Watershed Technician

Jobtailor; Arizona; On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

National Forest Foundation seeks a Program Support Analyst to manage watershed project data, support metrics development, and contribute to regulatory compliance for the ILF program. You will collaborate with field teams and the Watershed Program Specialist to ensure data quality and effective reporting.

The role involves maintaining databases, generating visualizations, and coordinating with partners across the National Forest System boundary.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in watershed science or closely related field (environmental science, natural resources).
• Relevant professional experience may substitute for degree.

Responsibilities

• Assist with maintaining program databases for watershed restoration project information.
• Support data analyses and metrics framework for watershed impact reporting.
• Compile monitoring data and support program reporting and grant deliverables.
• Prepare data summaries and visualizations for internal/external audiences.
• Maintain ArcGIS Online spatial data layers for watershed projects.
• Track ILF Program accounting and RIBITS ledger updates.

Skills

Watershed science

GIS

Data management

Project coordination

Writing/communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in watershed-related field

Tools

ArcGIS Online

RIBITS Ledger

Monitoring Data Systems

Project Tracking Systems

Job description

At NFF, the Program Support Analyst plays a pivotal role in managing watershed project data, analysis, and regulatory compliance, enabling effective restoration efforts across the National Forest System.

Responsibilities

• Assist with maintaining program databases that track key watershed restoration project information such as locations, treatments, and outcomes, across the NFF watershed portfolio, supporting data integrity and quality control.
• Provide input and analysis to support the ongoing refinement of NFF’s watershed impact metrics framework, in coordination with the Watershed Program Specialist and Enterprise Programs staff.
• Compile and help synthesize monitoring data from field teams and partners to support program reporting, grant deliverables, and internal learning products.
• Assist with preparing data summaries and visualizations that communicate program progress and outcomes to internal and external audiences.
• Help maintain spatial data layers in ArcGIS Online or similar platforms to support the tracking and assessment of watershed projects across the National Forest System.
• Maintain the Regulatory In‑Lieu Fee and Bank Information Tracking System (RIBITS) ledger for NFF’s Western Slope In‑Lieu Fee Program, including credit transactions, project tracking entries, and required updates.
• Support financial tracking and accounting for the ILF Program, including reconciliation of fee receipts, project expenditures, and credit balances, in coordination with the Watershed Program Specialist and NFF Finance team.
• Prepare draft annual reports, monitoring summaries, and other regulatory documentation required under the ILF Program Instrument and associated permit conditions, for review and finalization by the Watershed Program Specialist.
• Assist in the preparation of project‑related documents such as contracts, scopes of work, and task orders, for consultants and contractors engaged on ILF projects, under the direction of the Watershed Program Specialist.
• Maintain organized program records, correspondence files, and project tracking systems to ensure accurate and auditable program administration.
• Track policy developments related to Section 404/401 wetland and waters permitting, mitigation banking, and ILF programs, and flag relevant updates for the Watershed Program Specialist.
• Serve as a subject matter resource on watershed restoration methods, such as low‑tech process‑based restoration (LTPBR), meadow restoration, and riparian improvement, for NFF Field Coordinators and field staff implementing projects on National Forest System lands.
• Provide technical advice to field teams on project design, treatment selection, monitoring protocols, and implementation methods, drawing on watershed science expertise that complements the generalist knowledge of many field staff.
• Support field teams with review of project designs, contractor deliverables, monitoring plans, and related implementation documents to strengthen technical quality and alignment with NFF’s watershed restoration practice.
• Participate in field site visits at field team request as a technical resource, contributing to photo‑documentation, data collection, and quality assurance of on‑the‑ground restoration activities.
• Support field teams with grant and partner reporting by synthesizing technical data, monitoring results, and programmatic inputs across multiple projects and regions.
• Help surface and share lessons learned across NFF’s watershed restoration portfolio, bringing a cross‑regional perspective to inform field decision‑making and troubleshoot common challenges.
• Build and maintain working relationships with U.S. Forest Service staff, conservation NGO partners, state agencies, tribal partners, and other stakeholders in support of, rather than replacement of, field team‑led partnerships, in coordination with the Watershed Program Specialist.

Requirements

• Minimum of an undergraduate degree in watershed science, hydrology, natural resource management, environmental science, conservation biology, or a closely related field.
• Relevant professional experience may substitute.
• At least three years of work experience with conservation programs, project planning, and/or coordinating project implementation.
• Demonstrated involvement in project planning, coordination, accomplishment and budget tracking, and project operations management that involves multiple implementation partners, contractors, and funding sources.
• Experience with data management and environmental monitoring; familiarity with spatial analysis and GIS platforms such as ArcGIS Online preferred but not required.
• Familiarity with watershed science, riparian or wetland ecology, and/or stream restoration concepts and methods.
• Familiarity with federal land management, U.S. Forest Service programs, and/or regulatory frameworks such as Section 404/401 of the Clean Water Act is strongly preferred.
• Commitment to the mission of the NFF and familiarity with the U.S. Forest Service purpose and National Forest System management.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Tools & Technologies

• ArcGIS Online
• RIBITS Ledger
• Monitoring Data Systems
• Project Tracking Systems