Program Coordinator

Southwestern Water Conservation District; Durango (CO); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Holiday pay

Retirement plan

Health and life insurance

Job summary

Southwestern Water Conservation District in Durango, CO is seeking a Programs Coordinator to support the General Manager and oversee day-to-day District operations. The role coordinates core SWCD programs, outreach and education activities, and provides administrative support including Board coordination.

The ideal candidate brings a bachelor’s degree in environmental resources and 4+ years in a natural resources field, with strong communication, organizational, and grant-management skills.

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in environmental/natural resources fields and 4 years of related work experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and public relations abilities.
• Proficiency with Office Suite and Adobe; excellent organizational and time-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day District operations and support the General Manager.
• Coordinate core SWCD programs, outreach, and education activities.
• Provide administrative support and assist with Board administration and coordination.
• Support grant programs, budgeting, contracts, and stakeholder communications.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Public relations abilities

Proficient with Office Suite & Adobe

Organizational & time management

Valid Colorado driver’s license

Interpersonal skills

Self-motivation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Water Resources, Engineering or related natural resources field

Tools

Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Adobe

Job description

The Southwestern Water Conservation District (“District”), based in Durango, Colorado, is seeking candidates for the Programs Coordinator position. The District was created by Colorado statute in 1941 to lead in the protection, conservation, use, and development of the water of the San Juan and Dolores River basins for the welfare of the District, and to safeguard for Colorado all waters of the basin to which the state is entitled. The District encompasses all of La Plata, Montezuma, Archuleta, San Juan, San Miguel, and Dolores counties, and parts of Montrose, Hinsdale, and Mineral counties. The District has a nine-member Board of Directors who are each appointed by the Board of County Commissioners of each member county.

The Programs Coordinator provides support to the General Manager in overseeing the day-to-day District operations and coordinates core Southwestern Water Conservation District (“SWCD” or “District”) programs, including the District’s outreach and education activities. The position also provides administrative support and assists the General Manager with special projects as they arise, including Board administration and coordination. The General Manager provides day-to-day supervision of the position, with additional guidance and oversight provided by the SWCD Board of Directors (“Board”). The position is a full-time, non-exempt position that is based out of the District’s office in Durango. Please see the Job Description below for additional information about the position.

The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, have strong verbal and written communication skills, and good public relations abilities. The Minimum Requirements for the position are:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Environmental Science, Water Resources, Engineering or related natural resources field
• Four (4) years of work experience in a natural resource field is preferred
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills
• Proficient with Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Adobe
• Organizational and time management skills
• A valid Colorado driver’s license (or ability to obtain within 3 months of hiring) as well as valid motor vehicle insurance which meets Colorado’s minimum requirements

Highly Desirable Traits and Skills include:

• Knowledge of geographic area and river basins in southwest Colorado
• Background in water issues, water rights, or water policy
• Experience in management of natural resource programs
• Experience with event coordination, public outreach, and educational activities
• Experience with grant programs
• Experience leading or assisting with event planning & coordination
• Experience performing administrative tasks
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to multi-task
• Detail oriented
• Ability to work well independently as well as with a team

This is a full-time position with benefits including Paid Time Off (PTO) and holidays, retirement plan, and health and life insurance. Anticipated pay range is $55,000 to $70,000 annually. Although a pay range is listed, annual pay for this position will be set commensurate with the successful candidate’s qualifications and in compliance with the State and Federal equal pay laws. All employees of Southwestern Water Conservation District are Employees At Will.

Specific Job Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Programs Coordination (approximately 55%)

• Work with grant applicants to clarify guidelines and application requirements; prepare evaluation of grant applications and make recommendations to the Board using the SWCD Grant Program Guidelines; ensure SWCD’s reporting requirements are met, and generate annual program report to the Board.
• Annually review and recommend updates to the Board of the SWCD Grant Program Guidelines.

Implementation of B2E Grant

• Hold regular group and individual project coordination meetings with subrecipients.
• Monitor subrecipients’ compliance with grant and related contractual terms.
• Assist in contracting process with Bureau of Reclamation and subrecipients.
• Develop and implement communication strategy with stakeholders and members of the public.
• After initial review by the General Manager, guide Notice of Intent (NOI) applications through SWCD’s process, including drafting quitclaim deeds and other correspondence related to making absolute increments of the conditional water rights decreed in Case Nos. 06CW127 and 05CW88 (Water Division 7); 2 verify depletion calculations completed by the District’s consultants and update the annual depletions log entered in Case No. 06CW127, and ensure notice of intent process is adhered to.

Weather Modification Program

• Support the General Manager and other stakeholders within the District with budget and contract development.
• Identify and secure annual funding partners for all three weather modifications programs the District is a partner on.

Streamgaging Program

• Identify and secure annual funding partners to support the District in managing its joint funding agreement with the United States Geological Survey.

Water Information Program (approximately 25%)

• Serve as the event producer and content coordinator for Water Information Program (“WIP”) events throughout Southwest Colorado, including:
• SWCD's annual Spring Water Seminar, which is typically held in late March. Responsibilities include event planning and logistics, vendor coordination, sponsorships, agenda development, speaker recruitment, and other event-related tasks.
• SWCD’s annual Children’s Water Festival, held each May.
• Water Law in a Nutshell or similar educational course.
• Forest-to-Faucets Teacher Training Workshop.
• Manage the WIP website, social media accounts, and announcements.
• Lead public outreach and education efforts for WIP programs and events while identifying and engaging new audiences throughout Southwest Colorado.
• Manage and seek new WIP partnerships.
• Coordination of the WIP Steering Committee.

Additional District Outreach & Representation (approximately 10%)

• Assist the General Manager with developing content for materials or presentations; and drafting resolutions, letters of support, newsletter articles, and other correspondence.
• Assist with District events and organizational activities, including education and outreach programs, public inquiries, meetings, records requests, and other duties assigned in support of District operations, as needed.
• Subject to the review of the General Manager, draft the District newsletter that may contain original articles, links to other regional and statewide water-related articles, and a calendar of upcoming events.
• Work in coordination with the District’s state lobbyist and provide necessary support to the Board and General Manager relative to legislative activities of interest.
• Consult and coordinate with the District’s General Counsel (or Special Counsel, as appropriate) prior to publicly discussing or taking any positions on any legal issues or 3 topics of negotiation, and/or responding to related informational requests.
• Serve as an alternate for the General Manager on Colorado Water Congress State and Federal Affairs Committee meetings.
• Represent SWCD in local and regional events and processes as assigned, and other efforts as assigned.
• Provide administrative and operational support across District programs and functions, including Board administration and coordination, drafting meeting minutes, human resources, front office operations, fiscal and grant administration, contract management, communications, and general office administration, as needed.
• Travel to meetings and events as directed by the Board or General Manager.
• Any other job duties as assigned by the General Manager, SWCD Board or its personnel committee.
• Abide by and ensure compliance with all District personnel policies; Federal, State and Local employment laws; and all applicable Wage and Hour laws.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work required of the Programs Coordinator. It is not intended to be an exclusive or exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities required for this position. This job description may be changed or amended at any time by the SWCD Board, without prior notice, to meet the needs of the Southwestern Water Conservation District. The time estimates regarding each key function of the position will vary each month and each year.