Position DescriptionSeattle Public Utilities (SPU) has an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to manage the Cedar River Watershed Public and Cultural Programs Section of the Watershed Management Division.

The successful candidate will lead and manage a team of six (6) regular staff, temporary employees, and volunteers who conduct public education programs and facility operations at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, which provides opportunities for 30,000 visitors a year to learn about the complex issues surrounding the region’s drinking water and watershed resources. The successful candidate will manage the cultural resource program in the Cedar and Tolt Watersheds and lead coordination of recreation programs on the periphery of the municipal watersheds, working with diverse stakeholder groups in these program areas.

Our City Values (Download PDF reader)

The City of Seattle is committed to creating a workplace where every employee is valued for who they are and can do their best work. As City employees, we commit to the citywide values of equity, inclusion, learning, accountability, and stewardship so that we can each thrive in the workplace. Our values shape how we create and maintain a work environment that is based on care, consideration, and respect so we can best serve our communities and support one another as colleagues.

About Seattle Public Utilities:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) provides essential utility services to a rapidly growing and increasingly complex city and region. With more people living in Seattle than ever before, we face a range of new challenges, requirements, and responsibilities. This is an exciting time for us, as we embrace the challenge of balancing environmental enhancement, service excellence, and compliance with affordability. We are exploring and sharing approaches to meeting new and future demands.

SPU strives to be a Community Centered Utility working to make Seattle the best place to live for everyone. We deliver high quality, vital services, across four lines of business: providing water, solid waste, drainage and wastewater services for Seattle residents and businesses. We also provide drinking water for 1.5 million regional customers in Seattle and the other municipalities. Our customers depend on us to deliver high quality, reliable utility services and to provide value for dollar. With that goal in mind, we pursue everything we do with the following core areas of focus:

• Achieve Excellence in Core Service Delivery
• Increase Affordability and Accountability
• Improve Investment Value
• Enhance Public Health and Environment
• Ensure Equity and Inclusion
• Expand our Impact through Strong Partnerships.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage the Watershed Education Program which provides educational programs for schoolchildren, families, and the general public.
• Manage the Cultural Resource Program that provides stewardship of the Tolt and Cedar River Watershed’s archeological and historical sites and collected material.
• Lead implementation of the Cedar River Watershed Cultural Resource Management Plan to comply with federal and state requirements while assuring SPU’s ability to operate the water system for high-quality drinking water supply.
• Manage the Public Recreation Program that provides recreational opportunities at Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area, Landsburg Park, and other Limited Use Areas on the periphery of the municipal watersheds.
• Support management of the Cedar and South Fork Tolt Municipal Watersheds by representing the Public and Cultural Programs Section at leadership forums and participating in the Watershed Management Division’s Leadership Team. Assist in crafting and reviewing policy, staying apprised of current operations and matters that affect management.
• Perform as a member of the Incident Command System’s (ICS) Command Staff.
• Deliver policy-level information on education, cultural resources and recreation to City Council, to the General Manager of Seattle Public Utilities, and to the Leadership Teams of the Water Line of Business and the Watershed Management Division.
• Provide technical expertise on cultural resource management, including guidance on the relevance and potential impact of federal and state law to watershed management activities, such as ground-disturbing operations, archeological excavation permits, consultation with and notification to regulatory agencies and tribes, and curatorial stewardship of cultural resource collections.
• Develop and manage the biennial O&M budget for the Public/Cultural Programs Section and the Capital budgets for specific projects.
• Supervise six (6) regular staff and oversee recruitment and supervision of temporary staff and volunteers at the Education Center.
• Develop the Section’s annual work plan, assigning lead responsibility for specific work tasks, monitoring and reviewing work products, and providing employee feedback and performance reviews.
• Represent SPU and Water Line of Business in matters related to education about Seattle’s water system history, operations and watershed management, cultural resource management and recreation in the vicinity of the municipal watersheds.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.QualificationsExperience: Five (5) years experience of program management in relevant areas of environmental education, education on natural resource stewardship challenges, cultural resource management, interpretation of natural and cultural heritage and/or recreation management, including two (2) years of supervisory or lead experience.

Education: A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in education, cultural resource management, archeology, public policy, communications or a related field.

Education and Experience Equivalency: Combinations of appropriate education, training, certification and experience will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability to the minimum education and experience requirements.

The ideal candidate has:

• Five (5) years of experience in recreation management.
• Three (3) years of facility management experience.
• Strong experience working with diverse teams in a leadership capacity.
• High level empathy and ability to use historical information to assess future needs.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Additional InformationOffers of employment are contingent on a review of criminal history, along with verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process.

Work Environment: This position offers a unique environment with time spent indoor and outdoor in locations primarily at the Watershed Headquarters and Cedar River Watershed Education Center at Cedar Falls, near North Bend, Washington.

At Seattle Public Utilities, our job is to protect the area’s quality of life. We pledge to meet community and environmental needs by:

• Maintaining some of the nation’s best drinking water
• Preventing sewer backups, flooding, and landslides
• Helping Seattle residents and businesses be recycling leaders
• Protecting local waterways and the Sound from sewage overflows and polluted stormwater runoff.

We do this while always keeping in mind that we need to spend customers’ money wisely.

We are also making sure that as Seattle grows, it’s even better for future generations. A place where:

• Less garbage is shipped to the landfill
• The drinking water is protected
• Utility infrastructure is well-built and maintained
• And where salmon thrive in healthy waterways.

Seattle is known as a progressive leader in technology, innovation, and the environment.

As an employer, the City of Seattle is a leading local government in environmental stewardship, green building and social justice, making our City what it is today and shaping our future. Our employees play an important role in making this possible.