PUBLIC LANDS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR – Position #K0230299

This unclassified position is directly supervised by Ryan Stucky, Public Lands Division Director. The primary duty station is negotiable depending on the successful candidate and office availability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serves as the Assistant to the Public Lands Director.
• Assists with: administering, directing, organizing, planning, and maintaining Public Lands programs that directly impact over 450,000 acres of public lands and waters in the state of Kansas and over 4.5 million visitors that recreate on wildlife areas and state fishing lakes annually.
• Assists in developing, evaluating, and revising an effective operational plan consistent with the department mission, division mission, priorities, directives, and guidelines for statewide public lands management.
• Coordinates the implementation of statewide public lands management, programs, regulations, special permitting, and public relations.
• Maintains communication and coordinates division activities with other divisions and sections within the department.
• Coordinates statewide activities with other program specialists, regional supervisors, division directors, and Department Deputy Secretary and Secretary.
• Prepares and presents reports regarding division operations to other state and federal agencies, division directors, department Deputy Secretary and Secretary, the Governor, and legislators.
• Develops and recommends policies, rules, regulations, and statutes necessary to accomplish the Departments mission and goals concerning the wildlife and fisheries resources of Kansas.
• Supervises the public lands Regional Supervisors located throughout the state as well as statewide coordinators.
• Maintains direct line oversight of, through an established chain-of-command system, law enforcement certified and non-certified public lands staff.
• Coordinates program delivery, conveys policies and directives, establishes program specific and division-wide goals, and assists to resolve issues within the division.
• Conducts field reviews of personnel and operations and ensures that division operations are conducted in accordance with department policies, priorities, and standards of the profession.
• Recruits and trains, develops job standards, and evaluates staff consistent with personnel policies, rules, and regulations.
• Assists with planning, budgets, purchasing, contracts, and other business matters of the division.
• Monitors fiscal functions of the division, including federal aid, to ensure all appropriate rules, directives, policies and guidelines are followed.
• Ensures implementation of budgets in accordance with legislative appropriations, internal guidelines, directives, and other governing factors.
• Assists in statewide division programs and coordination including but not limited to: federal aid grants; agricultural guidelines, procedures, and audits; oil and gas leases; annual division reporting; health and safety compliance; and prescribed burning guidelines, procedures, and compliance.
• Initiates and maintains regular contact with internal and external constituencies, including federal and state agencies, private and public organizations, and individuals.
• Coordinates statewide activities with regional supervisors, other division directors, department Deputy Secretary, and Secretary.
• Prepares and presents reports regarding division operations to other state and federal agencies, department Deputy Secretary and Secretary, the commission, governor and legislators as required.

Post Offer conditions:

• If an applicant is not currently law enforcement certified, our agency will send the successful applicant to the required training as listed below. Applicants do not have to be law enforcement certified to apply. 
• Upon notice of conditional offer of employment, successful candidate will be screened, tested, and assessed for admission into the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.

Benefits:

• Salary: Beginning annual salary $89,000 - $93,000
• Health and Insurance: Immediate group health, dental and vision coverage and life insurance coverage.
• Retirement and Options: Kansas Police and Fire Retirement plan and optional deferred compensation.
• Paid Leave: Holidays, sick leave, vacation leave, and parental leave.

Minimum Requirements:

• Five years of experience in a field of environmental sciences/agricultural sciences or natural sciences/resources.
• Must possess & maintain a valid driver’s license and the ability to pass a background check required.

Additional Qualifications/Skills/Abilities:

• Must have a mix of expertise in ecology, wildlife management, agriculture or related fields.
• Must have highly effective communication skills and be able to work in an interdisciplinary environment and with resource managers in meetings and workshops.
• Minimum of five years of supervisory experience is preferred.
• Experience with program administration, budget development and staff management preferred.

Necessary Special Requirements:

• The employee is required to be certified as a law enforcement officer by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Commission. Certification must be obtained before the employee is given permanent status. The employee must complete a basic law enforcement training program recognized by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Commission and annual training as required by K.S.A. 74-5607a.
• The position requires the use of a firearm for law enforcement duties; therefore, to be eligible for appointment to a position, candidates cannot have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor domestic violence crime as set forth in 18 U.S.C.§ 992 (g) (8) and (9).To be eligible for certification in the state of Kansas, one must also be free of any diversions from a felony or misdemeanor domestic violence crime as set forth by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Act.
• Candidates for these positions must have the following: be a U.S. citizen; be 21 years of age at the time of appointment; free of conviction of any crime punishable by imprisonment in a federal penitentiary or a state prison; and be required to pass a physical exam administered by the hiring agency.
• This position requires that at the time of appointment the selected candidate must take and pass a drug screening test approved by the Division of Personnel Services.
• Because this position requires the employee to be certified as a Law Enforcement Officer by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Commission, certain past and present personal behaviors can impact employee eligibility.