Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist

King County•Seattle, WA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

This recruitment is open to both internal and external applicants and will be used to fill a Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) with an anticipated 3-year duration. In addition to the current opening, this recruitment may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to fill future Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist (PPM III) SDA/TLT roles throughout the Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP) over the next six (6) months. The Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) is seeking a Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist (PPM III) to help strengthen how King County monitors and protects these important conservation investments. King County has a long history of land conservation, with more than 200,000 acres protected through County ownership or conservation easements, along with approximately 15,000 additional acres of privately owned land protected through the Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS). This is a unique opportunity to help build a coordinated monitoring program that spans multiple DNRP programs and combines field-based land assessment, conservation easement monitoring, data management, GIS and remote monitoring technologies, landowner collaboration, and program development. Your work will directly support King County's efforts to conserve high-value lands, protect working farms and forests, support healthy habitat and clean water, and ensure conservation commitments continue delivering their intended public and environmental benefits. The Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist is a newly established position responsible for helping create a coordinated approach to monitoring conservation easements, PBRS open-space agreements, deed restrictions, and certain County-owned lands associated with acquisitions led by DNRP's Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) and Parks and Recreation Division. Historically, monitoring has occurred within individual programs. This position will help bring those efforts together by developing consistent monitoring protocols, documentation practices, data systems, and approaches to compliance. In this role, you will combine fieldwork, technology, data analysis, relationship-building, and program coordination. You will assess current property conditions, document findings, identify potential compliance concerns, and partner with program staff and landowners to address issues and support voluntary compliance. Monitoring may include traditional site visits as well as review of aerial imagery, GIS information, and emerging technologies, including AI-assisted remote monitoring platforms. Your work will directly contribute to major King County priorities, including the Land Conservation Initiative, Local Food Initiative, Strategic Climate Action Plan, and policies established through the King County Comprehensive Plan. This position is housed within the Agriculture, Forestry, and Incentives Unit (AFI) of the Water and Land Resources Division and reports to the AFI Unit Manager. However, this is a highly collaborative, cross-divisional role. You will work closely with professionals across DNRP, including staff within: Agriculture, Forestry, and Incentives (AFI) Open Space Acquisitions (OSA) Environmental Policy and Initiatives (EPI) Recreation, Partnerships, & Property Management (RPPM) Parks Operations Together, these teams conserve open space and working farms and forests, acquire and steward conservation lands, restore habitat, support environmental initiatives, manage County property, and maintain King County's extensive parks and trail system. AFI works with forestland and farmland owners to improve land management, conserve working lands, restore habitat, increase environmental health and climate resiliency, and expand farmland access, including opportunities for farmers from historically underserved communities. This position will serve as an important connector across these programs, helping establish a consistent and effective approach to monitoring King County's conservation commitments. King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist (PPM III) you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity . Apply now for a rewarding career at the Water and Land Resource Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

Requirements

Experienced with land conservation, including field-based land inventory, inspection, monitoring, or assessment.
Proficient in building productive, collaborative relationships with private landowners or other property stakeholders to accomplish shared objectives.
Knowledge of or experience working with conservation easements, deed restrictions, open-space agreements, or similar land-use protections, including monitoring for compliance.
Ability to accurately collect, organize, manage, analyze, and report land-use or property-related information.
Experience using mapping and data-management technologies, such as GIS, to assess property conditions, land-use changes, or past disturbances.
Ability to develop, maintain, or improve data-management systems and processes.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical or potentially sensitive information to different audiences.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate across programs, disciplines, and organizational boundaries.
Ability to identify problems, recommend practical solutions, improve processes, and move work forward when priorities or stakeholder needs compete.
Working proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel, and familiarity with collaborative tools such as Teams and Outlook.
We recognize that relevant skills can be developed through many pathways, including professional experience, public service, military service, community-based work, apprenticeships, training, certifications, and other lived or learned experiences. We encourage candidates who can demonstrate the skills needed to successfully perform this work to apply.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing, coordinating, or managing a conservation easement monitoring program.
Experience establishing monitoring protocols, compliance processes, or land-management data systems.
Experience using GIS, aerial imagery, remote sensing, or other technologies to monitor conservation or open-space lands.

Responsibilities

Develop monitoring standards and protocols.
Partner with program leads to establish consistent guidelines for monitoring, documentation, communication, and outreach across programs and divisions.
Conduct conservation compliance monitoring.
Monitor King County-held conservation easements, landowner agreements, deed restrictions, and certain County-owned lands using field assessments and other monitoring approaches.
Apply technology to conservation monitoring.
Use traditional and innovative technologies—including GIS, aerial imagery, data systems, and emerging remote-monitoring tools—to evaluate property conditions and identify potential compliance concerns.
Address compliance concerns collaboratively.
Work with program leads and landowners to identify issues, develop recommendations and corrective-action timelines, encourage voluntary compliance, and coordinate appropriate corrective or enforcement measures when necessary.
Build a comprehensive monitoring data system.
Develop and maintain a system identifying DNRP assets with monitoring requirements, responsible parties, monitoring history, and current compliance status. This information is anticipated to eventually integrate with WLRD's parcel-based Stewardship Hub.
Support continuous program improvement.
Work with program staff to identify opportunities to improve easement and agreement language, monitoring practices, and other processes that strengthen long-term conservation outcomes.