Natural Resource Manager 3 - Section Chief, Public Access Assertion & Defense

Natural Resources; Anchorage (AK); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources seeks a Natural Resource Manager 3 – Section Chief in Anchorage to lead the Public Access Assertion and Defense (PAAD) Section. The role guides statewide policy to assert and defend navigable waters, submerged lands, and critical easements, while directing complex litigation and negotiations.

You will oversee PAAD personnel, budgets, and cross-disciplinary teams, and provide expert analysis and policy recommendations to DNR leadership and the Governor

Qualifications

• Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production.
• Knowledge of interdisciplinary environmental science concepts and methods.
• Persuades others; builds consensus and gains cooperation to achieve goals.
• Knowledge of project management principles for developing and overseeing projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead the PAAD Section, directing statewide policy and strategy for public access.
• Manage complex litigation, administrative actions, and high-level negotiations.
• Oversee PAAD personnel, budgets, and interdisciplinary project teams.
• Provide policy recommendations to DNR leadership and Governor.
• Lead fieldwork and resolve access disputes to protect state interests.

Skills

Oral Written Communication

Creative Thinking

Legal Government Jurisprudence

Influencing Negotiating

Project Management

Vision

Education

Education in natural resource field, law, public administration, planning or economics

Job description

Job Description

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of

Mining, Land & Water,

is recruiting for a

Natural Resource Manager 3 – Section Chief for the Public Access Assertion & Defense unit in Anchorage.

This position is open to Alaska Residents only.

Please check our

residency definition

to determine if you qualify.

What You Will Be Doing:

The Section Chief leads the Public Access Assertion and Defense (PAAD) Section, directing statewide policy and strategy to assert and defend Alaska’s ownership of navigable waters, submerged lands, RS 2477 rights-of-way, and other critical easements. The position manages complex litigation, administrative actions, and high-level negotiations with federal agencies, Native Corporations, landowners, and the public to advance and protect state public access interests. It oversees PAAD personnel, budgets, interdisciplinary project teams, and all public access initiatives, including the Unlocking Alaska Initiative, to ensure coordinated and effective mission execution. The Section Chief provides expert analysis, presentations, and policy recommendations to DMLW leadership, the DNR Commissioner, and the Governor on emerging and ongoing public access issues. Additionally, the role leads fieldwork efforts and resolves complex, controversial access disputes to secure outcomes vital to the state’s long-term stewardship and transportation corridors.

Mission and Values/Culture:

The Public Access Assertion and Defense Section (PAAD) safeguards every Alaskan’s right to reach and enjoy the state’s lands and waters, defending the routes and resources that connect communities and fuel possibilities. Its work creates lasting freedoms, ensuring future generations inherit the same open Alaska that defines us today. PAAD’s mission is powered by creativity, resilience, integrity, and an unwavering belief in public service. Its members are bold, purpose-driven leaders who lift one another up and pursue every challenge with courage and heart. They bring generosity, humor, and a commitment to full, meaningful lives—strengthening both their team and the state they serve.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

This position offers a meaningful leadership role that can positively impact the land, people, and economic development. The successful candidate for this position will have the opportunity to lead and work with a diverse group of experts and professionals from numerous fields (LAW, History and Archeology, Hydrology, Geomorphology, Surveying and Mapping, etc.). You will have the opportunity to lead high-profile and substantive projects advancing state strategic public-access priorities. The successful candidate will have opportunities to lead and participate in remote fieldwork in many gorgeous areas of Alaska (recent projects include fieldwork within the Brooks Range, the Fortymile Region, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve and Katmai National Park and Preserve) and will be the leader of an elite team within the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

This position is based in Anchorage, on the 10th floor of the Atwood building, in a workplace known for its collaborative, team-oriented environment. The Anchorage office offers a stunning view of the Chugach Mountain Range and is conveniently located near a variety of services, the scenic Park Strip, and the Coastal Trail system, providing easy access to outdoor recreation and urban amenities. The daily work environment will include interaction with PAAD teammates on numerous and diverse projects with frequent interaction with other state and federal staff (including high-level state positions such as the Governor, Legislators, Commissioners of diverse departments, Director’s Office personnel from diverse divisions and high-level federal positions such as Bureau of Land Management Alaska State Director, National Park Service State Director, superintendents and directors of federal areas statewide), outside experts, attorneys, user groups, Native Corporations and the general public.

We are looking for a candidate who possesses the following position-specific competencies.

Oral and Written Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Creative Thinking: Uses imagination to develop new insights into situations and applies innovative solutions to problems; designs new methods where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or are unavailable.

Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

Administration and Management:

Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production.

Environmental Science:

Knowledge of the interdisciplinary concepts, principles, theories, and methods of investigating the natural and physical environment, including examination of ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geography, atmospheric, and other related sciences in the protection and improvement of the environment and its resources.

Influencing/Negotiating:

Persuades others; builds consensus through give and take; gains cooperation from others to obtain information and accomplish goals.

Project Management:

Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

Vision:

Understands where the organization is headed and how to make a contribution; takes a long- term view and recognizes opportunities to help the organization accomplish its objectives or move toward the vision.

equivalent to those typically gained by:

Education in a natural resource field, law, public administration, planning or economics and/or progressively responsible professional experience or managerial experience in natural resource management.

Definitions:

“Competencies” means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.

“Professional experience” means work that is cre