Job Announcement: 
Luckiamute Watershed Council
Coordinator

Summary 
The Luckiamute Watershed Council (LWC), an active and successful non-governmental organization in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, seeks qualified applicants for the position of Council Coordinator.

Overview
This employee position will manage the administration of the LWC, ensuring that the LWC is meeting the needs of all of our stakeholders, fulfilling the obligations of our existing grants, securing additional funding for new projects, conducting outreach, and performing the necessary groundwork to grow as a watershed council.  

The Coordinator will report to LWC Board officers and the Board.  The Coordinator will also work closely with the Project Manager, other LWC contractors, and various partner organizations to promote the LWC’s mission.

Luckiamute Watershed Council 
 The LWC is a volunteer, non-governmental advisory group composed of people living and/or working in the Luckiamute River and Ash Creek watersheds. The LWC covers 13 sub-watersheds, including the 48-square mile Ash Creek watershed and several small sloughs that drain into the Willamette River. Mainly agricultural, with forested areas in the uplands, the watershed has four urban areas (Dallas, Independence, Monmouth and Falls City) and a population of approximately 60,000 people.

In the time since its founding in 2001, the LWC has completed a broad range of watershed projects involving education, fish population assessment, fish passage barrier removal, riparian planting, and in-stream habitat enhancement. With its current funding, the LWC is focused on working with willing landowners to restore the Upper Luckiamute or Model Watershed area (Pedee, Kings Valley, and Hoskins) and with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to enhance the Luckiamute State Natural Area (LSNA). The LWC also encourages and seeks grants for restoration work in the rest of the watershed.

The LWC is governed by its Council Board members, with all decisions made by consensus minus one. Operations are conducted by the Coordinator employee and independent contractors. The LWC has implemented many restoration projects, and is widely known for its assessment and monitoring efforts and its publications. The LWC’s restoration efforts are supported through grants from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Meyer Memorial Trust, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and other private and public funds. Additional information on the Council’s charter and activities can be found on the website: www.luckiamutelwc.org

Coordinator Tasks Include:

Council Administration

•  Participate in monthly Steering Committee and LWC Board meetings, and prepare Board meeting packets
• Serve as a primary contact for the LWC; respond to landowners, volunteers and organizations interested in the LWC and collaborative projects.
  
• Maintain accurate financial and organizational records and carry out other general office administration (e.g., filing, bill payments, ordering supplies)
  

Council Management

• Assist the Council with developing a biennial work plan
• Produce funder required grant reports
• Write periodic reports of LWC activities
• Provide fiscal oversight of grants 
• Participate in grant-required meetings
• Plan and facilitate the annual LWC Board retreat
• Actively seek to sustain and develop partnerships and coalitions with local community groups, universities and other regional organizations, and other watershed councils
  

Grant Writing & Fundraising

• Identify new sources of grant funding 
• Develop successful grant proposals to fund projects that further the LWC’s objectives.
• Develop and manage other fundraising opportunities
  

General Communications

•  Oversee the improvement and maintenance of the LWC’s website
• Create and distribute a quarterly newsletter of LWC activities


• Support and participate in the planning and implementation of collaborative meetings, tours, and lectures
  

Volunteer recruitment

• Recruit attendees to LWC Board meetings
• Recruit volunteers from inside and outside of the LWC Board to participate in coordinating special projects, such as tours, tabling events, and lectures. 
  

Event planning and implementation

• Plan and implement public tours, tabling events, Adopt-a-Road Clean-up events, and lectures in our focus areas (LSNA and Model Watershed).
  

Communications about outreach events

• Prepare outreach and media information before and after outreach events, including photos and summaries of outcomes
  

Landowner Recruitment and Connections

• Project Manager with obtaining landowner agreements and maintaining effective communications with project area residents
• Assist the LSNA Adopt-a-Park Group
  

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Experience developing watershed assessments and watershed management plans
• Experience writing successful grant proposals and managing grant funds and deliverables
•  Experience developing and managing multiple projects, including multi-organizational projects, and delivering products and results in a timely fashion
• Experience developing grant reports required by funders
• Experience translating natural resource and/or watershed (preferred) science, assessments and management plans for the general public using: a) PowerPoint presentations; b) newsletters, brochures, and flyers; c) news releases using Word, Publisher or web-based programs
• Experience developing and tracking budgets in Excel (i.e. performed fiscal administration tasks)
•  Experience writing documents that require strong knowledge of Word and related programs
•  Experience organizing and maintaining records
  
•  Experience using database management software and/or geographic information systems (GIS) software, preferably in natural resources planning or management
• Experience interacting with individuals with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints
•  Experience recruiting landowners or individuals for participation in projects
• Experience recruiting volunteers
  
• Experience planning and implementing outreach events
• Ability to work independently with limited oversight and guidance
• Ability to travel frequently around the watershed, and to work periodically during evenings and weekends
• Must have valid driver’s license and provide own transportation and personal automobile insurance
• Ability to handle occasional physical exertion, to work in variable weather conditions outdoors, and to walk in uneven terrain

Compensation

The Coordinator position is estimated to be a 1.0 FTE position.  The annual salary range is $46,000-$54,000, commensurate with experience. Paid time off is included.  There is an opportunity to increase the scope of work and salary through successful grant proposals, as well.  That said, this is a grant-funded position, so salary in future years will depend upon the ability to secure more grants.

The LWC offers a collaborative work environment, pleasant office space in downtown Independence, and an opportunity to support a variety of meaningful projects. While there are currently no additional benefits, the LWC supports the goal of offering such benefits in the future and in the interim will provide an additional $400 monthly stipend towards health insurance premiums.  The LWC will also provide a monthly stipend to cover work-related travel expenses.

The LWC will first offer the Coordinator position as a temporary, six-month position during which the candidate will be evaluated.  If the LWC Board is satisfied with performance, the candidate will be offered the Coordinator position on permanent basis.

Qualification Submission Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references in the form of email attachments to [email protected] by 5pm August 3, 2012 using the subject line “Coordinator Job.”

After reviewing all qualifications submitted, the LWC will request additional information and interviews from selected candidates.

Questions? Contact:  Suzanne Moellendorf (LWC Chair) at [email protected]