Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist

King County Water and Land Resources Division -WA; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

The Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist position in King County's Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP) is a term-limited or SDA role that will help create a coordinated approach to monitoring conservation easements, PBRS open-space agreements, and county-owned lands led by WLRD and Parks.

The role combines fieldwork, technology, data analysis, and program coordination to support voluntary compliance and conservation outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience with land conservation, including field-based inventory, inspection, monitoring, or assessment.
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships with landowners or stakeholders.
• Knowledge of conservation easements, open-space agreements, or deed restrictions.

Responsibilities

• Develop monitoring standards and protocols across programs and divisions.
• Monitor conservation easements, landowner agreements, and deed restrictions using field assessments.
• Apply GIS, aerial imagery, and data systems to evaluate property conditions and compliance.

Skills

Land conservation

Field inventory

GIS

Data management

Stakeholder collaboration

Communication

Microsoft Office

Tools

GIS software

Excel

Teams & Outlook

Job description

Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist

Salary $110,087.54 - $139,542.21 Annually

Location King Street Center - 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA

Job Type Term-Ltd

Job Number 2026WH27763

Department DNRP-Natural Resources & Parks

Division WLRD -Water & Land Resources

FLSA Exempt

Bargaining Unit F3A : L117-P&T

Full- or Part-Time Full Time

Hours/Week 40 hours/week

Summary

This recruitment is open to both internal and external applicants and will be used to fill a Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) with an anticipated 3-year duration. In addition to the current opening, this recruitment may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to fill future Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist (PPM III) SDA/TLT roles throughout the Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP) over the next six (6) months. An image without description

About the Role

The Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist is a newly established position responsible for helping create a coordinated approach to monitoring conservation easements, PBRS open-space agreements, deed restrictions, and certain County-owned lands associated with acquisitions led by DNRP's Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) and Parks and Recreation Division. Historically, monitoring has occurred within individual programs. This position will help bring those efforts together by developing consistent monitoring protocols, documentation practices, data systems, and approaches to compliance. In this role, you will combine fieldwork, technology, data analysis, relationship-building, and program coordination. You will assess current property conditions, document findings, identify potential compliance concerns, and partner with program staff and landowners to address issues and support voluntary compliance. Monitoring may include traditional site visits as well as review of aerial imagery, GIS information, and emerging technologies, including AI-assisted remote monitoring platforms.

Your work will directly contribute to major King County priorities, including the Land Conservation Initiative, Local Food Initiative, Strategic Climate Action Plan, and policies established through the King County Comprehensive Plan.

About the Team

This position is housed within the Agriculture, Forestry, and Incentives Unit (AFI) of the Water and Land Resources Division and reports to the AFI Unit Manager. However, this is a highly collaborative, cross-divisional role. You will work closely with professionals across DNRP, including staff within:

• Agriculture, Forestry, and Incentives (AFI)
• Open Space Acquisitions (OSA)
• Environmental Policy and Initiatives (EPI)
• Recreation, Partnerships, & Property Management (RPPM)
• Parks Operations

Together, these teams conserve open space and working farms and forests, acquire and steward conservation lands, restore habitat, support environmental initiatives, manage County property, and maintain King County's extensive parks and trail system. AFI works with forestland and farmland owners to improve land management, conserve working lands, restore habitat, increase environmental health and climate resiliency, and expand farmland access, including opportunities for farmers from historically underserved communities. This position will serve as an important connector across these programs, helping establish a consistent and effective approach to monitoring King County's conservation commitments.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist (PPM III) you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Job Duties

As the Land Conservation Monitoring Specialist, you will:

• Develop monitoring standards and protocols. Partner with program leads to establish consistent guidelines for monitoring, documentation, communication, and outreach across programs and divisions.
• Conduct conservation compliance monitoring. Monitor King County-held conservation easements, landowner agreements, deed restrictions, and certain County-owned lands using field assessments and other monitoring approaches.
• Apply technology to conservation monitoring. Use traditional and innovative technologies—including GIS, aerial imagery, data systems, and emerging remote-monitoring tools to evaluate property conditions and identify potential compliance concerns.
• Address compliance concerns collaboratively. Work with program leads and landowners to identify issues, develop recommendations and corrective-action timelines, encourage voluntary compliance, and coordinate appropriate corrective or enforcement measures when necessary.
• Build a comprehensive monitoring data system. Develop and maintain a system identifying DNRP assets with monitoring requirements, responsible parties, monitoring history, and current compliance status. This information is anticipated to eventually integrate with WLRD's parcel-based Stewardship Hub.
• Support continuous program improvement. Work with program staff to identify opportunities to improve easement and agreement language, monitoring practices, and other processes that strengthen long-term conservation outcomes.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Qualifications You Bring:

• Experienced with land conservation, including field-based land inventory, inspection, monitoring, or assessment.
• Proficient in building productive, collaborative relationships with private landowners or other property stakeholders to accomplish shared objectives.
• Knowledge of or experience working with conservation easements, deed restrictions, open-space agreements, or similar land-use protections, including monitoring for compliance.
• Ability to accurately collect, organize, manage, analyze, and report land-use or property-related information.
• Experience using mapping and data-management technologies, such as GIS, to assess property conditions, land-use changes, or past disturbances.
• Ability to develop, maintain, or improve data-management systems and processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical or potentially sensitive information to different audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across programs, disciplines, and organizational boundaries.
• Ability to identify problems, recommend practical solutions, improve processes, and move work forward when priorities or stakeholder needs compete.
• Working proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel, and familiarity with collaborative tools such as Teams and Outlook.

We recognize that relevant skills can be developed through many pathways, including professional experience, public service, military service, community-based work, apprenticeships, training, certifications, and other lived or learned experiences. We encourage candidates who can demonstrate the skills needed to successfully perform this work to apply.

Competencies You Bring

• Collaborate — Build partnerships and work effectively with colleagues, landowners, and stakeholders toward shared objectives.
• Communicate Effectively — Adapt communication approaches to clearly convey technical, programmatic, and potentially sensitive information to different audiences.
• Be Tech Savvy — Learn and effectively apply new technologies and digital tools to improve conservation monitoring and information management.
• Optimize Work Processes — Identify opportunities to improve systems and develop efficient, consistent approaches to accomplishing the work.
• Manages Conflict handle conflict situations effectively, with minimum of noise
• Drive Results — Maintain momentum and achieve meaningful outcomes when facing complex issues, competing priorities, or unexpected challenges.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring

• Experience developing, coordinating, or managing a conservation easement monitoring program.
• Experience establishing monitoring protocols, compliance processes, or land-management data systems.
• Experience using GIS, aerial imagery, remote sensing, or other technologies to monitor conservation or open-space lands.

Supplemental Information

Onsite Work Details: Work Location: Agriculture, Forestry, and Incentives Unit (AFI) works in a hybrid model, with days in the office, and field, as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a in-home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Work Schedule: This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible. Union Representation: This position is represented by Teamsters Local 117.