Natural Resource Specialist 4

Holland America-Princess (Holland America Dawson City Inn); Anchorage (AK); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, invites applicants for a Natural Resource Specialist 4 in Anchorage. The role focuses on creating land use plans for vast state lands and serving as the primary expert on area/management plans.

You will interact with agencies and the public to guide planning decisions. The position emphasizes building trusted relationships, understanding regulatory frameworks, and negotiating diverse viewpoints to support responsible resource development across

Qualifications

• Education in natural resource field, law, public administration, planning or economics.
• Professional experience in natural resource management, progressively responsible.
• Competencies and qualifications aligned with competency-based minimums.
• Experience with area/management planning and policy development.
• Ability to collaborate with multiple agencies and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of land use plans and management guidelines for large state lands (up to 15 million acres).
• Serve as subject-matter expert on area/management plans and planning processes.
• Represent DNR on planning teams, committees, and with the public and agencies.

Job description

Job Description

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water, is recruiting for a Natural Resource Specialist 4 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 Resource Assessment and Development Section (RADS) is charged with creating land use plans that determine the state's management intent for large areas of state lands (up to 15 million acres), including uplands, tidelands, submerged lands, shore lands, and the resources and uses that occur there. This position is expected to be the subject‑matter expert on area/management plans and planning processes, providing guidance and specialized information on plan development and implementation. The position serves as the primary point of contact for agencies and the public on unusually complex departmental projects or planning issues. This position represents Department interests on planning teams, advisory committees, and other groups involved in area/management plan development or implementation. This position involves engendering trust and building relationships with staff and decision‑makers across various agencies; developing extensive expertise in planning, long‑standing issues, federal and state regulatory frameworks, policies, and land management authorities; and frequently negotiating with parties that may not share the Department's perspective.

Mission and Values/Culture:

The State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, manages over 100 million acres of land and waters with the mission to "Develop, conserve and maximize the use of Alaska's natural resources consistent with the public interest." RADS is dedicated to creating a culture that upholds the principles of responsible resource development, environmental stewardship, and inclusive decision‑making for the benefit of all Alaskans. In this position, you will have a unique opportunity to contribute towards establishing a sustainable future for Alaskans by being part of a land planning team that establishes management guidelines and policies for major resources and land uses.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

You will be joining a lively team of experienced natural resource professionals with diverse backgrounds. Since this position collaborates with most sections within the division as well as most divisions within DNR, you will have significant opportunities to learn about the work of DMLW and other programs within the department. We offer flexible work schedules and teleworking opportunities to help foster a good work/life balance.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

This is primarily an office position in the Robert B. Atwood Building in downtown Anchorage, within walking distance of restaurants, shopping, and the park strip. Travel throughout the state to research information, meet with the public and agency representatives, and conduct public meetings is occasionally required.

Public Planning:

Knowledge of functions, principles, methods, and techniques of public planning, including those related to community planning, outdoor recreation planning, and natural resource management, such as demand forecasting, environmental impact analysis, financial forecasting, and land use planning and zoning.

Stress Tolerance:

Deals calmly and effectively with high‑stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).

Minimum Qualifications

Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions

This job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications.

Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description

The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are only used as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options for how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Decision‑Making:

Makes sound, well‑informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

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.

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.

Writing:

Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Equivalent to those typically gained by:

Education in a natural resource field, law, public administration, planning or economics and/or progressively responsible professional 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 creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.

"Progressively responsible" means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.

"Qualified" means is assessed to credibly possess the competencies needed to learn the job in a reasonable period.

"Training" and "education" in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on‑line, self‑study, and on‑the‑job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long duration (such as a post‑secondary degree) and short‑duration (such as a seminar) programs.

"Typically gained by" means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.

Special Note:

For purposes of the minimum qualifications, natural resource management is defined as the management of the land, water, mineral, forest, oil, gas, agricultural, archaeological, natural and cultural history, park, and related surface and subsurface resources.