Salary

$113,235.20 - $143,520.00 Annually

Location

Seattle - Regional area, WA

Job Type

Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week

Job Number

2024-22374

Department

DNRP-Natural Resources & Parks

Division

Parks

Opening Date

08/30/2024

Closing Date

9/22/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

FLSA

Exempt

Bargaining Unit

Z3 : KC Personnel Guidelines

Full- or Part-Time

Full Time

Hours/Week

40 hours/week

Summary

Join King County Parks in safeguarding our region's natural beauty as our skilled and strategic Open Space Program Supervisor-take the lead in preserving and expanding our treasured open spaces.

About the Role:
As the Open Space Program Manager, your role is pivotal in driving the county's efforts in achieving the ambitious goals identified under the Land Conservation Initiative , 30-Year Forest Plan , Clean Water Healthy Habitat initiative , and Strategic Climate Action Plan .
You will be leading a talented and dynamic team conserving natural lands and open space that deliver a wide range of benefits, including:

• Expanding outdoor recreation opportunities and enhancing human health through nature contact.
• Increasing climate resilience through forest conservation and stewardship efforts.
• Protecting and improving ecological functions, including salmon habitat and water quality.
• Creating essential green spaces in urban areas where parks are scarce

The Program manager will have a unique opportunity to harness the strengths of an excellent team and supportive leadership to make further gains. Opportunities include improving efficiencies, leveraging complimentary efforts, and identifying new and creative strategies to deliver benefits to the people of King County.
This position will combine county-wide responsibilities for overall strategy with geographically based projects, covering a portion of the county to be determined by the team's needs and the successful applicant's expertise.

About the Team:
The Parks' Environmental Policy & Initiatives Unit is a dedicated and passionate group of professionals committed to advancing natural lands conservation across King County. Our team works in close partnership with other groups, such as Parks' Operations Section and the Water and Land Resources Division, to rapidly accelerate conservation efforts and protect the region's most valuable natural assets.

Our partnerships extend far beyond King County departments. We collaborate closely with local municipalities, state and federal agencies, Tribes, non-profit organizations, and community groups to ensure our conservation initiatives are comprehensive and in sync with broader regional efforts. This collaborative approach allows us to maximize resources, share knowledge, and create lasting benefits for the landscape and the communities we serve.

Central to the team's work is a deep commitment to equity: identifying and addressing gaps in park access while engaging communities to develop solutions that best meet their needs.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:
King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As the Open Space Program Manager, 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 Parks 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.

Job Duties

What You Will Be Doing:

1. Supervise the Open Space Program: Lead and supervise program staff (currently a team of four senior planners/project managers), supporting professional development, performance, and accountability.
2. Develop and implement natural land acquisition and conservation strategies: Assess and pursue open space land acquisition opportunities consistent with the division's mission and goals. Identify and implement creative funding solutions, including grant seeking, public-private partnerships, and other tools, to leverage and maximize available resources.
3. Collaborate with diverse interests to steward, program, and activate open space sites: Work with internal teams, elected officials, municipalities, federal and state agencies, Tribes, members of the public, and community groups to develop and implement projects, programs, and policies.
4. Manage plans and projects: Lead open space land acquisitions and related site planning, site management and stewardship activities. Support system-wide planning efforts to help better prioritize and strategically deliver projects.
5. Support process improvements: Contribute to efforts that increase overall coordination, communication, and effectiveness across the process to grow, steward, and program King County's natural lands inventory.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Qualifications You Bring:

• Five+ years of increasingly responsible work experience at the program and project management level, supported by a Bachelor's degree in Regional/Urban Planning, Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources Management, Forestry, Public Administration or a related discipline. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• Experience in natural lands conservation and/or acquisition: Working knowledge of planning principles, environmental and land use regulations, natural resource management, real estate, and project management (including grant and budget management). Experience developing funding strategies and securing resources to advance large-scale conservation efforts.
• Demonstrated management experience and ability to lead effective teams: Experience in leading and supervising teams and individuals to support professional growth, team effectiveness, and success, ideally in the field of environmental conservation, land use planning, or public lands management.
• Collaboration and partnership: Proven ability to build relationships and collaborate with diverse external partners, including government agencies, NGOs, Tribes, local communities, and landowners. Ability to build strong working relationships with and collaboration among internal teams and sponsors with different goals and objectives.
• Effective Communication skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences in different formats. Experience communicating technical and policy issues with varied levels of staff, elected officials, consultants, community groups, landowners, and the public.
• Exceptional customer service skills: Ability to deal tactfully, patiently, and courteously with diverse individuals (sometimes with opposing perspectives), including government officials, the public, community groups, and organizational colleagues.

Competencies You Bring:

• Builds Effective Teams: Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspective to achieve common goals.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Decision Quality: Makes good decisions based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Political Savvy: Can maneuver through political situations calmly. Anticipates challenges and plans approach accordingly.

Required Licenses:
Valid Driver's License or ability to get to project sites across the county.

It Would Be Great If You Also Bring:

• Advanced degree in Regional/Urban Planning, Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources Management, Forestry, Public Administration or a related discipline.
• Strong conflict resolution, negotiation, and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to align natural resource project portfolios with broader strategic objectives (e.g., public health, equity, economic growth, etc.).

Working Conditions:

• Onsite Work Details: Employees in this role work remotely from a home location, with onsite reporting requirements typically 2 times a week. The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Onsite reporting locations may be at various King County worksites and project locations across the county, including the collaboration space at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). This work arrangement promotes work-life-balance and reduces carbon footprint under the department's vision of Green Where We Work .
• Work Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington State and be within a reasonable distance to King County worksites to meet onsite reporting requirements.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is not represented by a union.
• Physical Requirement: The position requires frequent site visits to project locations county-wide that that may include forest areas with thick trees, bushes, and vegetation. This may necessitate the ability to traverse rough terrain covered with slash and brush, which generally include unlevel surfaces. These work areas expose the selected individual to varying weather and environmental conditions such as heat, rain, snow, mud, dust, wind and construction sites in various stages of completion. Work involves walking moderate distances on even and uneven surfaces in the field year-round.

Supplemental Information

Application and Selection Process:
We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives, and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.
Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness, and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.

To apply, submit a:
Completed Application (Please fill out your application as fully as possible. We cannot accept attached resumes or "see resume" in lieu of the application section.)
Resume
Cover Letter highlighting how your skills and background uniquely qualify you for this role.
Answers to Supplemental Questions in the application

Incomplete applications or applications without the above required attachments may not be considered.
For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Divya Mathew at dmathew@kingcounty.gov

Discover More About King County Parks:
King County Parks is dedicated to stewarding, enhancing, and acquiring parks to inspire healthy communities. With over 205 parks, 175+ miles of regional trails, and 250+ miles of backcountry trails, we strive to provide park amenities that can be enjoyed by King County residents today and for generations to come. We value collaborative partnerships with community organizations and work towards the common goal of creating a vibrant and inclusive park system. Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/parks .
And check us out on the socials at Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and Vimeo .

Discover More About DNRP:
Visit our website , explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments, and check us out at Facebook , X (formerly Twitter) , LinkedIn , TikTok , Instagram , YouTube , and Keeping King County Green News .

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North" , we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12paid holidays each year plus twopersonal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental,family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page .

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position.Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.