Overview

Job Announcement

Collaboration and Policy Coordinator

Swan Valley Connections, Condon, MT

Open 11/22/2016 through 01/04/2017

Swan Valley Connections (SVC), a conservation and education non-profit organization, is hiring a full-time, year-round Collaboration and Policy Coordinator (CPC) who will be responsible for representing the organization in local and regional collaboratives, coordinating and facilitating collaborative work for SVC, and teaching field courses related to natural resource policy.

As a community-based conservation organization, SVC seeks to foster connections between the people and landscapes of the rural and wild Swan Valley, Montana. We strive to help people work together to sustain our valley’s natural resources and rural characteristics.  We endeavor to engage the local community on conservation issues and feel this is best accomplished through collaboration and relationship building.  To learn more about our organization visit SwanValleyConnections.org

SVC conducts conservation work focused on sustainable resource management and conservation of ecological systems and offers collegiate field programs for academic credit.  SVC currently employs eleven permanent staff and up to five temporary staff each year.

The main roles of the CPC are to coordinate and participate in collaborative engagement on natural resource management issues and policy with the local community and partners as well as instruct several college-level courses which emphasize natural resource policy. SVC is engaged in numerous partnerships and collaborative networks that require continuous engagement and commitment.  Working closely with staff, we expect the CPC to take the lead in these relationships.  Working for a small non-profit requires the ability and willingness to take on tasks spanning a variety of program areas; therefore, other tasks will be assigned opportunistically.

The Collaboration and Policy Coordinator must live in the Swan Valley (Condon, MT) or in the Upper Clearwater Valley (Seeley Lake, MT).  Duty station is the USFS Condon Work Center.

Inquire regarding salary and benefits.

SVC will be accepting applications through close of business January 4th, 2017.

Key Responsibilities

Collaboration and Policy Coordinator
Participate and engage in local and regional collaboratives related to the organization’s mission.
Initiate collaborative action where there is a need to fulfill a resource need
Act as liaison between SVC and local government agencies (USFS, DNRC, FWP)
Act as a policy resource for education and community programs
Course Instructor
Work closely with SVC education team to develop and teach experiential, integrated curriculum
Teach courses on natural resource policy, focused on wildlife and forest management; also responsible for teaching an independent study/research course
Will need to work periodically outside normal business hours during student programs and live in the field with students for periods of up to a week at a time
Required Experience and Education

Master’s Degree (MA or MS) in natural resource management, policy, or ecology; environmental studies; or related fields.
Demonstrated success teaching at the undergraduate level
Demonstrated knowledge of US natural resource policy
Demonstrated knowledge of history, culture, and structure of local, state, and federal land and resource management agencies in Montana
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Preferable Qualities and Skills

Strong interpersonal skills and desire to work with people
Experience distilling complex policy concepts in an engaging manner for college students.
Ability to integrate policy lessons with implications for social, economic, and ecological vitality.
Experience in a supervisory role.
Ability to develop creative curriculum and continue adapting curriculum to changing natural resource issues.
Ability to take a non-advocacy approach to conservation
Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
Outdoor leadership skills, including excellent judgment in scenarios with students with potentially limited resources or limited communication with other staff
Desire to work with various perspectives in a rural community to develop productive solutions to resource conflicts.
Commitment to live and thrive year-round in a small rural community with limited access to urban amenities.
Good driving record; experience driving groups
To apply, send a one page cover letter and resume to Andrea Stephens at Andrea@svconnections.org

All applications must be in digital format, either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf).