Restoration Project Manager

Posted: March 20, 2024

Applications Due: Open until filled. To be considered for the initial round of interviews applications must be received by April 12, 2024.

Employer: The McKenzie Watershed Alliance is the employer of record. The Alliance is the fiscal sponsor of the McKenzie Watershed Council. The position will work cooperatively with the Pure Water Partners.

Direct Supervisor: PWP Program Coordinator

Desired start date: Immediate, based on availability.

Location: McKenzie Watershed Council office is located at 175 West B Street, Bldg D, Springfield, OR 97477. Fieldwork focuses on McKenzie River Watershed.

Status: Hourly position (1.0 FTE, 40 hours/week), non-exempt 

Pay: $25/hr (+/- $53,000/year) 

Benefits: Medical and dental stipend, competitive paid time off package, short term disability, and SIMPLE IRA retirement plan with up to 3% employer match.

Duration: Funding for this position is secured for two years. While not guaranteed, there is a possibility that the position could be extended with new funding or a shift in job duties.                         

Position Summary

McKenzie Watershed Alliance (MWA) seeks an interdisciplinary and collaborative individual to join our team as a Project Manager. This position will work cooperatively with the Pure Waters Partners (PWP) to support watershed restoration actions, primarily riparian restoration projects, on private and non-federal public lands impacted by the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. Primary duties will include field surveys, restoration project development and management, and partner coordination. PWP member organizations include Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), McKenzie River Trust (MRT), Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District (UWSWCD), and the MWC. 

Key Responsibilities

Project Management and Technical Assistance (50% FTE)

• Coordination with PWP colleagues to maintain program operations, workflow, and best management practices (BMPs).
• Provide technical assistance to private landowners/managers focusing on restoration and protection practices that address riparian function and enhancement.
• Project oversight of private contractors, including ensuring adherence to designs, permits, timelines, and contracts.
• Project monitoring and reporting to fulfill agreements, contracts, and other obligations to local, state, and federal funders and permitting agencies.
• Serve on PWP working groups focused on planting, integrated vegetation management, and project coordination.

Restoration Project Design (30% FTE)

• Survey and monitor sites enrolled in the PWP following established protocals to assess habitat conditions and identify restoration and protection opportunities.
• Use ArcGIS and other and design tools to develop conceptual restoration strategies.
• Plan and develop restoration and protection actions following established and adaptive BMPs, in cooperation with local partners.
• Write assessment and survey reports and management plans for PWP sites in cooperation with landowners and PWP partners.

Fundraising and Fiscal Stewardship (5% FTE)

• Assist PWP colleagues with the development of seasonal program budgets.
• Manage site-level project budgets.

Community Engagement (5% FTE)

• Assist with the development of cooperative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in the McKenzie Watershed.

Administrative, Partner, and Board Support (10% FTE)

• Attend and participate in MWA staff meetings and McKenzie Watershed Council monthly meetings, tours, and events.
• Participate in other activities and tasks which contribute to the mission of the MWA and PWP as assigned.

Position Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree with major course work in natural sciences, natural resource management, forestry, landscape architecture, agricultural sciences, or a related discipline is desired, or three years of experience working in the natural resource field. Any combination of education and work or lived experience that prepares the applicant to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position will be considered.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace or lived experience.
• Commitment to collaborative teamwork.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• A willingness and desire to learn new skills.
• Position requires sitting, typing, standing, and carrying up to 40 pounds. Comfort in conducting fieldwork, often in remote areas, including walking over uneven terrain and steep slopes, working adjacent to moving water, and working in inclement weather.
• Familiarity with programs such as Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, Avenza, Slack, Dropbox, and ESRI ArcGIS. The position will use the asset management tool Cartegraph.
• Valid driver’s license, auto insurance and reliable personal transportation. Personal vehicle use is required, and employees are reimbursed at State of Oregon mileage rates (as of January 2024, $0.67/mile). Travel on gravel roads is expected.
• Willingness to have a flexible work schedule.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Experience with a wide range of conservation principles, methods, and techniques sufficient to assess, analyze and evaluate resources and recommended practices.
• On-the-ground experience working with landowners or public land managers conducting project design and implementation.
• Experience collecting field data, especially plant and riparian function-related data, and maintaining field notes.
• Grant writing experience.
• Personal connection to the McKenzie River and local communities
• Experience working for 501 (c) non-profit organizations.
• Wilderness First Aid certification or similar outdoor safety awareness.

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

The McKenzie Watershed Alliance is committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and providing equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law. Per the Americans with Disabilities Act, job requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodation will be made that may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or impose undue hardships on the organization and partners. The MWA maintains its status as an at-will employer.

On Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The McKenzie Watershed Alliance recognizes the reality of modern-day systemic racism that has maintained disparities that limit opportunities for groups of people based on race, culture, and other characteristics. We realize that our current programs, partnerships, and funding priorities are constructs of the society in which they were developed and reflect elements of power and privilege. With this understanding, we believe that an organizational commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is essential to the success of the organization and the development of a more resilient watershed and community. Organizational success toward this goal is rooted in the theory of change that begins with personal understanding and commitment.

The McKenzie Watershed Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.

Please submit questions regarding the application process to the McKenzie Watershed Alliance Executive Director, Jared Weybright, jared@mckenziewc.org.