Vegetation Stewardship Supervisor

City of Boulder•Boulder, CO

About The Position

Under limited supervision, the Vegetation Stewardship Supervisor will provide support, strategic planning and leadership to advance the goals of the department’s vegetation and invasive species management program. This position will work collaboratively with ecology, planning, recreation, and agriculture staff to develop and implement a strategic plan for vegetation and invasive species management on the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) system and address the threat noxious and non-native species pose to Boulder’s native ecosystems. This position will develop programmatic direction for and supervise regular and temporary staff to meet operational goals, coordinate with contractors and other work groups to complete projects, collaborate on larger departmental priorities and planning efforts, stay current on research and science-based management practices, and conduct project tracking and monitoring to ensure and communicate management success.

Requirements

Ability to demonstrate a strong working knowledge of local ecosystems and habitats and describe the potential threats of non-native species to ecosystem health.
Ability to apply science-based non-native species management concepts and treatments to develop and implement strategic program plans and prescriptions.
Ability to manage projects of varying scales and the associated budgets to meet the department’s non-native species management objectives.
Ability to identify and utilize the appropriate resources to accomplish a project. This may include staff, volunteers, researchers, contractors, or any combination of these.
Ability to educate staff and the public on vegetation management efforts through one-on-one interactions, presentations, educational hikes, or other outreach opportunities.
Ability to train, supervise, and lead a team of both regular and seasonal staff to accomplish the goals of the OSMP Vegetation Stewardship program.
Ability to demonstrate a clear knowledge of herbicide application techniques, application rates, appropriate chemical selection, and safety protocols for working with herbicides.
Ability to demonstrate a clear knowledge of non-chemical weed management techniques (both mechanical and cultural) and identify the most effective applications.
Ability to demonstrate prior experience with applicable state and federal tracking and reporting procedures for herbicide use and follow the guidance provided by the City of Boulder’s Integrated Pest Management policy.
Ability to demonstrate experience using a variety of inventory and monitoring tools, such as ArcGIS, ESRI Field Maps, GPS technology, Microsoft Office, and data analysis software.
Ability to demonstrate prior supervisory or leadership experience.
Ability to use all safety equipment.
Ability to work under stress from demanding deadlines, public contact, and changing priorities and conditions.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to assume responsibility.
Skills in strong organization and the ability to work in a constantly evolving environment.
Valid Driver's license and having and maintaining an acceptable motor vehicle record.
Have and maintain acceptable background information, including criminal conviction history.
Bachelor’s degree in weed management, forestry, natural resource management, agriculture, ecology, or related field.
Five (5) years of experience in program management, prescription development, and applying principles of weed management in the field.
Two (2) years of experience supervising and managing regular and temporary staff.

Nice To Haves

Ability to demonstrate experience developing and managing operating budgets and managing contracted services.
Ability to demonstrate experience managing and directing field crews to meet natural resource management goals.
Ability to demonstrate correct identification of Rocky Mountain Front Range plants.
Knowledge and experience that can be demonstrated with vegetation and invasive species management, monitoring techniques and activities in Western High Plains and/or Rocky Mountain Front Range Foothills ecosystems, including conducting mechanical and chemical treatments and weed mapping.
Knowledge of and experience with municipal government functions, codes, and processes.
Skills and strong proficiency with ArcGIS.
Advanced degree in natural resource management, weed science, ecology, agriculture, environmental sciences, forestry, or related field.
Hold a current State of Colorado pesticide applicators license.

Responsibilities

Works in a collaborative manner to develop strategic direction and manage the implementation of OSMP’s invasive species management program.
Develops comprehensive, strategic program planning to support charter purposes, meet emergent needs, and to create a framework for new vegetation and invasive species management projects.
Implements short, medium, and long-term vegetation and invasive species management projects identified in OSMP plans and by the Vegetation Stewardship Sr Manager; is often responsible for all aspects of project development and management to include technical review, crew and contractor oversight, budget, and schedule management.
Plans for and implements appropriate management of state listed noxious weed species on OSMP managed lands.
Serves as a consulting resource on broader departmental priorities that may impact non-native species populations.
Builds effective alliances with other department service areas, city departments, local, state, and federal agencies and public interest groups.
Manages all capital and operating budgets associated with the program and related projects; responsible for business processes and pursues grant opportunities related to program goals.
Leads, manages, directs, and informs standard, temporary, and seasonal program staff.
Supervises and provides direction to program staff, typically crew leaders, technicians, and/or coordinators.
Communicates proactively and positively city and department initiatives to program staff.
Develops work plans for staff and crews to accomplish program goals.
Leads and mentors program staff based on principles of empowerment, listening, standards of excellence, city and department values, community connections, and responsiveness.
Establishes work priorities to ensure that standards and departmental needs are met.
Recognizes the needs of staff, coaches them, and seeks training and experiential opportunities to help develop skills and capacity.
Conducts annual performance evaluations for regular staff, ensures required training needs are being met, and manages personnel budgets.
Develops and ensures contractor compliance with contract terms.
Performs public and staff information and outreach activities including applicable liaison roles.
Resolves public concerns related to program disciplines.
Develops and conducts informational and interpretive presentations to educational institutions, organizations, and the public.
Provides periodic training for staff and volunteers.
Develops and presents written and oral reports on programs and projects to service area, department, and city management staff, city advisory boards, Open Space Board of Trustees, and City Council.
Publishes scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings as needed.
Coordinates and conducts research and monitoring related to the vegetation and invasive species management program for the department.
Coordinates with the Science and Climate Resilience Senior Manager on design, implementation, field data collection, and analysis of monitoring, mapping, and research projects on OSMP properties to support program goals and department policy.
Stays current in research methodologies and scientific literature related to program disciplines.
Develops requests for research proposals, evaluates research requests from outside agencies and individuals, monitors and tracks field work, reviews, and approves final reports.
Maintains a high level of professionalism and integrity.
Provides excellent customer service to internal and external customers.
Listens to questions and concerns and evaluates issues and possible solutions.
Works collaboratively with the OSMP and other city teams to find solutions to challenges that arise; inspires confidence and respect; uses feedback from others to grow and develop.
Takes proper safety precautions, anticipates unsafe circumstances, and acts accordingly to prevent accidents.
Ensures safety of self, others, materials, and equipment.
Uses all required safety equipment and follows all safety regulations, policies and procedures.
Reports all accidents and damage to city property.
Supports and upholds actively the city’s stated mission and values.
Optimizes the use of resources.
Knows and complies with all city and department policies and participates in professional trainings and development.