Director of Conservation

Klamath Irrigation District; Klamath Falls, Northern (OR, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Company vehicle

Company cell phone

Job summary

Klamath Irrigation District invites a Director of Conservation to lead the district's stewardship of water, soil, and habitat across the Klamath Basin. You will coordinate the Habitat Conservation Plan under ESA, drive modernization through grants, and oversee conservation programs with a science-based approach for the benefit of farming families.

This is a collaborative, autonomous role working with tribal nations, agency partners, and academic partners.

Qualifications

• PhD in environmental science, natural resources, hydrology, fisheries, or related field with roughly two years of experience, or equivalent field experience.
• Familiarity with the Endangered Species Act and Habitat Conservation Plan process is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the Habitat Conservation Plan under ESA Section 10 with research, application, and conservation measures.
• Drive modernization by pursuing and reporting on grants for conservation infrastructure.
• Lead conservation and natural-resource programs including water efficiency and habitat.
• Ground positions in science and data; communicate findings clearly to partners.
• Build relationships with tribal, agency, and academic partners; support patrons.
• Help farming families adopt water-conserving practices.

Skills

Grant management

Science communication

Stakeholder relations

Policy interpretation

Leadership

Collaboration with tribes

Education

PhD in environmental science or related field

Bachelor's with extensive field experience

Job description

Our mission · Klamath Irrigation District

To acquire, maintain, assure, and deliver an adequate water supply for beneficial use on qualified land within the Klamath Project.

We represent our Patrons before government agencies, the legislature, Congress, and in such forums as appropriate for the perfection and protection of their water rights. We defend the District from actions which would diminish our effectiveness and function. We further promote the conservation of water, soil, and other natural resources.

The Klamath Basin sits at the crossroads of agriculture, endangered species, tribalrights, and federal water policy - and the decisions made here ripple across theWest. As our Director of Conservation, you'd lead Klamath Irrigation District's stewardship of water, soil, and habitat: building the science, programs, partnerships, and modernized infrastructure that let working farms and a healthy basin share the samelandscape. It's a director's seat with real autonomy, real stakes, and a District with the will to act. Right now that work includes coordinating the District's Habitat Conservation Plan - a multi-year effort under the Endangered Species Act that this role would help research, shape, and carry forward.

Our mission comes first

Klamath Irrigation District exists to deliver water to the farms and lands of theKlamath Project — that is our priority task. Every part of this role —conservation, modernization, grants, and ESA work — serves that mission bysecuring and protecting reliable water delivery for our patrons. We're lookingfor someone whose expertise strengthens that purpose and who shares our commitment tothe farming families we serve.

What you'd do

• Coordinate the District's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) under Section10 of the Endangered Species Act - guiding the research, the application, and the conservation measures it requires, alongside our team and counsel.
• Drive the District's modernization: pursue, administer, and report on grants that fund conservation infrastructure - piping, canal lining, SCADA, hydropower, and more.
• Lead the District's conservation and natural-resource programs - water efficiency, soil health, water quality, habitat, and drought response.
• Ground our positions in the best available science: monitoring, data, and analysis the District and its partners can stand behind.
• Build and maintain working relationships through regular coordination with tribal and agency partners, neighboring districts, researchers, and the patrons we serve.
• Help our farming families adopt practices that conserve water and strengthen the basin.

Who you'd work with

This is a deeply collaborative role, built on routine coordination and synchronization meetings with partners across the Klamath Watershed.

Tribal nations

You're work closely and regularly with your counterparts in theKlamath Tribes, the Yurok Tribe, theKaruk Tribe, and the Modoc Nation - ongoing, central relationships maintained through regular coordination and synchronization meetings.

Agency partners

• USFWS
• ODFW
• CDFW
• NOAA
• NMFS
• NRCS
• USDA
• FEMA
• & others

Academic partners

• Univ. of Oregon
• Cal Poly
• & others

What you'd bring

• Above all, a genuine commitment to the District's mission - delivering water to the farms and lands of the Klamath Project - and a conviction that conservation should strengthen that purpose.
• A PhD in environmental science, natural resources, hydrology, fisheries, or a related field with roughly two years of experience - or a bachelor’s degree backed by substantial field experience.
• Familiarity with the Endangered Species Act and the Section10 / Habitat Conservation Plan process - a strong asset, given the HCP work ahead.
• Experience pursuing and managing grants - writing competitive proposals, administering awards, and reporting on results.
• The ability to turn science and policy into plain language and practical action.
• A talent for building trust across very different interests.
• The self-direction and judgment to lead a program, not just complete tasks.
• Genuine interest in the working lands, water, and communities of the Klamath Basin.

Why Klamath Irrigation District

We've delivered water to this basin since 1905, we represent more than 1,700 farming families, and we're not shy about standing up for them - or about doing the conservation work that secures the basin's future. This is public service in the truest sense: a chance to serve your neighbors, strengthen the community that depends on this water, and help build a better future for the basin. You'd have the independence of a director's role and the backing of a team that shows up.

What we offer

We back this role with a benefits package built for a long career in public service:

• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick leave
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligibility
• Company vehicle
• Company cell phone

This isn't just our view. Across the basin, our partners' own research and programs show that working farms and a healthy basin can succeed together:

Klamath Irrigation District is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicantsare considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age,disability, or any other protected status.