Ducks Unlimited Inc, the world leading nonprofit dedicated to wetland conservation, is seeking a water quality specialist to join our team in the 21-State Great Lakes/Atlantic Region. Since 1937, DU has conserved more than 16 million acres of wetland and grassland habitats across North America. DU is a unique turnkey habitat conservation organization with biologists, engineers, working lands, and science professionals supporting project development, delivery, and adaptive management. DU is supported by passionate grassroots members, local, state, and federal grants, private foundations and major donors.
With this position, DU is seeking a qualified individual to support conservation delivery teams working on public and private land conservation opportunities in the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region with a programmatic focus on enhancing water quality through natural infrastructure projects in the Great Lakes and other priority geographies in the region (anticipating an initial focus on WI, MI, OH, IA, and NY with eventual growth throughout the region). We seek a highly motivated self-starter with a willingness to support a team of dedicated conservation professionals to develop innovative approaches to challenging landscape-scale conservation issues
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will have experience in applying their skills in ecology, hydrology and water quality to wetland restoration and enhancement projects. Candidates with knowledge of agricultural systems and Best Management Practices or with knowledge of watershed management and natural infrastructure are preferred. The incumbent will support a talented team of on-the-ground staff to include water quality outcomes in funding applications, design development, and partner networks. This will include a variety of voluntary and regulatory settings around the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region. This position will support integration of water quality goals, partners, and funding in existing DU programs, and will assist in quantifying water quality outcomes for grant applications. The successful candidate will have experience working with natural resource agencies, agricultural groups, and/or municipal project partners, and comfort with growing new partnerships.
The individual will become part of a highly motivated team of biologists, scientists, engineers, GIS technicians and other professionals working with state and local agencies, private landowners and agricultural partners to identify and develop opportunities to restore and protect wetlands in targeted landscapes on public and private lands. The successful applicant will focus initially on three higher order objectives: (1) active participation in the development and implementation of state, federal and municipal grants aimed at wetland conservation and water quality improvements, particularly EPA’s Section 319 program; (2) active support in expanding current and/or developing new conservation delivery programs in targeted geographies with a focus on identifying and making in-roads with new partners and regulators interested in water quality outcomes, and (3) active participation in Ducks Unlimited’s ecosystem services science team to increase collaboration and identify and advocate national priorities.
Education, Experience, and Reporting
The successful candidate will have a minimum of a M.S. in Wetland Ecology, Water Science, Water Resources Engineering (with wetlands focus), Ecological Engineering, Ecohydrology, Hydrology, or a related field, and/or a minimum of 5 years of related experience focused on water resources. This position will function across multiple departments at DU, a demonstrated capacity for managing multiple projects, priorities, and timelines will be key to a successful placement. The ability to locate, review and synthesize technical information related to ecosystem services with an emphasis on wetlands and associated uplands and communicate science-based information to fundraising, marketing and public policy staff is essential. The ideal candidate will have an understanding of wetland and wildlife conservation programs, conservation related policy and legislation and most importantly will have experience with partnership building with public and private entities. The successful candidate will have demonstrated success in leading the development, writing and securing of federal grants such as Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, EPA’s Clean Water Act Section 319, FEMA BRIC, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and other programs related to ecosystem restoration and natural infrastructure. Some experience with watershed-based existing water quality models (such as SWAT, WASP, and/or spreadsheet models such as K-C* and EMC-based loading models) and/or GIS experience are preferred.
The preferred location for this position is DU’s Dexter, MI office. Remote workers within the region may be considered. This position will report to the Water Program Specialist at DU’s Great Lakes-Atlantic Office in Dexter, Michigan and will be given the opportunity to collaborate with DU staff across the U.S. and Canada. Up to 20% travel may be required.
To Apply: Please fill out the application materials online at http://www.ducks.org/jobs, attach cover letter and resume and click submit. To request application materials or submit a resume, cover letter and three references, contact Brittani Donovan, bdonovan@ducks.org. For questions regarding this position, please contact Sara Burns, Water Program Specialist at sburns@ducks.org. Application Deadline is September 20, 2024.
DUCKS UNLIMITED, INC. IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
It is the policy of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. to afford equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons regardless of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 or over), disability (physical, mental or visual), genetic information, marital status (including registered domestic partnership status), military and veteran status, immigration status, or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.
