Think Beyond The Label Jobs

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's mission is to help ensure that Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations. The DNRC believes employees are their most important asset. The DNRC empowers employees to exercise professional judgment in carrying out their duties. Employees are provided with the training and tools necessary to achieve the mission. Both team effort and individual employee expertise are supported and sustained. Core Values: The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Forestry and Trust Land Division recognizes that building a collaborative, professional, and inclusive work environment is critical to fulfilling our mission of managing, protecting, and promoting stewardship of Montana’s forests and lands for the benefit of current and future generations and our trust beneficiaries. We hold ourselves to these high standards as we are accountable to the people of Montana. * We value and respect each other. * We create collaborative work environments. * We build and maintain strong relationships. * We practice accountability. * We celebrate our successes and take pride in our work. Work Unit Overview: The DNRC’s Forestry Division’s mission is to maintain and improve the health of Montana’s forests, watersheds and the communities that depend on them while providing resources, leadership and coordination to Montana’s wildfire services and landowners. The Forestry Division is responsible for planning and implementing forestry and fire protection programs through an extensive network of staff located in field offices across the state. The Forestry Division is divided into the following three programs: fire protection, forestry assistance, and good neighbor authority, all of which are administratively supported by the Forestry Division Office. The Good Neighbor Authority Bureau (GNA Bureau) oversees the development and implementation of the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) Program for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). The purpose of the GNA Program is to increase the pace and scale of forest management and restoration on federal forest lands by adding capacity to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as authorized by GNA per the 2014 Farm Bill. The Bureau provides to the Areas and Units: program oversight, strategic development and direction; policy interpretation and guidance; training; technical and fiscal support; and operations support as needed. The Bureau also serves as the principal contact with the statewide and regional offices of the BLM and USFS for purposes of statewide strategic development, policy interpretation and guidance, and training development for interagency personnel engaged with GNA. Job Overview: * The GNA Environmental Planning Specialist 1 supports the Environmental Planning Specialist 2 and GNA Bureau staff in the development and management of the statewide program to increase the quantity and quality of completed National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) analysis on federal lands located within Montana. The position is responsible for providing administrative and technical support to GNA program staff working on NEPA projects and assisting in the implementation of NEPA cleared projects. Under supervision of the GNA Environmental Planning Specialist 2, the position will have project management responsibilities and may serve as integrated interdisciplinary member on NEPA planning teams. The position will be responsible for administering contracted NEPA analysis work performed by third party contractors. The position will serve as support or in a project manager role on multiple concurrent projects. The position will frequently interact with federal partners on a regular basis and will promote planning processes that best accomplish the Montana DNRC mission. NEPA’s complexity requires specialized knowledge including comprehensive and current knowledge of NEPA legal and policy developments, local environmental concerns, procedural protections, public participation, cumulative impacts assessment, alternatives analysis, public participation methods, and Forestry Division policies, rules, laws, business systems and processes. Required skills include researching, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating complex information. This position is integral to the GNA’s success in ensuring compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and rules. The ability to manage multiple workflows simultaneously, switch focus quickly and continually re-prioritize tasks is critical. The position reports to the GNA Environmental Planning Specialist. *Essential Functions (Major Duties or Responsibilities): /These job functions are the essential duties of the position and are not all-inclusive of all the duties that may be assigned to the incumbent./ A. NEPA Project Support / Management (60% of time) Support and Manage NEPA projects and complete environmental analyses to facilitate the active management and restoration of federal lands in Montana. Provide NEPA based support and guidance to GNA program staff, allowing for a balance of statewide program consistency and the appropriate amount of local flexibility. 1. Assist in the development of NEPA project goals, timelines, and processes to ensure NEPA analysis is completed in time to support project implementation deadlines. 2. Analyze NEPA project files by collecting and reviewing files to understand and/or apply relevant interpretations, actions and impacts to GNA projects. 3. Support the oversight of NEPA contractors by providing guidance, managing project timelines, reviewing contact deliverables for quality and thoroughness, coordinating with federal project partners, conducting site visits, and performing effective inquiry to ensure compliance with NEPA requirements. 4. Assist in the development and review of NEPA reports, document findings, adhere to reporting requirements, gather data from contractors, evaluate content submissions from other team members (e.g., soils and wildlife biology) and ensure all information is presented in a compliant manner. 5. Provide technical expertise to support the implementation of NEPA, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other environmental planning rules and regulations. 6. Support communications between DNRC, USFS, BLM and the public on emerging issues and complex concerns and resolve complex issues in a collaborative manner. 7. Perform compliance field work and document review to ensure that contractors are meeting contract specifications and to evaluate the compliance of contractor technical reports. 8. Work with DNRC legal staff, federal NEPA practitioners and other subject matter experts to ensure NEPA and ESA consultation documents and procedures meet all legal requirements. B. Program Administration (25% of time) 1. Support and strengthen implementation of processes and procedures by assisting in the generation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and templates for recurring NEPA work items. 2. Assist in the maintenance of NEPA accomplishments spreadsheets and other reporting mechanisms. 3. Support the management of assigned project budgets, labor estimates and materials costs. 4. Utilize GIS data in preparing reports and other work items to demonstrate program scope and impact. 5. Support and expand contact list of vendors or contractors, establish standard qualifications of external entities by project type and maintain relationships with potential partners to keep them informed of upcoming project needs and requests. 6. Support and expand existing and historic project costs to create and maintain a database for developing project cost projections. 7. Coordinate with Contract Specialist or independently develop procurements and secure contracts. C. Support to Program Development (10% of time) The Environmental Planning Specialist 1 is responsible for supporting the development and implementation of approaches and strategies intended to advance the program. 1. Support the Environmental Planning Specialist and GNA NEPA Program Goals and Objectives by evaluating project workload and progress, assisting in identification of constraints and program needs, and research of federal regulations and the practices of other states to develop program recommendations. 2. Support the GNA Program and Forestry Division in issues pertaining to NEPA and Endangered Species Act (ESA) through evaluation and tracking of NEPA and ESA laws, federal handbooks and guidelines, and assist in identification of efficient avenues for completing projects, providing feedback on approaches (E.g., use of particular categorical exclusion or analytical approach), consult with other subject matter experts, and collaboratively support State and federal practitioners. 3. Assist in developing and reviewing comments and recommendations for federal NEPA policy as needed by evaluating rule revisions and providing input on how the rule will impact resources and operations in Montana. Benefits: * Health Insurance * Retirement * Paid Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays * Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF.  Application Materials Required for this Position Are: * State of Montana Application * Resume * Cover Letter Special Information: Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. A valid driver's license is required with less than 12 conviction points in the most recent completed 36 months. Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience): The required knowledge, skills, and abilities are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management, Environmental Science or a related field, and Two years’ experience including field work, Environmental Planning and Analysis (NEPA, MEPA or similar) contract administration, or compliance. Alternate combinations of education and experience that have resulted in the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may also be considered (e.g., a high school diploma and 4 years directly related experience). Required knowledge, skills, and abilities: * The position requires knowledge of the principles and practices within the National Environmental Protection Act, commercial and non-commercial forest treatment, and implementing service contracts. The position requires skill in researching, interpreting, and analyzing complex legal/statutory information, the ability to provide clear and concise explanations of issues and procedures to a variety of audiences. The ability to support in the contracting process, including assisting in solicitation generation, working with procurement experts, and contract administration are required. The incumbent must be able to determine how fieldwork and environmental analysis relates to contractual obligations and must possess the ability to evaluate the work of others. Required computer skills include operation of personal computers and program data applications and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite as well as a working understanding of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Requires experience in independently or collaboratively preparing reports and making recommendations, providing technical assistance to clients, or interacting with public groups; interpreting and applying state and federal laws, rules and regulations related to natural resource management activities and writing technical reports. The position requires the ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing to individuals, groups and representatives from other organizations; the ability to coordinate and direct multiple resources to complete work objectives, work on multiple projects simultaneously; work well with others and maintain a positive working environment. Title: *Program Specialist 1 - GNA Environmental Planning Specialist Location: Missoula Requisition ID: 24141348