Western Iowa Basin Coordinator

State of Iowa•State of Iowa - See Job Description, IA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking an Environmental Specialist Senior to join our Water Quality Improvement team. This position offers the opportunity to combine environmental expertise, project leadership, community engagement, and problem-solving to improve Iowa’s watersheds and protect valuable water resources. You’ll work alongside local communities, landowners, conservation organizations, state and federal agencies, and other partners to turn watershed priorities into meaningful, on-the-ground projects. This role serves as a technical resource, project coordinator, and key DNR liaison for watershed planning and water quality improvement activities within assigned Iowa river basins.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in a Natural Science and three years of full time professional scientific experience in an environmental program in the areas of water supply, waste water, animal feeding operations, hazardous substances, radiation, sewage treatment, solid waste, geology, history, archeology, flood plain, air pollution, dam safety, or underground storage tanks; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience substituting one year of the required full-time professional work for each 30 semester hours of the required education; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience, substituting thirty semester hours of accredited graduate level coursework in a Natural Science, history, or archeology for each year of the required experience to a maximum substitution of two years; OR employees with current continuous experience in the State of Iowa Executive Branch that includes twenty-four months of full-time work as an Environmental Specialist or Environmental Engineer.
Possess and maintain valid Iowa driver's license.
Grant Writing and Management: 6 months’ professional level experience as one of a team or as the sole organizational resource managing the grant program, which includes all of the following: writing grant applications/proposals, managing grant funds, providing technical assistance to sub-grantees, monitoring grants, and grant performance reporting. Experience must have been a major or dominant function of the job. May also include experience reviewing, approving/awarding, and monitoring others' grant proposals, but this alone does not qualify.
OR Service and Performance Contract Negotiations and Management: 6 months’ experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination. Differs from labor contract negotiation. These are contracts with various vendors or other service providers and the applicant must have demonstrated experience and/or education that allowed them to review performance and service delivery and know what to do and be able to act when performance does not meet expectations. Includes: drafting or developing contracts for provision of products and/or services and the related budget components; negotiating the terms of contracts to include: costs, timeframes and performances expectations and/or work products; monitoring and managing all aspects of the contracts: to include timely submission of financial reports, performance reports, work products and determining when appropriate benchmarks for payment of invoices are met. Specific educational courses that relate to the selective might include contract management, business law, principles of economics, business management and similar courses.
AND Natural Resources: 6 months’ experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both in one or in a combination of more than one of the following: Ecology, Environmental planning, Soil conservation, Biological sciences, Waste water treatment, Forestry, Engineering related to natural resource areas (dams, sanitary engineers, etc.), Outdoor recreation planning, Physical sciences, River basin planning, Geography, Wildlife management.
Strong core values of Accountability, Integrity, High Productivity, Interpersonal Skills, Communication Skills, Customer Focus, Team Player, Self Management, Computer Skills, Technical Skills - Natural Resources Planning, Project Management and Problem-solving.

Nice To Haves

Passionate about Iowa’s natural resources and protecting water quality.
A strong relationship builder who enjoys working with diverse communities, organizations, and stakeholders.
An effective communicator who can explain technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
A skilled problem solver who can evaluate complex environmental issues and develop practical solutions.
Organized and self-directed, with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, budgets, and deadlines.
Comfortable working in both the field and office, including conducting site visits and meeting with local partners.
Comfortable embracing diverse technology to maximize efficiencies, including digital and virtual group meetings, project management software, and other tools to enhance productivity.
Experienced in environmental planning, watershed management, conservation, water quality, or a related field.
Interested in using technology and data to support environmental decision-making, including tools such as GIS, monitoring, modeling, and land-use assessments.
Ready to provide leadership and technical guidance to staff, watershed coordinators, and community partners.

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate watershed planning and implementation projects designed to improve water quality, protect source water, reduce flooding, and enhance soil and water resources.
Build strong partnerships with Watershed Management Authorities, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, local governments, landowners, nonprofit organizations, and other watershed stakeholders.
Provide technical expertise in watershed assessments, EPA-approved nine-element watershed plans, best management practices, monitoring, and project implementation.
Manage projects from planning through completion, including budgets, contracts, grants, reporting, site visits, project evaluations, and quality control.
Use GIS, monitoring, modeling, land-use assessments, and other technology to identify priority areas, evaluate progress, and develop innovative solutions.
Connect communities with funding opportunities and assist with the development of grant, loan, and watershed improvement projects.
Lead meetings, outreach, education, and training for local partners, stakeholders, watershed coordinators, and other audiences.
Represent the Iowa DNR at local, regional, and statewide meetings and communicate water quality priorities and available program resources.
Collaborate with state and federal partners to develop statewide strategies, technical guidance, training, and program improvements.
Share successful projects and practices through presentations, case studies, field activities, and other outreach efforts.
Reviews and analyzes water quality, water quantity, and nonpoint source pollution issues and mitigation strategies.
Reviews environmental principles related to sediment, nutrient and bacterial pollutants and their relationship to water quality.
Reviews written watershed plans and provides constructive input and feedback.
Prepares and interprets project contracts.
Reviews and approves contract/vendor claims, invoices, and draft/final product deliverables.
Writes technical and non-technical documents that clearly communicate program and project ideas, needs, goals, and objectives.
Communicates technical and non-technical data and information to non-technical audiences in a clear and understandable manner.
Communicates verbally with large groups, small groups, and in one-on-one situations.
Facilitates discussions among technical and non-technical groups of internal and external stakeholders.
Reads and absorbs technical and non-technical studies and reports on environmental planning, soil conservation, flood and hazard mitigation, and river basin and watershed planning.
Reads and absorbs laws, rules, policies, and position papers related to TMDLs, water quality assessments, water quality standards, watersheds, source water protection, water quality, and water quantity improvement.
Evaluates and interprets the relationship between agricultural production activities, economics, stream hydrology and nonpoint source pollution issues.
Develops and maintains effective working relationships with staff, state and federal agency partners, local watershed leaders and groups, agricultural interests, environmental interests, local citizen groups, private-sector partners, the regulated public, and industry professionals.
Establishes effective contract administration and management strategies.
Prepares reports, programmatic and financial tracking spreadsheets, and project and program information databases.
Traverses open and/or cultivated fields, rolling terrain, riparian zones, and stream beds.
Trains and advise social and regional watershed staff on field assessment protocols and effective watershed planning processes.

Benefits

Insurance benefits that start the first of the month following 30 days of employment. (Premiums can start as low as $64/month for single and $210/month for family coverage).
Separate vacation and sick leave accruals that start on the first day and can roll over annually.
Nine paid holidays/year.
Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) retirement package with employer match.
Optional deferred compensation (457/401A) plan with employer match.
Professional training opportunities.
Family friendly and professional work environment.
Employee Discount Programs (vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, season passes, travel, counseling).
Flexible work schedules (as approved by the supervisor).
Opportunities for hybrid telework (as approved by the supervisor).