This is a permanent full time position with the duty station located in Olympia, Washington at the Olympic National Forest Supervisor’s Office.  The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to inform prospective applicants of this upcoming opportunity and to determine interest in the position.

The Position:  This position reports to the Regional Forester and is responsible for the management, protection, and development of the forest resources.

Participates with the Regional Forester and staff, as a member of the Regional Leadership Team, in the development of forest resources policies and programs of Regional scope including staffing, budget, priorities of work, land allocation, and internal and external issues.

Responsible for program development, planning, budgeting and management information for identifying work force and organizational needs, target levels, full time equivalents, and forest priorities.  Selects and implements preferred management actions based upon the Forest’s land management planning activities.

Meets with members of Congress, State and local representatives, concerned citizens, and industrial and public interest groups to gain input into Forest’s planning.  Makes decisions concerning management of the Forest based upon expressed public concerns and inputs.  Resolves conflict for a broad scope of issues with a diverse set of stakeholders.

Leads the Forest’s management team in setting coordinated program goals.  Supervises the District Rangers and other unit managers.

The Forest:   The Olympic National Forest covers over 632,000 acres on the Olympic Peninsula.  The Forest is divided into two Ranger Districts with the Pacific Ranger District office located in

Forks, Washington and covering the land on the west side of the Peninsula.  The Hood Canal District Ranger District is located on the east side of the Peninsula, along Hood Canal, with the District Office in Quilcene, Washington.

 

The Olympic National Forest is synonymous with the Olympic Peninsula.  The Peninsula is a separate and unique geophysical providence surrounded on three sides by saltwater.  U.S. Highway 101 is the main travel route paralleling the Pacific Coast on the west, Strait of Juan de Fuca on the north, and inland waters of Puget Sound on the east.  This 6,500 square mile area is an association of complex, winding ridges, rugged and precipitous mountains, deep canyons, and tree covered slopes.

 

The Olympic Peninsula has an incredible variety of environments within short distances.  Within less than 50 miles between Mt. Olympus and the Pacific Ocean, the vegetation changes from the lush, temperate rain forests of the Hoh, Queets and Quinault Valleys to an arctic environment of lichens and mosses above 7,000 feet.  Heaviest precipitation occurs in the fall, reaching a peak in December and then decreasing in spring.  Winter snowfall on the Peninsula ranges from 10 inches in the lower valleys to greater than 250 inches in the higher mountains.  Summers are relatively dry, with warmer temperatures averaging near 70 degrees.

 

A multitude of recreational opportunities exist year-round on the Olympic National Forest.  Auto touring, camping, picnicking and backpacking are popular spring and summer activities.  Fishing, hunting, hiking, berry picking and Christmas tree cutting are enjoyed during the fall and winter months.

 

Check out the Olympic National Forest web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic for more information on the Forest.

 

Community Information:  The city of Olympia is the State capitol of the State of Washington. Olympia is a full service community with major medical facilities, shopping malls, numerous stores, multiple churches, and is about an hour drive of south Seattle.  For more information on the community, check out the official city website at www.ci.olympia.wa.us  Salary for Olympia is based on locality pay for Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA. Check out the OPM website http://www.opm.gov/flsa/oca/09tables/html/sea.asp

 

The state of Washington has a 6.5% sales tax and county/city sales tax of about 2%, but no income tax.  The vacancy announcement for this position will be posted at the US Government’s official site for jobs and employment information: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov

How to apply:  Interested applicants should complete the attached form and return to Chief of Staff to the Regional Forester, Lisa Freedman at lfreedman@fs.fed.us

by June 1. For further information on the position, contact Lisa Freedman at lfreedman@fs.fed.us or by phone at 503.808.2271.  Interested applicants should look for the Vacancy Announcement listed at USAJobs http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/. The deadline for applying is June 15.