Recreation Grants Assistant Section Manager (WMS2)

State of Washington•Thurston County – Olympia, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is a small state agency located in Olympia, Washington that plans for and provides funding to create and maintain opportunities for recreation, protect the state's wild lands, farms, and forests, and recover salmon. RCO strives to maintain a respectful, inclusive, and family-friendly workplace where all team members feel safe to bring their true selves to work. The core competencies for all RCO team members are communication, customer service, integrity, self-management, and teamwork. The assistant section manager will lead and supervise two small teams of outdoor grants managers responsible for managing a portfolio of grant applications and funded projects. One team manages outdoor recreation projects for boating, shooting sports, and backcountry trail activities. The other team manages restoration projects and protection of habitats, farms, and forests through complex land acquisitions. This leadership role involves working with RCO policy staff and other agency leaders to review, develop, update, and interpret administrative rules, policies, processes, and procedures for federal and state grant programs. The goal is to ensure timely allocation of grants and completion of funded projects while maintaining compliance with program obligations and laws. This position offers an opportunity to lead teams through processes that invest in Washington’s natural and outdoor recreational resources.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree or higher in public administration, parks and recreation management, landscape architecture, fish or wildlife management, watershed planning, geography, land use planning, biology, forestry, natural resources management, environmental studies, or a related field.
4 years of experience working in public administration, parks and recreation management, landscape architecture, fish or wildlife management, watershed planning, engineering, geography, land use planning, forestry, natural resource management, environmental studies or related field.
2 years of experience supervising, and/or coaching and leading staff OR 2 years of experience as a Senior Outdoor Grants Manager or equivalent.
A valid driver's license, free from serious traffic violations.
Supervision and Leadership: Directs and supervises 5-8 positions. Recruits, hires, supervises, trains, evaluates and disciplines reporting staff. Creates an environment where staff can learn and grow but are held accountable for specified performance standards. Fosters a leadership culture throughout the agency by working with staff to become their better selves and work as efficiently as possible. Helps lead organizational changes by establishing clear, strategic and attainable performance goals for staff and holds them accountable for meeting set goals.
Strategic Thinking: Think 3-5 years out into the future to ensure RCO business needs under their control will continue to be effective in meeting agency goals. Considers the big picture aspects of RCO grant programs as they relate to other state and federal partner grant programs. Assesses if the agency is fulfilling the proper niche to achieve statewide recreation, conservation, and salmon recovery goals.
Program Management: Leads and provides oversight for implementation of statewide grant programs that span across their section and throughout the agency. Collaborates with peers, their supervisor, other agency managers, Tribal government personnel and community members, executive management and the agency funding boards to implement statewide programs. Uses delegated authority to make project level and programmatic decisions and sign agreements and amendments. Leads and/or participates in various internal or program improvement projects that have agencywide and/or statewide impact. The Assistant Section Manager is empowered to make project and programmatic decisions and consult with the section manager, deputy director or other members of executive management on potential controversial issues or issues that could set a precedent, when needed. Assists in the resolution of complex project issues that may involve executive management, the agency funding boards or the Attorney General’s Office.
Relationships and Teamwork: The Assistant Section Manager and its team are staff to the agency funding boards. This position will frequently make presentations about projects, policy or programmatic issues and will provide recommendations for board consideration. This position serves on the agency's Operations Team and works with other agency leaders and staff to develop, promote and implement the agency's mission. The Assistant Section Manager often participates as part of a team to explore program issues and make recommendations to the executive management and/or agency boards. This position interacts with agency staff, management at other state resource agencies, nonprofit organizations, Tribal government personnel and community members, local and federal governments and elected officials to ensure grant projects and RCO policies are implemented correctly. Continuously develop and cultivate partnerships and cooperative relationships with partners, clients and stakeholders.
Ability to Take Action to Learn and Grow: Practices self-awareness by reflecting on personal strengths, growth areas, and biases.
Ability to Take Action to Meet the Needs of Others: Flexible, adaptable, customer service focused, and willing and able to empathically respond to the unique needs of the people they work with and serve.
Communication: Effectively expresses ideas and information through the spoken and/or written word using language that is appropriate to both the complexity of the topic and the knowledge and understanding of the audience. Communicate openly and honestly with staff and management. Strong verbal, writing and editing skills to prepare and present coherent and meaningful reports and recommendations.
Customer Service: Build and maintain internal and external customer satisfaction with the products and services offered by the organization. Consistently go beyond basic service expectations to help customers implement complete solutions.
Fiscal Stewardship and Risk Management: Ensures responsible, compliant management of significant state and federal funds. Collaborates to protect the agency from fiscal, legal, and reputational risk by identifying potential risks related to funding, compliance, or precedent-setting decisions. Consults executive leaders, as needed.
Integrity: Earn the trust, respect, and confidence of co-workers and customers through consistent honesty, forthrightness, and professionalism in all interactions.
Presentation: Prepare high-quality materials and explain or present /information in a clear, concise, logical manner that achieves understanding of the intended message. Choose language that will persuade or influence the listener if that is the purpose of the presentation.
Self-Management: Identify what needs to be done and proactively take appropriate action. Recognize situations that warrant assertive action and move forward without hesitation. Get the job done. Be accountable for work and consistently achieve excellent, timely results with little need for oversight.
Tact and Diplomacy: Respond to difficult, stressful and sensitive situations in a way that reduces and minimizes conflict. Patiently wait for others to share their views and work to understand other points of view before making judgement. Approach problems with a positive attitude thinking outside the norm for a solution.

Nice To Haves

4 years of experience and 2 years of supervisory responsibility may run concurrently.
Relevant experience will substitute year-for-year for education.
Relevant experience may include working with grants or grant programs, contract development, management of project compliance, etc.

Responsibilities

Leading, supervising, evaluating, coaching, and hiring 5 to 8 grant management staff.
Distributing and monitoring staff workload.
Establishing clear, strategic, and attainable performance goals for staff and holding them accountable for meeting set goals.
Fostering a leadership culture throughout the section by working with staff to become their better selves and work efficiently.
Allocating and using of up to $250 million dollars of state and federal grant funds.
Serving as the agency lead on a suite of board and/or office grant programs and acts as the agency expert on these programs for executive management and others.
Acting as the agency lead on partner grant programs.
Making a determination on, and signing contracts, amendments, and obligations through delegated authority from the agency director.
Producing well-trained team members that feel they belong and are cared for, happy and productive.
Accurately distributing grant funding (approximately $250 million).
Successfully overseeing the implementation of grant projects and grant programs.
Ensuring accurate and consistent application of RCWs, WACs, federal rules and agency policies for grant programs.
Providing accurate reporting to the section manager, executive management, and partner agencies on grant program metrics and project outcomes.
Resolving complex project issues.
Leading and providing oversight for implementation of statewide grant programs that span across their section and throughout the agency.
Collaborating with peers, their supervisor, other agency managers, Tribal government personnel and community members, executive management and the agency funding boards to implement statewide programs.
Using delegated authority to make project level and programmatic decisions and sign agreements and amendments.
Leading and/or participating in various internal or program improvement projects that have agencywide and/or statewide impact.
Making project and programmatic decisions and consulting with the section manager, deputy director or other members of executive management on potential controversial issues or issues that could set a precedent, when needed.
Assisting in the resolution of complex project issues that may involve executive management, the agency funding boards or the Attorney General’s Office.
Making presentations about projects, policy or programmatic issues and providing recommendations for board consideration.
Serving on the agency's Operations Team and working with other agency leaders and staff to develop, promote and implement the agency's mission.
Participating as part of a team to explore program issues and make recommendations to the executive management and/or agency boards.
Interacting with agency staff, management at other state resource agencies, nonprofit organizations, Tribal government personnel and community members, local and federal governments and elected officials to ensure grant projects and RCO policies are implemented correctly.
Continuously developing and cultivating partnerships and cooperative relationships with partners, clients and stakeholders.