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Full job description

POSITION TITLE: Program Manager, Water Resources Program

SALARY: Pay Range: 12

$83,840.04 to $111,665.40 annual DOE/DOQ

DEPARTMENT: Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

LOCATION: Nixyaawii Governance Center, Mission, Oregon, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Regular Full Time with benefits package

Exempt Status

SUPERVISED BY: Director, Department of Natural Resources

OPENING DATE: June 6, 2024

CLOSING DATE: Open until filled; review of complete applications on June 20, 2024

CTUIR MISSION STATEMENT

Exercise the Tribe?s sovereign authority to achieve the maximum protection of resources identified in the Treaty of 1855, to protect newly acquired lands wherein the Tribe has a vested interest, to protect the lands of all the citizens and residents of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This position exercise professional skills and abilities in the protection of the resources of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES MISSION STATEMENT

To protect, restore, and enhance the First Foods – water, salmon, deer, cous, and huckleberry – for the perpetual cultural, economic, and sovereign benefit of the CTUIR. We will accomplish this utilizing traditional ecological and cultural knowledge and science to inform: 1) population and habitat management goals and actions; and 2) natural resource policies and regulatory mechanisms.

WATER RESOURCES PROGRAM MISSION

To ensure that ground and surface waters are available to satisfy CTUIR treaty rights, the needs of CTUIR members, and the citizens of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The Water Resources Program implements CTUIR Water Code procedures and regulations to promote sustainable water use and management.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

The Program Manager leads the implementation of the Water Resources Program (Program) mission, including strategic program planning and operational oversight. This position oversees implementation of the CTUIR?s Water Code on the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Safety of Dams program at Indian Lake Dam and will creatively develop Program capacity responsive to CTUIR DNR?s management guidance documents and Umatilla Basin Water Rights Settlement outcomes.

To achieve organizational goals for the benefit of the CTUIR community and organization, the Program Manager works internally with CTUIR policy makers, DNR Programs (Cultural Resources Protection, Fisheries, Wildlife, Range & Agriculture & Forestry, Energy and Environmental Sciences, First Foods Policy, and Administration), and other CTUIR Departments. Externally, the Program Manager coordinates with tribal, federal, state, and local governments to enhance and ensure the protection and enhancement of surface and ground waters, First Foods, and CTUIR?s areas of rights and interests.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Planning

• Responsible for facilitating timely production of Program strategic plans and budgets at multiple time scales, including generally one, two, five, and 10-year timeframes, and submitting to DNR Director for review and approval.

• Ensures Program demonstrably and creatively integrates Tribal Water Code, CTUIR Comprehensive Plan, CTUIR Climate Adaptation Plan, DNR Upland and River Visions into Program strategies, work plans, grant funding proposals, projects, monitoring and data collection programs, and performance evaluations.

• Assesses and creatively develops Program resources and facilitates work responsive to the CTUIR?s Umatilla Basin Water Rights Settlement, which will include Umatilla Indian Reservation consumptive uses and Umatilla Watershed instream flows for native fish, habitat, and Tribal Treaty fishing rights.

• Fosters collaborative work with other Federal and State co-managers, other tribes, and non-governmental organizations. Examples include but are not necessarily limited to 1) Umatilla Basin Water Rights Settlement, 2) Walla Walla 2050 Planning, 3) Basin, Watershed, or Place-Based Planning, 4) Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area.

• Actively participates in DNR planning retreats to integrate work with other DNR Programs and other Departments.

• Schedules and manages Water Resources Program planning retreats to facilitate coordination of existing work commitments, foster team building, and develop and schedule new work ideas.

• Consistent with strategic plans, responsible for facilitating Program budget development and allocations, oversight, approval, and timely submittal, and annual budget implementation and reconciliation. The Water Resources Program budget currently ranges from about $3.0-4.5M annually.

• Facilitates the strategic program pursuit and utilization of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding to develop and maintain Tribal capacity for implementing environmental programs and promoting Tribal self-governance and inter-governmental collaboration to produce positive environmental outcomes.

• Facilitates the strategic Program pursuit and utilization of grants from diverse funders, including, but not limited to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and others, to help achieve the Program mission.

• Contributes to sensitive and complex negotiations, agreements and/or settlements, that advance the mission of the CTUIR and DNR, (e.g. water rights settlement, instream flow acquisitions or leases, natural resources mitigation).

• Assesses and plans, with organizational staff and Tribal Water Commission, Tribal Water Code maintenance and updates.

• Collaborates as needed with the CTUIR Office of Legal Counsel in the identification and furtherance of work efforts to protect and enhance CTUIR water rights.

Operations

• Responsible for providing Program oversight for integrated water resources management, including managing up to about 6-10 staff, managing water development and use permits, water quality data collection, dam safety, hydrologic assessments, regulating water use and development via CTUIR?s Water Code, and informing water management policy development.

• Responsible for implementing the CTUIR Water Code, the primary purposes of which (briefly) are to provide for sustainable use and development of the water resources of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, ensure all resident of the Reservation have an adequate quantity of clean water for domestic purposes, protect Reservation water resources from over-appropriation, pollution, contamination, degradations, or other injurious acts, protect and conserve the quality and quantity of the natural and cultural resources in the stream zones of the Reservation, and to insure water rights reserved pursuant to the Treaty of 1855 receive the highest priority in use and appropriation, are protected for current and future generations.

• Coordinates information input and water-related policy reviews from other DNR Programs and obtains DNR Director approvals.

• Responsible for identifying, developing, and reviewing water resources-related policy and solutions, and participating in inter-disciplinary Tribal government project forums, to develop and maintain projects for community and organizational benefit.

• Participates in Tribal government policy forums for reviews (Commissions, Committees, Board of Trustees) and approvals of work products.

• Responsible for timely Program budget development and reconciliation for Tribal, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and various grant and contract funds.

• Schedules and facilitates regular meetings with Program and periodic DNR all-staff meetings.

• Coordinates Program work with other CTUIR departments and programs, primarily Office of Information Technology/Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program, Office of Legal Counsel, Tribal Planning Department, and Public Works Department. Responsible for providing information and coordination to other DNR Programs in projects related to water rights, water quality measurement, water acquisitions, water supply needs, hydrology (surface and ground), and related projects as opportunities develop or organizational needs dictate.

• Responsible for implementing the Safety of Dams Program, including coordination with BIA and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Safety of Dams representatives.

• Develops and facilitates data monitoring programs, regular data collection, and management protocols to ensure quality data is available to support organizational decision needs.

• Facilitates appropriate and regular employee safety training for diverse Program job descriptions and includes safety performance in job evaluations.

• Develops, or facilitates, reviews, and informs written inter-governmental correspondence in the interest of CTUIR, its Treaty Rights, and the DNR and Water Resources missions.

• Assists as needed with reviews of, and contributions to, state and national legislation, international negotiations, including conducting analysis for consistency with CTUIR policy positions and DNR and Program missions, and providing recommended improvements and CTUIR policy positions.

• Actively participates in and contributes to DNR planning retreats, DNR All-Staff meetings, regular program manager meetings, and community open houses.

• Proactively facilitates Program consistency with organizational policies, including but not necessarily limited to personnel, finance, and computer use policies.

Evaluation

• Evaluates Program progress at multiple time scales and for multiple projects.

• Conducts annual performance reviews of direct supervisees, reviews all program staff evaluations.

• Identifies and facilitates staff professional development to enhance program resources, staff capacity and skills to meet organizational needs.

• Facilitates and communicates changes to Water Resources Program organizational structure, staffing alignment and assignments consistent with the DNR and Water Resources Program missions, new work needs, and changing resources capacities.

Reporting

• Responsible for timely Program reporting, including Tribal progress reports, Commission/Committee reports, and facilitating staff grant reporting dependent on grant requirements.

Other

33. Other duties as assigned by DNR Director.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY: The Program Manager supervises, evaluates, and manages the performance of 5-7 staff.

SIGNATORY AUTHORITY: Examples include purchase requests and orders, supervisee evaluations, time sheets, leave requests, travel authorizations, and trip reports, and other supervisory personnel documentation as needed.