District Officer (TI-49670)

Confederated Tribes Of The Colville Reservation; Keller (WA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Life Insurance

401k with employer contributions

Short- and Long-Term disability

Paid holidays and annual leave

Job summary

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is seeking a District Officer in Keller, WA. The role leads district operations including timber sale administration, presales layout, cruising, forest engineering, silvicultural development, and log scaling.

The position requires advanced forestry degrees or extensive supervisory experience, plus NWCG qualifications. The incumbent may support Wildland Fire operations up to ~10% of duties and must manage safety, budgets, and team performance.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Forestry/Forest Management/Natural Resources or equivalent with lead/supervisory experience.
• Bachelor’s degree with 4+ years of progressive forestry experience, incl. lead roles.
• Alternative pathways with associate degree or 12 years of forestry supervisory experience.
• Active NWCG certification in a defined track (ICT4 or READ/AREP, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Direct daily district operations: timber sale admin, presales layout, cruising, forest engineering, silvicultural development.
• Lead safety, budgets, personnel eval, and interdepartmental coordination within the district.
• Provide leadership support to Wildland Fire Program during peak fire season.
• Ensure compliance with tribal/federal environmental and trust frameworks (NEPA, ESA, etc.).

Skills

Forestry knowledge

Silviculture

Forest ecology

Mensuration & biometrics

Timber harvesting systems

Logging engineering

Road construction

Cruising & scaling

Environmental frameworks

Supervisory skills

Wildland fire knowledge

Public relations

Negotiation

Team coordination

Education

Master’s degree in Forestry/NR

Bachelor’s degree in Forestry/NR

Associate degree in Forestry/NR

12 years substitute for degree

NWCG Fire Qualifications (ICT4/READ/RESC etc.)

Job description

Job Details:

Job Location: Keller - WA, Salary Range: $40.25 - $46.67 Salary, CLOSING DATE: Open Until filled with Bi-weekly reviews

POSITION:

District Officer

SALARY:

$40.25 to $46.67 per hour DOE

REPORTS TO:

Assistant Forest Manager

LOCATION:

Forestry, Keller, WA

Basic Functions:

This is a Exempt position. The District Officer functions as the operational and administrative supervisor in charge of a designated Forestry Management District. The incumbent directs all daily district operations—including timber sale administration, presales layout, cruising, forest engineering, silvicultural development, and log scaling to optimize long-term sustained-yield productivity and protect tribal trust resources in accordance with the Colville Reservation Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP). In addition to core forestry and district management duties, the incumbent provides operational or technical leadership support to the Wildland Fire Management program (up to approximately 10% of annual duties), primarily during summer industrial woods restrictions and elevated fire danger.

BENEFITS:

We have excellent benefits including full Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, 401k with employer contributions, Short-and Long- Term disability for Full-Time employees. Generous leave package includes paid holidays, sick leave, and annual leave for Full-Time and Part-Time employees.

Qualifications: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Training:

• Requires a Master’s degree in Forestry, Forest Management, or Natural Resources, AND two (2) years of professional forestry experience at a lead or supervisory level; OR
• Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry, Forest Management, or Natural Resources, AND four (4) years of progressively responsible professional forestry experience (including at least two years at the Forester II/III or lead technician level); OR Associate degree in Forestry or Natural Resources, AND six (6) years of professional forestry experience; OR
• Twelve (12) years of progressively responsible forestry experience demonstrating successful performance as a Supervisory Forestry Technician or Lead Timber Sales Officer may substitute in lieu of a degree. AND
• Requires Fire Qualifications (Active Red Card) :Must possess and maintain active NWCG certification in at least one defined pathway:
  • Operations / Command Track: Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4) (ICT3 preferred), Single Resource Boss (CRWB/ENGB/HEQB/FIRB), Task Force / Strike Team Leader (TFLD/STCR), or Prescribed Fire Burn Boss (RXB2).
  • Specialist / Technical Track: Qualified Resource Advisor (READ / RESC), Agency Representative (AREP), or Expanded Dispatch / Logistics Coordinator.
• Requires valid Washington State Driver’s License (must maintain tribal vehicle insurance eligibility).
• Requires Active Incident Qualification Card (Red Card) at the required level, including annual RT-130 refresher.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Requires thorough professional knowledge of forestry sciences, including silvicultural systems, forest ecology, mensuration, biometrics, forest entomology, pathology, and soils/watershed management.
• Requires comprehensive knowledge of commercial timber harvesting systems, logging engineering, road construction, timber cruising methods, and log scaling/ticketing procedures.
• Requires practical understanding of tribal and federal environmental and trust frameworks, including 25 CFR, 53 IAM, NEPA, ESA, NHPA, and CCT Chapter 4-7 and 4-9 (Forest Practices / Water Quality).
• Requires supervisory and administrative skills to plan multi-crew workloads, manage district operational budgets, evaluate personnel, and resolve employee conflicts.
• Requires working knowledge of wildland fire behavior, suppression tactics, fuels reduction techniques, and Incident Command System (ICS/NWCG) principles.
• Must have strong interpersonal, public relations, and diplomatic negotiation skills to handle sensitive community concerns and timber contract disputes.
• Ability to direct and coordinate diverse district-scale forestry and forest development operations.
• Ability to interpret, negotiate, and enforce commercial timber sale contract provisions firmly and tactfully with purchaser representatives and logging contractors.
• Ability to supervise, train, evaluate, and motivate professional, technical, and seasonal personnel.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across interdisciplinary tribal programs and outside regulatory agencies.
• Ability to safely make high-consequence operational decisions under demanding field and emergency wildfire conditions.

Physical Abilities

• Requires performing field reviews and timber audits across steep, rugged terrain under adverse environmental conditions (heat, cold, dust, smoke, snow). Incumbent must be able to hike long distances carrying field gear and safely operate 4WD vehicles on primitive logging roads. Emergency wildland firefighting requires strenuous physical exertion under high-stress incident conditions. Must possess the physical capability to pass the annual NWCG Work Capacity Test (WCT) at the required fitness level (Arduous for operations/line assignments; Moderate/Light for dedicated technical specialist/READ tracks).
• Requires sedentary computer management, budget and scale review, visual acuity for mapping/GIS, clear oral communication, and manual dexterity to operate microcomputers and office equipment at an acceptable rate.

Note: Pursuant to Tribal Policy, if this position is safety sensitive it is subject to pre-employment drug testing. In addition, this position is subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing.

TRIBAL MEMBER AND INDIAN PREFERENCE WILL APPLY; PREFERENCE WILL ALSO BE GIVEN TO HONORABLY DISCHARGED VETERANS WHO ARE MINIMALLY QUALIFIED.

If required of this position, you must possess and maintain a valid Washington State driver’s license and be eligible for the Tribes’ Vehicle Insurance. In addition, this position may be subject to pre-employment background clearances. If applicable, these clearances must be maintained throughout employment.

INFORMATION:

Tanya Ives, HR Senior Analyst, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Human Resources Office, P.O. Box 150, Nespelem, WA 99155, [phone]. [e-mail]