The Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) seeks a full-time Project Manager to join our growing team. This role is ideal for someone who is a highly organized self-starter and prides themselves on 1) technical skills in water resources, 2) facilitation and leadership skills, and 3) project management experience. If you have a strong work ethic, passionate drive, and enduring commitment to water quality, climate resilience and ecological restoration in our watershed, consider joining our team.
About MRWC: The MRWC is a nonprofit environmental organization that protects and improves the Merrimack River Watershed for all people and wildlife through science, restoration, education, recreation, and advocacy. We work with diverse stakeholders, decision makers and communities to address threats including water pollution, habitat loss, aging infrastructure, and climate change. MRWC has a main office in Lawrence, Massachusetts and a secondary office in Concord, New Hampshire. However, MRWC works throughout the entire 5,000 square mile watershed, which begins in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and flows out to the ocean at Newburyport and Salisbury, Massachusetts.
About the Position: The Project Manager will: 1) develop and implement ecological restoration projects in NH, 2) manage a state-wide, source water protection partnership funded through NRCS, 3) expand MRWC’s community-based volunteer programming in NH, 4) support water quality monitoring, 5) collaborate with the Restoration Project Manager on NH projects, and 6) collaborate with the MA Water Resources Program Manager to achieve organizational watershed-wide goals.
The Project Manager must have a commitment to a collaborative, partnership-based atmosphere, and knowledge of local, state, and federal natural resource agencies. The ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects/deadlines is key to success in this position. The Project Manager should have a working knowledge of watershed management, conservation planning, restoration, and monitoring.
The Project Manager will facilitate regular stakeholder meetings, provide review of restoration projects, and assist partner organizations in prioritizing and acquiring funding for restoration projects. This involves outreach to landowners, and coordinating development of proposals, permit applications and designs. It involves review of budgets, providing contractor oversight, completing and/or reviewing reports, and coordinating with funders. It will also involve running community-based restoration events, invasive species control, and trash cleanups.
This position currently does not supervise other staff; however, the program may utilize supervising AmeriCorps interns in future years.
Location: This position is based out of our new Concord, NH office, and most work will take place in New Hampshire, although there will also be occasional commitments to our primary Lawrence, MA office. MRWC operates on a hybrid office/remote model, but the Project Manager must be based within easily commutable distance of the Merrimack Valley and the Concord NH office. Project activities occur throughout the watershed so regular travel should be expected.
Schedule: Full-time exempt with options for flexible scheduling. This position requires occasional early morning or evening meetings, and occasional weekend events.
Working Conditions: Work performed outdoors may be in inclement weather and around construction equipment. Sufficient mobility is required to navigate uneven terrain, steep slopes, moving water and other field conditions.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Water Resources:
– Serve as project leader for a variety of planning, assessment and/or implementation projects aimed at restoring habitat, improving ecosystem resilience, and protecting source water, including: dam removal, culvert replacement, riparian re-vegetation, in-stream restoration, invasive species management, and green stormwater infrastructure.
– Communicate effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences about science, policy, and regulatory implications of watershed data.
Prepare project plans, permit applications and designs, and funding applications.
– Participate on natural resource committees.
– Conduct strategic outreach to landowners and stakeholders to recruit participants for restoration programs and program volunteers
Contribute to MRWC’s volunteer-based water quality monitoring, including regular year-round sampling, hotspot monitoring, data analysis, and technical
– Plan community science programming and volunteer
Project Management:
– Build enduring partnerships with municipal staff, state and federal agencies, academic institutions, and volunteers.
– Manage project budgets.
– Manage grant contract reporting and
Contract and supervise project subcontractors.
– Write new grants to support future programming.
NH Statewide NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Project (RCPP):
– Serve as Project Lead for implementation of 5-year statewide $6.8M NRCS
– Coordinate and facilitate partners of the NH Source Water Plan and implement restoration projects in the Merrimack River Watershed with RCPP funds.
– Prepare technical reports on monitoring results and annual progress
– Manage a complex budget and work with MRWC accountants on auditable budget transactions, reports and documentation
QUALIFICATIONS:
At MRWC, our goal is to find the best candidate for the job. While the qualifications below aim to outline the expected qualities and areas of expertise that would make a candidate successful, we understand that there are valuable areas of both lived and professional experience that you may have that may not be captured here. We encourage you to apply, even if you feel you may not meet all of the qualifications outlined here, are differently qualified, and/or if you have a less traditional background. Ultimately, we seek a Project Manager who is a collaborative self-starter, motivated to take on new challenges, passionate about making change in the Merrimack River Watershed and MRWC’s mission, and seeks to grow their career in watershed science.
Required Qualifications:
– Strategic thinker with desire to develop collaborative solutions to complex problems
– Demonstrated success leading groups
– Excellent inter-personal, verbal and written communication skills
– Ability to manage complex projects
– Either a Master’s degree in water resources management, ecological restoration, aquatic biology, ecology, hydrology, civil or environmental engineering, landscape architecture or a related field + minimum two years of relevant work experience, OR a Bachelor’s degree in above mentioned fields + four years relevant work experience
– Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
Preferred Qualifications:
– Experience managing $1 million grant budgets and working with a coalition of multiple local, state, and federal partners.
– Demonstrated success managing federal grants.
– Budget management proficiency. This role will have significant responsibility managing regular and auditable transactions.
– Connections with state and federal agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders working in natural resources management in New Hampshire.
– Proficient in ArcGIS and ArcGIS Online.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:
Salary dependent on experience, with a range of $60,000-$68,000. Benefits include a health insurance stipend, matching retirement account and mileage reimbursement for work travel.
TO APPLY:
Submit a cover letter and resume to careers@merrimack.org with the subject line “NH Water Resources Project Manager.” Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Applications should be submitted by end of day March 5, 2023, but will be accepted until the position is filled. No calls, please.
