NC Mountains Freshwater Restoration Specialist

The Nature Conservancy•Asheville, NC

2d•$59,000 - $65,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The NC Mountains Freshwater Restoration Specialist will implement aquatic restoration projects in collaboration with the US Forest Service to support ecosystem recovery from Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. Work will be focused on identifying, implementing, and assessing stream and wetland restoration projects, including dam removals, undersized and damaged culvert replacements, instream habitat improvements, streambank stability enhancements, wetland restoration, floodplain reconnection, and riparian restoration. TNC’s goals for freshwater work in this region are to increase the resilience and connectivity of mountain streams, conserve and increase the quality of aquatic habitat critical to support the aquatic biodiversity of western NC, and to increase resilience of downstream human communities to climate change impacts including flooding. The projects will be carried out in close collaboration with federal, state, non-profit, and tribal partners. The NC Mountains Freshwater Restoration Specialist will report to the NC Mountains Freshwater Recovery Director. They will work closely as part of a local 5-person freshwater team, as well as a larger set of freshwater practitioners working across the six-state Southern Appalachian region in coordination with TNC’s Southern Appalachian Whole System. They will work with an existing Freshwater Restoration Specialist to supervise a team of field technicians. They will be responsible for working with partners to evaluate and prioritize potential projects in selected NC watersheds and implementing restoration projects from conceptual design through completion. The Restoration Specialist should be able to review restoration designs, oversee construction work, ensure permitting requirements are met, and have a strong knowledge of aquatic restoration approaches, hydrology concepts, and aquatic ecology. The work includes writing watershed restoration action plans for priority watersheds on the National Forest that will identify projects to be implemented by TNC and other partners. The Restoration Specialist will coordinate with the US Forest Service and other partners working across the Forest on Hurricane Helene recovery. They may assist staff in grant proposal writing, administration, and reporting. They will work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances. The position is based out of TNC’s office in Asheville with hybrid work options available. It is a full-time, three-year term position subject to renewal based on available funding.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 3 years’ experience in natural resource management, including freshwater ecology or similar field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge of aquatic restoration techniques.
Experience with on-the-ground project implementation.
Demonstrated project management skills including contracting for services, restoration/construction oversight, project and grant reporting.
Experience working with a variety of partners, including collaboration, negotiation, and relationship building.
Experience with field work, ideally in stream and wetland ecosystems.
Experience with communication via written, spoken and graphical means in English.
Experience using common software applications such as Word, Excel, web browsers, etc.
Working knowledge of ArcGIS and basic map making skills.
Must have valid driver's license and be willing to travel to project sites.
Compliance with TNC’s Auto Safety Program.

Nice To Haves

3-5 years’ experience in natural resource management and freshwater ecology, similar field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience leading restoration projects (ideally aquatic barrier removal projects).
Experience working with government agencies, particularly US Forest Service.
Knowledge of Southern Appalachians freshwater ecology, hydrology, and aquatic biota.
Experience contributing to watershed plans and project prioritization.
Familiarity with federal and North Carolina state laws and regulations as they pertain to instream and riparian restoration work.
Knowledge of techniques used to monitor restoration efficacy and ability to reliably collect and manage data.
Experience reviewing engineering design plans for stream and wetland restoration projects.
Experience with grant applications, grant writing, and reporting.
Knowledge of current trends and practices in conservation, land management and natural resource preservation.
Experience managing staff or volunteers.
Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience.

Responsibilities

Identify, implement, and assess stream and wetland restoration projects.
Oversee construction work and ensure permitting requirements are met.
Write watershed restoration action plans for priority watersheds.
Coordinate with the US Forest Service and other partners on Hurricane Helene recovery.
Assist staff in grant proposal writing, administration, and reporting.
Supervise a team of field technicians.
Evaluate and prioritize potential projects in selected NC watersheds.
Implement restoration projects from conceptual design through completion.
Review restoration designs.