Senior Restoration Project Manager

ABOUT TROUT UNLIMITED

Trout Unlimited (TU) helps care for the rivers, streams, and headwaters that provide clean water for trout, salmon, and people around the United States. TU believes the most complex and seemingly insurmountable challenges can be overcome when people come together to solve problems collectively. TU is composed of a nationwide network of advocates, outdoor-enthusiasts, volunteers, anglers, and staff dedicated to protecting trout and salmon habitat, restoring rivers, recovering impaired fisheries, and making our water resources more resilient. TU’s professionals make sure healthy rivers and fisheries are available for all people to use and enjoy, now and in the future. The project manager will join a team of twenty TU staff members in Washington state, including seven in Eastern Washington. 

POSITION SUMMARY

TU seeks to hire a self-motivated and highly capable person to develop and implement restoration projects to benefit native and wild fish populations and their habitats in Upper and Mid-Columbia Basin watersheds in central Washington. The project manager will be responsible for working cooperatively with partners and TU staff to develop new and carry-forth ongoing restoration projects, including three large-scale irrigation efficiency/instream flow improvement projects. The project manager will also participate in and represent TU in meetings and other collaborative efforts relevant to TU’s mission and regional priorities. The position requires a motivated professional with established project management skills  who is capable of working well with a team having diverse backgrounds and personalities.

Competitive candidates for this position must demonstrate strong project management skills and technical abilities related to river restoration, hydrology, ecology, and partnership-building. The successful applicant will manage projects, work with TU staff and stakeholders to secure additional funding for project activities, conceptualize and develop new projects, and function as part of the TU team assisting other staff as necessary. The Senior Project Manager will be expected to manage projects from conception to completion and be a leader in working on project-oriented habitat restoration and conservation. This position may require travel, intermittent field work, and will be based out of TU’s Wenatchee office.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage and direct final design and construction of a large-scale streamflow supplementation project on a key Yakima River tributary.
• Assume a support role during construction of a multi-million-dollar irrigation infrastructure improvement project in the Wenatchee basin.
• Assume a support role during final planning and implementation of a fish passage improvement project in the Wenatchee basin.
• Develop, design, coordinate, and implement restoration projects resulting in fisheries habitat restoration and/or enhancement of instream flow to benefit aquatic species and overall ecological function in priority watersheds.
• Identify funding sources, prepare grant proposals, and secure funding for instream flow and habitat restoration projects.
• Work with supervisor and other TU staff on priority projects and initiatives.
• Understand Eastern Washington’s Upper and Mid-Columbia regional restoration priorities, watersheds, and restoration strategies.
• Foster and maintain positive relationships with landowners, tribes, state and federal agencies and other stakeholders with varying political and social backgrounds.
• Attend, participate, and represent TU in meetings and other collaborative efforts relevant to TU’s mission and regional priorities.

This is not an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities.

REQUIREMENTS

• A minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience and a Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a natural resource-related field.
• Experience with riverine restoration techniques, project management fundamentals, construction management basics, contracting basics, irrigated agriculture and irrigation delivery systems, and complex multi-party negotiations.
• Experience with project development, implementation and management including construction projects that involve partner/stakeholder coordination, securing grant funds and managing budgets, contractor/consultant procurement, contractor/consultant oversight, and technical reporting.
• Functional knowledge of conservation, riverine ecology, fisheries biology, hydrology, and watershed processes.
• Nuanced understanding of how to enable local knowledge to help shape projects and how to work respectfully in partnership with local leaders and rural communities
• Developed grant and technical writing skills.
• Functional understanding of engineering design concepts; restoration project construction and management.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work constructively with a wide range of partners and personalities.
• Capable of simultaneously managing multiple complex projects with multiple funding agreements.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as research and analytic skills.
• Demonstrated organizational and problem-solving abilities.
• Demonstrated experience indicating ability to prioritize workload, to be highly motivated and self-directed.
• Comfortable with public speaking and meeting facilitation.
• Have a passion for fisheries conservation and for protecting and restoring rivers and streams.
• Experience using MS Office, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to periodically travel overnight.
• Hold a valid driver’s license.
• Have a sense of humor and humility.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with large-scale, complex, restoration projects and thorough understanding of applicable construction methods and practices.
• Current Project Management Professional or equivalent certification.
• Awareness of Upper and Mid-Columbia salmon recovery efforts, involved agencies, stakeholders and recovery objectives.
• Previous employment in North Central Washington or similar landscape.
• Experience with project permitting for aquatic restoration projects and in-water work.
• Competency in ArcGIS Pro.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Staff and leadership at TU understand that life outside of work is important to personal health, and we strive to create a healthy and family-friendly atmosphere. This is a full-time position with a generous benefits package. The salary range for this position is $72,000-$83,000 per year depending on experience.

At TU, we value a diverse representation of staff, and we actively seek candidates for this position who come from communities that have been historically under-represented in conservation and those who have been most impacted by degraded rivers and streams. We are committed to building space for all people to participate in our work to care for trout and salmon and clean our shared waters.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome you to read more about TU’s equity practice and values https://www.tu.org/equity/.