Job Summary

The purpose of this position is to coordinate and manage peatland restoration projects under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, which involves two major elements: 

• Restoration projects on Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) managed lands: Completing peatland restoration project(s) and designing monitoring protocol(s) to determine the net effect on carbon storage (including greenhouse gas fluxes) and mercury export in peatlands to quantify climate change mitigation and ecosystem benefits.
• Administering a program for peatland related initiatives Tribal nation lands: Working with interested Tribal nations to distribute funds for peatland restoration and related initiatives based on Tribal nation priorities.

This position will involve several responsibilities, including:

• Convening a team of DNR staff and leaders who will contribute to the project’s success. This will include representative land administrators, fiscal support staff, communications support staff, GIS support staff, and decision makers.
• Overseeing fiscal tasks including grant budget oversight, contract development with external partners/organizations, purchasing of equipment and services, etc. These tasks will be supported in part by fiscal support staff at the DNR. All contracting and purchasing will be in alignment with goals and requirements of the CPRG grant.
• Project managing and coordinating all aspects of implementing this CPRG project.
• Project managing restoration project(s) on DNR lands, including coordinating a project team, contributing towards data collection/inventory/analysis, coordinating restoration design(s), implementing a contract(s) to complete the restoration work, developing monitoring protocol(s), and providing decision-making support to DNR leadership.
• Distributing CPRG funds to Tribal Nations interested in peatland restoration and related work. This includes developing appropriate fund distribution programming, ensuring grant requirements are met, and providing technical expertise to interested Tribal Nations to aide in developing project scopes.

This position may be eligible to telework on a part-time basis which is subject to change. If approved, the employee would be required to complete an annual telework agreement. This position has a negotiable reports-to-work location to be determined at the time of hire. The selected candidate will have the option to report to one of the DNR’s regional offices in St Paul, Grand Rapids, or Bemidji.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in ecology, botany, natural resources management, hydrology, soil science, or closely related field.
• Three years of professional experience in managing natural resource related projects where at least two of those years was in wetland/peatland ecology, wetland/peatland restoration, wetland/peatland hydrology, or similar field.
• Experience implementing facilitation, conflict resolution, and collaborative decision-making strategies.
• Knowledge of peatland restoration techniques and methods.
• Knowledge of peatland hydrology, peatland geology, wetland hydrology, peatland ecology, soil science, peatland plant and animal taxonomy, or similar fields of study.
• Excellent writing and communication skills sufficient to translate scientific findings and technical information for a variety of audiences.
• Well-developed human relations skills, including listening, facilitation, and conflict resolution/negotiation skills.
• Budgeting, purchasing, and financial oversight skills.
• Ability to maintain good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent project management and team coordination skills. 
• Proficiency in personal computers, particularly in using word processing, spreadsheets, database, and mapping software.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five years of professional experience in managing natural resource related projects.
• An advanced degree in ecology, botany, natural resources management, hydrology, soil science, or closely related field.
• Experience leading a wetland, prairie, or peatland restoration or research project.
• Experience working with various types of landowners, administrators, and stakeholders (such as private, non-governmental organizations, tribal governments, local governments, etc.).
• Experience with partnering and/or coordinating with Tribal Nations.
• Experience working respectfully and effectively with others from different backgrounds and cultures.
• Experience in fiscal oversight, contract development, and reporting.
• Certification or training in project management.
• A working knowledge of statistical analysis.