About the job
The Denali Commission is hiring for a full time Program Manager. This is a term appointment served in yearly increments, not to exceed five years. This position serves as a Senior Program Advisor in one or more of the Commission programs and/or directs the development of new programs.
This position is responsible for promoting healthy soils, forest, wildlife habitat, and water resources resilience efforts in underserved communities in Alaska. Rural Alaska communities face unique social, economic, and environmental challenges, including persistent poverty and a lack of basic community infrastructure including affordable heat. Alaska is warming at a rate of 2-3 times the global average. This negatively impacts both communities and carbon storage through longer fire seasons with larger and more severe wildfires, and thawing permafrost.
Wood harvested in the process of forest resilience projects can supply local community wood energy facilities that reduce remote communities’ dependency on diesel fuel for heating. Climate change-induced vegetation changes affect the health of forest ecosystems vital to subsistence. Several different practices are possible, such as afforestation, thinning or other basic forestry efforts. The practices undertaken depend on the local situation with Alaska Native corporations and local considerations.
Duties
· Duties are listed at the GS-13 grade level.
· Responsible for short- and long-range planning, organizing, and directing the program, coordinating on-going activities, and integrating tribal, state, and other federal resource programs within the scope of this program.
· Participates as a member of forestry, agriculture, and other conservation coordination teams.
· Responsible for program development, planning, budgeting, and management information for identifying work force and organizational needs, target levels, and priorities.
· Set coordinated program goals and priorities based upon an understanding of the various Forest activities, subject to supervisor review
· Enlists the cooperation and support of State and local representatives, concerned citizens, and industry and public interest groups to gain input for the development, management, and protection of wildlife habitat, land, and aquatic resources.
· Directs the formulation and execution of comprehensive plans covering such landscape-wide activities as the consolidation of administrative units and the development of transportation and communication plans, in concert with the Transportation Program Manager.
· Identifies areas to improve aquatic organism passage and streambank rehabilitation through road-stream crossings for native aquatic and riparian species over all of their life stages to provide for robust communities and resilience to climate change stresses.
· Accomplishes work through direction and coordination with supervisors, program managers, group coordinators, committee chairs, or comparable personnel.
· Builds community, welcomes diverse and new perspectives, remains invested and stays informed of current social, political, and economic issues and concerns within assigned geographical area.
· Fosters an inclusive workplace where diversity and individual differences are leveraged to achieve the vision and mission of the organization
· Participate in Fire Management working groups to incorporate fire management objectives with forest harvesting operations or other operations to assure adequate entrusted fuels management on forested lands.
· Provides technical assistance and manages other direct technical assistance through grant and cooperative agreements.
· Manages support to local and tribal soil and water conservation districts.
