Restoration Project Manager

Status: Full time (40 hrs/week), At Will Employee, Exempt

Location: Hood River, OR

About the Hood River Watershed Group

The Hood River Watershed Group (HRWG) is the locally recognized watershed council for the Hood River Basin. We are a nonprofit organization with a mission to sustain and improve the Hood River Watershed through education, cooperation, and stewardship. Since the early 90’s, we have worked to protect the health of our watershed and take actions that support recovery of salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey, and other native fish populations. Our projects include instream fish habitat restoration, riparian restoration, removing fish passage barriers, and helping our local irrigation districts and others with water conservation projects. We also create opportunities for people to connect with and better understand the watershed through public presentations on watershed science, project tours, and hands-on restoration opportunities. Our current staff includes the Executive Director (ED), Restoration Project Manager, and Watershed Technician.   

To learn more about HRWG, visit our website at hoodriverwatershed.org.

Position Description

The Hood River Watershed Group seeks an experienced and collaborative individual to help lead watershed restoration in the basin. Our ideal candidate will bring restoration knowledge, project management, and grant writing experience to this work, as well as a proven ability to foster strong, respectful relationships with landowners, partners, contractors, and community members. Primary duties include:

• Develop habitat restoration projects, including landowner outreach, conceptual design planning, and project fundraising
• Oversee the design and implementation of projects, including tracking project budgets, developing Request for Proposals for design and construction, sourcing materials, securing regulatory permits, managing contractors, and assisting with construction oversight
• Work with Watershed Technician to monitor and assess projects for adaptive management
• Work with ED on project grant planning and tracking
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with project landowners, basin stakeholders and partners, and funding entities.
• Give presentations and lead tours of completed restoration projects to Watershed Group members, stakeholders, and project funders
• Assist HRWG staff and partners with watershed monitoring
• Work with ED to organize and support the Hood River Basin Partnership, including meeting scheduling, work planning, project prioritization, and tracking basin-wide projects
• Write project descriptions and take photographs to support HRWG website and social media content
• Attend and assist with the meetings and activities of the Hood River Watershed Group, as requested by ED

Other Duties

• Develop and update procedures for restoration program activities
• Ensure regular file back-ups, proper data and file management, and maintain accurate administrative records for restoration grants, mileage, and expense tracking
• Maintain communication through phone calls, emails, and other relevant methods
• Attend trainings, workshops, and conferences as requested by ED
• Attend occasional evening and weekend activities in various locations throughout the watershed
• Other duties assigned by the ED

Supervision: The Restoration Project Manager reports to the Executive Director and has no direct reports.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science or Arts degree in biology, natural resources, environmental sciences, or similar
• A minimum of two years of experience developing and overseeing fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects, including working with private landowners and contractors
• Experience writing grant applications
• Proven ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and prioritize varied work tasks, as well as take direction from supervisors
• Proven ability to work effectively with partners, landowners, community members, and governmental agencies having diverse values
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency with standard computer software used in natural resource fields, (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Adobe)

Desired Qualifications

• Spanish fluency
• Experience with ArcGIS

Working Conditions

• Requires being available to work five days a week with some flexibility in hours/day
• Requires working in-office
• Involves occasional travel to meetings and trainings, some regular evening meetings, occasional weekend events, and occasionally may require overnight stay of more than one day for training or conferences
• Must have your own transportation. Use of personal vehicle for work will be reimbursed at current State of Oregon rates       

The Hood River Watershed Group is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.