Stewardship Director

Columbia Slough Watershed Council

POSITION DESCRIPTION: STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Position: Stewardship Program Director

Compensation: $40-48,000 and benefits (medical/vision, dental, life ins; PTO; retirement match; flexible schedule)

Hours: 40 hours/week, full time, some evenings and weekends required

Reports to: Executive Director

Closing Date: 5pm February 25, 2020

 

Organization Background

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council is a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve, protect and enhance the 60 miles of waterways, wetlands and slow moving channels known as the Columbia Slough and its watershed. We collaborate and partner with a diverse group of neighbors, property owners, businesses, environmental groups, recreation advocates and government agencies to provide numerous low to no-cost opportunities to play and learn in the watershed. We conduct habitat restoration of public and private lands near the Slough; put on educational events and workshops large and small, canoeing and kayaking events and nature festivals; and lead a robust youth education program. 

 

Our office of 7-10 staff members is located in Northeast Portland adjacent to Whitaker Ponds Nature Park. We thrive as a team while also being self-driven and able to work independently. We value diversity within our staff and our communities. We are committed to being an inclusive, anti-racist organization that reflects and meets the needs of our community in makeup, priorities, operations, and programs.

 

 

Position Description

Our Stewardship Program is dedicated to the restoration, enhancement, and protection of habitat and biodiversity in the Columbia Slough watershed. The Stewardship Director’s primary duties are to provide leadership, planning, coordination, and management of our Stewardship Program. This includes long-term visioning, planning and prioritization, grant writing, contracting and project management and implementation. A key strategy for realizing our program goals is to involve volunteers and community members in stewardship projects. Project examples include riparian and wetlands revegetation, native forest enhancement, turtle habitat creation, installing neighborhood “nature patches,” and more on public and private lands. The Stewardship Director will be responsible for running volunteer work parties including our winter series of Stewardship Saturdays. The Stewardship Director actively maintains relationships with partner organizations and leads the CSWC Tech Team, which is currently implementing a five-year restoration and enhancement action plan. They will be responsible for understanding the ecology of the slough, staying up to date on relevant topics within the watershed, and ensuring that the rest of the CSWC team has critical information in this area. Our Stewardship Program is in an exciting growth phase. We are looking for the right candidate that can thrive and commit to this leadership opportunity.

 

 Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide the planning, development, design, coordination, budget management, and implementation for restoration, enhancement, and stewardship projects along the slough and throughout the greater watershed. 
• Conduct outreach to private businesses and landowners in the watershed to foster support for and participation in stewardship projects.
• Work in collaboration with Portland Parks and Recreation to plan and implement restoration plans at Whitaker Ponds Nature Park and other parks in the watershed.
• Serve people of diverse backgrounds, ages, and cultures.
• Practice inclusive, anti-oppressive community engagement and program design, particularly in communities of color.
• Organize and lead CSWC’s Tech Team in stewardship planning. 
• Monitor and manage current restoration, enhancement, and stewardship projects.
• Contract and manage contractors for project implementation.
• Coordinate with the Education Director on K-12 student field experiences and stewardship activities.
• Coordinate with Volunteer and Events Coordinators to plan and implement volunteer work parties and Stewardship Saturdays.
• Work with Executive Director to develop fundable projects and write grant applications to seek funding, including budgets and timelines.
• Manage project budgets, timelines, spending, and deliverables.
• Report on project and grant progress and accomplishments to funders and partners. 

• Assist with actualization of council’s Equity Action Plan and diversity goals
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director

 

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in ecology, environmental science, or a related field or equivalent professional experience.
• 2-3 years of experience in management of restoration projects OR equivalent combination of life/work experience.
• Knowledge or strong interest in plant communities in the Portland area and urban ecology.
• Demonstrated ability to work well with people of diverse backgrounds, ages and cultures.
• Work and/or lived experience working in inclusive, anti-oppressive community engagement and program design, particularly in communities of color.
• 1-2 years of experience in technical writing, grant writing, project management, and budget management.
• Ability to set and meet project priorities while staying within budget. 
• Comfortable with meeting and adapting to shifting deadlines.
• Thrives working in a small team environment and working independently.
• Strong leadership skills and friendly demeanor.
• Solutions-oriented.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Experience building working partnerships with other individuals and organizations.
• Computer and software literacy and competency, especially with spreadsheet and word document programs.
• Comfort with public speaking in professional settings.
• Professional communication skills, written and verbal.
• Fluent in spoken and written English.
• Driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• Ability to work on uneven terrain, lift 30-50 lbs regularly.*
• Available some evenings and/or weekends.

 

 Other Desirable Qualities and Skills

• Ability to speak and write Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese or other language spoken in the watershed. Spanish is especially desired.
• Experience using ArcGIS and other mapping programs.
• Knowledge of the Columbia Slough Watershed ecosystem and area neighborhoods, schools, and organizations.
• Experience and comfort with paddling a canoe or kayak.
• Familiarity with our partners, such as Portland Parks and Recreation, Verde, City of Gresham, Living Cully, Port of Portland, etc.
• Comfort building relationships in the private business sector.
• Work experience in a small non-profit organization. 
• Supervisory experience.
• Familiarity with Traditional Ecological Knowledge practices and their application in habitat enhancement and restoration.
• Ability to drive a manual transmission and back up a trailer.

 

 

*Work Environment

This position includes moving on uneven terrain, often during inclement weather. The Stewardship Director is often responsible for a portion of event setup which includes lifting 30-50lbs, setting up tents, tables and chairs. The person in this position often paddles in canoes or kayaks to access sites or give tours. Around 30-40% of this job requires mobility in non-ADA accessible spaces and moving heavy objects. Please contact the Council with specific questions about accessibility and special accommodation.

 

Travel and Safety Requirements

Travel by car, valid driver’s license and reliable transportation, the ability to be insured for vehicle usages, willingness and ability to use personal transportation related to work (mileage reimbursed) is required. CSWC’s vehicle is a manual transmission and the ability to drive a manual transmission and back up a trailer are desired. Appropriate field and safety attire required as event dictates.

 

To Apply

Please submit (using a type font size 12): 

• • A cover letter not to exceed one page
  • A resume not to exceed two pages

 

• Three references, at least one reference must be from a current or previous work supervisor

 

 

by mail or email (subject line “Stewardship Director”):

Cathy Kellon, Executive Director

7040 NE 47th Avenue Portland, OR 97218

executive.director@columbiaslough.org 

 

Please no phone or email inquiries.

 

Closing Date

Application materials must be received by 5 pm on February 25, 2020

 

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council is an equal opportunity employer.  We will not discriminate and will take measures to prevent discrimination against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.