Washington Resource Conservation and Development Council
Fire Project Coordinator
Yakima, WA

The Washington Resource Conservation and Development Council (WRC&D) is dedicated to promoting sustainable, rural communities throughout the State of Washington.   We are a leadingnongovernmental organization that provides coordination and facilitation of processes that lead to greater resilience of rural communities, economies, and ecosystems.

In Washington State, fire plays a significant role in the ecosystem processes of various landscapes.  At the same time, communities can be affected by fire in many different ways.  The WRC&D leads, coordinates, and supports several projects in support of Fire Adapted Communities and resilient ecosystems including the Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (WA FAC LN) and the Washington Prescribed Fire Council (WPFC).  Recently, the WRC&D was asked to provide coordination and capacity building in support of two related projects:

  • Supporting the implementation of prescribed fire projects and lessons learned and
  • Development of a learning network focused on burned areas and fire recovery

The WRC&D is looking for a candidate that understands the collaborative work environment, can work with diverse groups of people from any background and coordinate projects so they efficiently move forward.  The Fire Project Coordinator will support the mission of the Washington Resource Conservation and Development Council under the supervision of the Executive Director and will work with the Fire, Landscape, and Communities Coordinator to meet tasks identified by state legislation, state grant agreements and funding agreements from other non-governmental organizations.

The position will, with support from the WRC&D team, coordinate communication between multiple groups and individuals throughout the State of Washington.  A successful candidate for the position will have the ability to coordinate implementation of the overall project, coordinate sub-awards to multiple partners, coordinate outreach efforts being conducted across three different forest collaboratives, and will record and report on lessons learned to improve the use of prescribed fire.

The position will also assist in development of a learning network related to post-fire recovery practices and “pre-fire planning for post-fire response”.

Job Duties
Forest Resiliency Burning Project Coordination

  • Work with WPFC Coordinator to insure completion of prescribed fire projects
  • Coordination of fuels, air quality, and outreach and communication monitoring for any prescribed fire projects through the Prescribed Fire Council
  • Coordinate and implement Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative outreach project for upcoming prescribed fire projects
  • Support and conduct communication and outreach related to forest resiliency burning regionally and statewide
  • Support, monitoring, and reporting on outreach and communication strategies utilized across prescribed fire projects, including within the forest collaboratives, communities, and statewide,
  • Coordinate compilation of smoke inquiry and complaint tracking in conjunction with collaboratives,
  • Compile and finalize prescribed fire report

Support Burned Area Learning Capacity Development – WA FAC LN 

  • Provide logistical and operations support for the Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network, especially related to support for Burned Area Learning capacity development
  • Assist with scheduling, communication, documentation and reporting related to pre-fire planning for after-the-fire recovery.
  • Coordinate completion of deliverables for WRC&D, track progress of deliverables schedule related to WRC& D grant agreements with various governmental and non-governmental organizations
  • Communicate between burned area learning activities with WA FAC LN, Fire Learning Network, National Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network and other networks.

Requirements:

  • College degree or equivalent work experience coordinating projects related to natural resource recovery, sustainability, prescribed fire and/or wildfires.
  • Experience coordinating groups of people from diverse backgrounds.
  • Experience working with website updates, social media (such as Facebook and Twitter), and experience communicating with online formats or through email.
  • Proven ability to work independently, self-initiate duties and prioritize tasks
  • Experienced and practiced communication skills including experience with speaking, writing, note taking, and reporting.
  • Ability to work with public and staff from partner organizations
  • Ability and experience using common office software (Microsoft Office) required
  • Valid State Driver’s License

Desired qualifications:

  • Experience running/facilitating meetings as part of a strategic initiative with attendees from diverse backgrounds ,
  • Experience with concepts of small business and rural economic sustainability,
  • Experience and familiarity with Washington’s Rural communities and natural resource issues,
  • Experience working with diverse community members including people whose primary language is not English,
  • Experience working with the concepts of sustainability, community resilience, environmental justice challenges and,
  • Experience working with Forest Collaborative group, air quality initiatives, prescribed burning, or other fire related work.
  • Grant writing/reporting

The position is currently scheduled at 32 hours per week.
Compensation is comparable with similar non-profit jobs and includes sick leave, vacation, and holiday pay. This position is a project position with funding through June 30, 2017 and may be extended if additional funding is made available. The current prescribed fire projects are time-sensitive so it is important that a successful candidate is available to start work as soon as possible. Additional time and duties may be added as funding is developed for coordination of related initiatives.

To Apply:

Submit a cover letter, resume and three professional reference to jobs@scwrcd.org

Deadline for application is July 27, 2016

http://scwrcd.org/employment.html