Lands Program Manager, Forest Health and Stewardship Program, Idaho Department of Lands

Salary Range: $25.82 - $34.42 per hour DOE -Plus Competitive Benefits!

Location(s): Coeur d'Alene,ID

Become part of an organization where you will work with dedicated and extraordinary people who have commitment and skills to manage and protect Idaho's natural resources. The Department of Lands believes in its employees and values teamwork, innovation, quality contributions, and individual initiative and leadership. We strive for a culture where leadership equips, entrusts and expects employees to make decisions in fulfillment of our missions.

Under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners, the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) manages over 2 million acres of state endowment trust land under a constitutional mandate to produce maximum long-term financial returns for the public schools and several other state institutions. Leases and other contracts are used to authorize revenue generating activities such as timber harvest, grazing, farming, mining, commercial use, residential use and conservation in a prudent and sustainable manner.

Managing endowment trust lands is only part of our story. We also protect public resources such as water, fish, wildlife, and recreation on public trust lands and ensure protection of water quality and other resources by overseeing forest and mining practices across all ownerships in the state. One of our most important resource protection responsibilities is fire prevention and suppression. We also provide assistance to landowners to manage their forestlands and to remediate abandoned mined lands.

About the Forest Health and Stewardship Program Manager Position:

The Department of Lands (IDL) is offering an opportunity for an experienced and talented individual to lead the Department's Forest Health and Forest Stewardship Programs. The successful candidate will have a diverse and strong forest health and forest management background, a service-oriented work style and a superior ability to effectively communicate and work with all levels of the organization and the forest landowners we assist. This person must also possess strong character, leadership and interpersonal skills. This position reports directly to the Forestry Assistance Bureau Chief in the Coeur d'Alene Staff office.

Position Responsibilities:

The Forest Health and Stewardship Program Manager is responsible for statewide administration and implementation of forest health monitoring, suppression and prevention activities, and provides Idaho's family forest landowners and related cooperators with training, technical and financial assistant services required for sustainable management of family forest lands. This position leads and supervises several program specialists and program support staff and is responsible for administering a variety of agreements, memorandums of understanding, and consulting contracts to achieve statewide program objectives.

• Develop and oversee all activities and functions of Forest Health, Forest Stewardship and associated cost-share and grant programs.
• Develop program operating procedures and guidelines.
• Develop and oversee program budget including federal grants administration.
• Coordinate program activities with federal and state partner agencies.
• Participate in partner/stakeholder meetings.
• Work collaboratively with partners to market landowner assistance programs.
• Provide program direction and assistance to area office staff.
• Coordinate training and technical assistance for state and private forest owners and managers.
• Direct aerial and field surveys to detect damage from insects and diseases; determine feasibility and justification of suppression activities; prepare and administer contracts for associated work.
• Coordinate and conduct pesticide control projects in cooperation with private, state and federal cooperators.
• Review timber management plans and prescriptions and inspect state timber sales to ensure compliance with pest control methods.
• Review Landowner Forest Stewardship Plans to assure compliance with federal and state program guidelines.

Minimum Requirements:

Experience:

• Developing various forestry-related programs including establishing goals and strategic direction, budgeting and evaluating results.
• Negotiating solutions to complex forest management situations.
• Developing and managing contracts.
• Planning and administering projects.
• Collecting field data, conducting inventories, and analyzing statistics.
• Interpreting maps and aerial photos.
• Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), especially ERSI type products (Arcview Arc GIS).
• Analyzing issues and making recommendations in the following forest management areas: timber sale preparation/implementation activities, contract development and administration, cruising timber, preparing forest management plans/projects, reforestation activities, monitoring insect and disease infestations, providing damage assessment in forests, and conducting pesticide spray projects to treat insect and disease infestations.
• Working with different groups or serving on committees with multiple interests represented, to develop understanding, acceptance and support for agency programs and interests.
• Using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and electronic data recording devices.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience using data management systems to collect, compile, and analyze data to evaluate program information.
• Training and education experience supervising others.
• Possession of Bachelor's degree or higher in Forest Management, Forest Entomology or related major.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

Experience delivering cost-share and forest management/forest health programs to private forest landowners.

Examination: Education and Experience. Enter your responses to the questions in the space provided in the examination. Scoring will be based on the information you provide. A minimum rating of 63 is needed to pass this examination. Notification of your test results will be available online when the review process is complete. Applicants who do not Apply Online will receive written notification.

How to Apply: go to https://www2.labor.idaho.gov/dhr/ats/statejobs/jobannouncement.aspx?announcement_no=01063008724

Click on the Apply Online button to the left and follow the instructions provided to complete the Application Checklist and Exam for this position. If you are unable to use the Apply Online process, you must respond to the exam questions on this announcement and complete a State of Idaho Application. For a paper application, click on Forms at the top of the screen.

When completing your online application information, please select:

Department of Lands under "Agencies"
Full-time employment under "Job Type/Shift"
Coeur d'Alene under "Cities."

When updating your online application information, you must complete all items in the Application Checklist. The items in the Application Checklist include: Personal Information, Education, Work History, Cities, Agencies, Job type. Without this information your name cannot be referred to the hiring agency.

OVERTIME NOTICE:

At the discretion of the appointing authority, compensatory time off may be provided in lieu of overtime cash compensation.

Hiring is done without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or disability. In addition, preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations. If you need special accommodations to satisfy testing requirements, please contact the Division of Human Resources.

Thank you for your interest in employment with the Idaho Department of Lands!