Western Iowa Basin Coordinator

State-of-Iow; Iowa (LA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

IPERS retirement plan

Flexible work schedules

Hybrid telework

Job summary

Iowa Department of Natural Resources seeks an Environmental Specialist Senior to lead watershed planning and water quality improvement activities across Iowa river basins. You will coordinate projects, engage partners, and deliver planning efforts that protect waters and resources.

The role requires strong leadership, relationship-building, and communication skills, with hands-on field and office work using GIS, modeling, and data-driven approaches.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of professional environmental experience in planning or watershed management.
• Strong communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to lead multi-stakeholder watershed projects from planning through completion.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate watershed planning and implementation projects.
• Build partnerships with Watershed Management Authorities, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and local governments.
• Provide technical expertise in watershed assessments, EPA-approved plans, and BMPs.
• Manage budgets, contracts, grants, reporting, site visits, and evaluations.
• Use GIS and data tools to identify priorities and measure progress.
• Lead meetings, outreach, and training for partners and stakeholders.

Skills

Relationship building

Communication

Leadership

Problem solving

Project management

Education

Bachelor's in Natural Science

3+ years environmental experience

Tools

GIS

Project management software

Job description

Only applicants who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and meet all selective requirements (listed below) will be placed on the eligible list.

Help protect Iowa’s water resources while making a difference in communities across the state.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking an Environmental Specialist Senior to join our Water Quality Improvement team. This position offers the opportunity to combine environmental expertise, project leadership, community engagement, and problem-solving to improve Iowa’s watersheds and protect valuable water resources.

You’ll work alongside local communities, landowners, conservation organizations, state and federal agencies, and other partners to turn watershed priorities into meaningful, on-the-ground projects.

If you enjoy building partnerships, working outdoors and in the field, solving complex environmental challenges, and seeing the results of your work, this could be the opportunity for you.

What You’ll Do

As an Environmental Specialist Senior, you will serve as a technical resource, project coordinator, and key DNR liaison for watershed planning and water quality improvement activities within assigned Iowa river basins.

You will:

• Lead and coordinate watershed planning and implementation projects designed to improve water quality, protect source water, reduce flooding, and enhance soil and water resources.
• Build strong partnerships with Watershed Management Authorities, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, local governments, landowners, nonprofit organizations, and other watershed stakeholders.
• Provide technical expertise in watershed assessments, EPA-approved nine-element watershed plans, best management practices, monitoring, and project implementation.
• Manage projects from planning through completion, including budgets, contracts, grants, reporting, site visits, project evaluations, and quality control.
• Use GIS, monitoring, modeling, land-use assessments, and other technology to identify priority areas, evaluate progress, and develop innovative solutions.
• Connect communities with funding opportunities and assist with the development of grant, loan, and watershed improvement projects.
• Lead meetings, outreach, education, and training for local partners, stakeholders, watershed coordinators, and other audiences.
• Represent the Iowa DNR at local, regional, and statewide meetings and communicate water quality priorities and available program resources.
• Collaborate with state and federal partners to develop statewide strategies, technical guidance, training, and program improvements.
• Share successful projects and practices through presentations, case studies, field activities, and other outreach efforts.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for an environmental professional who is:

• Passionate about Iowa’s natural resources and protecting water quality.
• A strong relationship builder who enjoys working with diverse communities, organizations, and stakeholders.
• An effective communicator who can explain technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• A skilled problem solver who can evaluate complex environmental issues and develop practical solutions.
• Organized and self-directed, with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, budgets, and deadlines.
• Comfortable working in both the field and office, including conducting site visits and meeting with local partners.
• Comfortable embracing diverse technology to maximize efficiencies, including digital and virtual group meetings, project management software, and other tools to enhance productivity.
• Experienced in environmental planning, watershed management, conservation, water quality, or a related field.
• Interested in using technology and data to support environmental decision-making, including tools such as GIS, monitoring, modeling, and land-use assessments.
• Ready to provide leadership and technical guidance to staff, watershed coordinators, and community partners.

Make Your Work Matter

At the Iowa DNR, your work can have a direct and lasting impact on Iowa’s rivers, lakes, streams, groundwater, communities, and future generations.

Bring your environmental expertise to a team that turns collaboration into action and helps protect Iowa’s most valuable natural resources.

Essential Functions

• Reviews and analyzes water quality, water quantity, and nonpoint source pollution issues and mitigation strategies. Reviews environmental principles related to sediment, nutrient and bacterial pollutants and their relationship to water quality. Reviews written watershed plans and provides constructive input and feedback. Prepares and interprets project contracts. Reviews and approves contract/vendor claims, invoices, and draft/final product deliverables.
• Writes technical and non-technical documents that clearly communicate program and project ideas, needs, goals, and objectives. Communicates technical and non-technical data and information to non-technical audiences in a clear and understandable manner. Communicates verbally with large groups, small groups, and in one-on-one situations. Facilitates discussions among technical and non-technical groups of internal and external stakeholders.
• Reads and absorbs technical and non-technical studies and reports on environmental planning, soil conservation, flood and hazard mitigation, and river basin and watershed planning. Reads and absorbs laws, rules, policies, and position papers related to TMDLs, water quality assessments, water quality standards, watersheds, source water protection, water quality, and water quantity improvement.
• Evaluates and interprets the relationship between agricultural production activities, economics, stream hydrology and nonpoint source pollution issues.
• Develops and maintains effective working relationships with staff, state and federal agency partners, local watershed leaders and groups, agricultural interests, environmental interests, local citizen groups, private-sector partners, the regulated public, and industry professionals.
• Establishes effective contract administration and management strategies. Prepares reports, programmatic and financial tracking spreadsheets, and project and program information databases.
• Traverses open and/or cultivated fields, rolling terrain, riparian zones, and stream beds.
• Trains and advise social and regional watershed staff on field assessment protocols and effective watershed planning processes.

Critical Job Competencies:

The ideal candidate demonstrates strong core values of Accountability, Integrity, High Productivity, Interpersonal Skills, Communication Skills, Customer Focus, Team Player, Self Management, Computer Skills, Technical Skills - Natural Resources Planning, Project Management and Problem-solving.

What You Get From Us:

• A competitive pay plan and rewarding work.
• Insurance benefits that start the first of the month following 30 days of employment. (Premiums can start as low as $64/month for single and $210/month for family coverage).
• Separate vacation and sick leave accruals that start on the first day and can roll over annually.
• Nine paid holidays/year.
• Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) retirement package with employer match.
• Optional deferred compensation (457/401A) plan with employer match.
• Professional training opportunities.
• Family friendly and professional work environment.
• Employee Discount Programs (vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, season passes, travel, counseling)
• The State’s total compensation package features benefits that are worth about 30% of your total compensation. For a list of additional benefits, please visit the DAS website for more information.
• Flexible work schedules (as approved by the supervisor).
• Opportunities for hybrid telework (as approved by the supervisor).

Special Requirements:

The candidate must possess and maintain valid Iowa driver's license.

This position will work from an office approximately 60% of the time, when not in an office, this position will work in the field in the Western Iowa territory covering approximately 30 Iowa counties (Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Sioux, Obrien, Clay, Plymouth, Cherokee, Buena Vista, Woodbury, Ida, Sac, Monona, Crawford, Carroll, Harrison, Shelby, Audubon, Pottawattamie, Cass, Adair, Mills, Montgomery, Adams, Union, Fremont, Page, Taylor, Ringgold, Decatur, Wayne, and Appanoose).

• The successful candidate is expected to establish a relationship with local DNR field offices, as well as soil and water conservation district offices and county conservation board offices within the western Iowa district.
• This position will oversee program operations and team members stationed in the Western Iowa territory listed with the above counties.
• This position will also meet with water quality improvement partners located predominantly in the Western Iowa territory.
• This position will also engage with project coordinators stationed around the state and represent the agency onsite for water quality events predominately in the Western Iowa territory and on occasion around the state.

The successful candidate must reside within Iowa and must be within 1 hour driving distance of the Western Basin territory. Please reference the map https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dLR2F4ZviHesOXPrLFERQAI2EFJVuiQ0/view?usp=sharing

Comments:

The starting salary for new state (Executive Branch) employees is expected to be at the base of the pay range. Additional salary increases may occur after the first six months, and then annually (if applicable). The State’s total compensation package features an outstanding set of employee benefits that are worth about 30% of your total compensation. Visit the DAS website for more benefit information.

The State of Iowa is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Iowa DNR Mission:

To conserve and enhance our natural resources in cooperation with individuals and organizations to improve the quality of life in Iowa and ensure a legacy for future generations.

Grant Writing and Management

6 months’ professional level experience as one of a team or as the sole organizational resource managing the grant program, which includes all of the following: writing grant applications/proposals, managing grant funds, providing technical assistance to sub-grantees, monitoring grants, and grant performance reporting. Experience must have been a major or dominant function of the job. May also include experience reviewing, approving/awarding, and monitoring others’ grant proposals, but this alone does not qualify.

Service and Performance Contract Negotiations and Management

6 months’ experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination. Differs from labor contract negotiation. These are contracts with various vendors or other service providers and the applicant must have demonstrated experience and/or education that allowed them to review performance and service delivery and know what to do and be able to act when performance does not meet expectations. Includes: drafting or developing contracts for provision of products and/or services and the related budget components; negotiating the terms of contracts to include: costs, timeframes and performances expectations and/or work products; monitoring and managing all aspects of the contracts: to include timely submission of financial reports, performance reports, work products and determining when appropriate benchmarks for payment of invoices are met. Specific educational courses that relate to the selective might include contract management, business law, principles of economics, business management and similar courses.

Natural Resources

• Ecology
• Environmental planning
• Soil conservation
• Biological sciences
• Waste water treatment
• Forestry
• Engineering related to natural resource areas (dams, sanitary engineers, etc.)
• Outdoor recreation planning
• Physical sciences
• River basin planning
• Geography
• Wildlife management

Education and Experience Requirements

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in a Natural Science and three years of full time professional scientific experience in an environmental program in the areas of water supply, waste water, animal feeding operations, hazardous substances, radiation, sewage treatment, solid waste, geology, history, archeology, flood plain, air pollution, dam safety, or underground storage tanks;

OR an equivalent combination of education and experience substituting one year of the required full-time professional work for each 30 semester hours of the required education;

OR an equivalent combination of education and experience, substituting thirty semester hours of accredited graduate level coursework in a Natural Science, history, or archeology for each year of the required experience to a maximum substitution of two years;

OR employees with current continuous experience in the State of Iowa Executive Branch that includes twenty-four months of full-time work as an Environmental Specialist or Environmental Engineer.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.