established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify identity and employment eligibility. You may complete section 1 of the I-9 form upon your acceptance of a job offer letter, but no later than your first day of employment and in addition, on your first day, but no later than the third day, you are required to submit original documents to verify your eligibility to work in the U.S. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Toll–Free Applicant Support – Technical Help

If you experience technical difficulty with the NEOGOV system (e.g. uploading or attaching documents to your online application) call NEOGOV at 855-524-5627, Mon-Fri between 6 am and 6 pm (Pacific Time).  Helpful hints: if you are having difficulty uploading or attaching documents to your application first, ensure your documents are PDF or Microsoft Word files and second, close the document before you attempt to upload (attach) it. The Human Resources Office will be unable to assist with these types of technical issues.