North Central Natural Resource Conservation Services Conservation Planner, Environmental Planner 3 (EP3)
Full-time, Project, Represented position (WFSE)
Anticipated Project is November 2025 - August 2027
Location: Omak, WA
Work Hours and Partial Telework flexibility may be available and considered
Relocation Compensation may be available and considered
Salary: $5,666.00 - $7,622.00 Monthly

Review of applications is ongoing. We reserve the right to make a hiring decision or close this recruitment at any time after 9/10/25. It is in your best interest to submit materials as soon as possible.

Want to join something GREAT and make a difference?
This is one of three similar project positions with locations in Olympia, Colville, and Omak. You must apply separately to each location.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has an exciting opportunity within our Forest Resilience Division as an NRCS Conservation Planner in Omak. Are you someone who loves the outdoors and is passionate about restoring the ecology of our forest ecosystems and helping small private forest landowners in Washington State? If you value delivering conservation on private lands, working to remove barriers to connect private forest landowners to critical financial resources, or supporting a program with diverse natural resource professionals, then this is the job for you! The DNR Forest Resilience Division is seeking a motivated individual to expand technical and financial support for non-industrial small forest landowners by working as a Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Planner. 

The Service Forestry Program is an integral part of the DNR team through the direct delivery of technical assistance and educational services supporting proactive management of Washington’s small private forest lands. The program provides land management advice to landowners and helps to assess resource conditions and forest health, identify potential problems and opportunities, determine financial assistance eligibility, assist with treatment implementation, and recommend management practices to help achieve objectives. The program educates landowners and assists with the development and implementation of management plans to guide current and future management actions.

NRCS is the United States Department of Agriculture's primary land conservation agency. Their purpose is to work voluntarily with landowners across the nation to find solutions to their conservation needs and business goals. While NRCS is a federal program, it is administered at the local level and has several Service Centers throughout Washington State. 

The NRCS Conservation Planner’s role within the Service Forestry Program is to establish and expand environmental planning tools by bringing NRCS technical and financial assistance into an integrated program that serves non-industrial small forest landowners in Washington. The Conservation Planner reports to DNR’s Service Forestry Planner and coordinates with the NRCS District Conservationist and other technical staff to provide landowners with conservation plans and enroll them in financial assistance programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Although the focus is on small forest landowners, this position serves as the subject matter expert for all NRCS programs, providing education and information to DNR staff as well as external partners within the assigned work area.

The Conservation Planner specializes in providing technical environmental planning assistance specific to forest management, including watershed protection, insect and disease control, forest recreation, tree planting, wildlife habitat development, and fuels reduction or mitigation.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor of Science in natural resource planning, environmental planning, forestry, forestry education, biology, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or closely related field AND a minimum of three years of professional, operational, field experience in forest management in the Pacific Northwest;
  OR an equivalent combination of education plus experience.
• Experience in typical silvicultural and forest management practices in the Pacific Northwest, including forest road design and construction, timber management planning, silviculture techniques, reforestation methods, and timber harvest boundaries.
• Experience using forestry tools such as measuring and hand tools.
• Experience responding to and interacting in a positive, responsive, cooperative, and collaborative manner while interacting with the public and other professionals (both inter-organizational and interdisciplinary).
• Proficient with computers and Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint.
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including ArcGIS Pro, Survey 123, Field Maps, and other mapping tools to document work and convey information to non-technical audiences.
• Experience with and motivated to achieve program-specific desired outcomes while managing competing deadlines and priorities.
• Uses interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to develop relationships rooted in acceptance, cooperation, and mutual regard with the public, external partners, and other governmental agencies.
• Accustomed to identifying or creating need-specific organizational systems and implementing them to track program-specific components and competing deadlines.
• Commitment to fostering and supporting an environment that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice practices.