Division Director and State Forester

State of Utah Office of the Governor•Salt Lake City, UT

5d•$61 - $89•Onsite

About The Position

This is an executive-level position responsible for serving as the Division Director and State Forester for the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL). The position reports to the Commissioner and Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and oversees the division’s management team, programs, personnel, budget, and operations. The Division Director and State Forester provides strategic direction and makes final decisions regarding division goals, priorities, resource allocation, and forestry, fire, sovereign lands, and applicable state mineral policy. The position oversees statewide forestry and fire management programs, including forest and watershed conservation, wildfire prevention and suppression, and forest management on state and unincorporated private lands. The Director/State Forester advises the DNR Commissioner and other state leaders on forestry, fire, sovereign lands, applicable state minerals policies, and natural resource issues and represents the division with local, state, and federal agencies, committees, boards, and partner organizations. The position also provides policy and technical guidance to staff, communities, lawmakers, landowners, and other stakeholders; oversees personnel matters; and serves as a spokesperson to the media and public.

Requirements

Applicants must meet the requirements of State Code 65A-8-10(2) The State Forester shall be a graduate of an accredited school of forestry, technically and professionally competent and experienced in administration.
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing services, assessing customer/lessee needs, and meeting quality standards.
Identifying complex structural or legal problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
The ability to apply general rules and state administrative codes to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Nice To Haves

Candidates with a Masters degree or higher in a natural resource related field.
Demonstrated leadership experience in the career field along with political affiliations and stakeholder engagement.
Minimum 5+ years of experience managing a multi-dimensional organization.

Responsibilities

Oversees statewide fire suppression, fire prevention, sovereign lands, applicable state mineral resources, and forest management program(s).
Insures forestry preservation, conservation, and wildland fire prevention across state and private cooperative lands.
Serves as representative for the division on state, national, and local committees, advisory boards, and councils regarding Division programs.
Provides technical and policy guidance to staff members for Division programs also providing services to communities and organizations.
Oversees subordinate field personnel and fire crews, including assigning workload, delegating fire incident assignments, training, and monitoring field performance.
Develops, directs, and/or evaluates statewide division programs.
Sets division goals, establishes priorities, manages high-level resources, develops administrative concepts and approaches, and reviews project progress and results.
Evaluates, plans, and directs the overall business and management operations of the organization.
Prepares and recommends the division's annual budget to the Legislature; monitors division fiscal activity to assure conformity to goals and budget constraints; develops short and long-range budget plans.
Represents the agency with federal, state, and local government units, in the media, or with private organizations regarding Division programs.
Listens and responds effectively to elected and appointed officials, holding public hearings and rendering formal administrative decisions.
Supervises top-tier subordinate personnel, overseeing hiring, workload delegation, performance evaluation, and division-wide personnel matters.