Local recruitment: TWDB - 26-68: Coastal Science Manager (Manager III)

Performs complex (journey-level) managerial work administering the daily operations and activities of the Texas Water Development Board’s Coastal Science department. Work involves establishing goals and objectives for the Coastal Science Department staff. Develops guidelines, procedures, policies, rules, and regulations. Develops schedules, priorities, and standards for achieving established goals. Coordinates and evaluates the department. Develops and evaluates budget requests and monitors budget expenditures. Plans, assigns, and supervises the work of others. Supervises and may perform data collection, scientific studies, and modeling and analysis of state water resources. Plans, executes, and summarizes studies and the application of mathematical or statistical models and analytical techniques to evaluate environmental flow needs, assess surface water resources, or advance coastal flood science. Supports state water supply planning, flood preparedness, the agency’s strategic plan, and other special projects. Provides technical and administrative assistance to stakeholders, including for the Texas Senate Bill 3 (2007) environmental flows process, the Texas General Land Office’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response program, National Estuary Program, and Coastal Management Program. Serves as a liaison and communicates analyses and results to general and technical audiences. Develops and maintains working relationships with local, state, and federal partners, academic institutions, and private contractors. Works under general supervision, with moderate latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. Reports to the Director of the Surface Water Division.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provides effective leadership and management of the Coastal Science Department.
• Manages all project activities within the Coastal Water Department, providing technical direction and guidance.
• Monitors and reports the Coastal Water Department’s work activities.
• Authorizes the Coastal Water Department’s hirings, separations, disciplinary actions, and employee performance rewards.
• Assigns job duties, conducts performance evaluations, clarifies roles and responsibilities, and monitors and measures performance against goals.
• Evaluates the Coastal Water Department’s performance and recommends and leads improvements.
• Supports the Coastal Water Department’s administrative requirements related to organization, budget, and personnel.
• Ensures the provision of quality customer service from the Coastal Water Department to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Manages the performance of direct reports, to include timely completion of performance appraisals, and follow-through on disciplinary actions as needed.
• Investigates and pursues new approaches and strategic vision for departmental activities and programs.
• Supervises data collection and dissemination of bathymetric, geomorphic, hydrologic, ecological, and water quality data of Texas estuaries
• Supervises the application of data, models, and analyses related to coastal conditions, environmental flows, surface water resources planning and management, and coastal flood science.
• Supervises oil spill modeling on behalf of the Texas General Land Office’s oil spill response program.
• Oversees QA/QC protocols, data management, and data flow protocols; expansion of waterdatafortexas.org; and development of data products.
• Oversees field activities, including preparation of equipment and vehicles, on-site work (including installation and use of equipment), and post-field work clean-up.
• Oversees maintenance and inventory of vehicles and capital equipment.
• Participates in external stakeholder committees, such as for the Senate Bill 3 Environmental Flows process, Coastal Management Program, Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan, and National Estuary Program, etc.
• Ensures program activities are coordinated for efficiency and are communicated effectively to agency management, including updates to TWDB Board members as needed.
• Documents and evaluates processes and recommends new approaches or changes to internal procedures to improve accountability and efficiency for the program.
• Writes, reviews, and evaluates executive-level summaries, technical reports, memos, work process, and policy documents.
• Provides presentations to technical and non-technical audiences, including media.
• Conducts legislative bill analysis as required.
• Presents expert testimony as required.
• Works with staff of other entities, scientific peer review groups, and stakeholders to plan and conduct studies.
• May serve as a contract manager; assist in training and overseeing contract managers and ensure efficient preparation, execution, and release of contract reports.
• Ensures staff is equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively perform their duties.
• Maintains confidential and sensitive information.
• Ensures individual and team files (electronic and hard versions) are appropriately maintained and timely disposed of in accordance with the agency’s records retention procedures and schedule.
• Maintains required certifications and licenses and meets the continuing education needs and requirements of the position to include, attending mandatory training courses.
• May be required to operate a state or personal vehicle for business purposes.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Ecology, Hydrology, Marine Science, Oceanography, or a related field.
• Four years of relevant experience developing and leading scientific water resources studies of the type conducted by the Coastal Science Department or teams, with emphasis on work conducted in surface water hydrology or hydrodynamics, estuarine systems, environmental flows, or related experience.
• Experience developing and managing budgets.
• Experience in project management.
• Experience working with stakeholders.
• Relevant education and experience can be substituted for each other on a year-for-year basis.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a graduate degree, or currently working toward such a degree, in Engineering, Ecology, Hydrology, Marine Science, Oceanography, or related field.
• Expertise in the analysis or application of coastal data for decision-making.
• Expertise in the application of data for environmental flow (freshwater inflow) analyses.
• Experience with the application of hydrodynamic (e.g., ADCIRC, SCHISM, or similar) or hydrologic & hydraulic models (e.g., HEC‑HMS, HEC‑RAS, similar) for decision-making.
• Experience in the maintenance of a water quality or water resources data collection network.
• Experience processing, analyzing, interpreting, and displaying scientific datasets using numerical or visualization tools.
• Experience communicating scientific and technical information to executive level audiences.
• Licensed as a Professional Engineer by the State of Texas.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITES (KSAs)

• Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws and regulations relevant to the Coastal Water Department.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of public administration and management.
• Knowledge of hydrologic, hydrodynamic, and/or ecological principles, techniques, datasets, and procedures as applied to coastal watersheds and bay systems.
• Knowledge of data quality assurance/quality control and relevant modeling and statistical procedures.
• Skills in using Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, and Access.
• Skills in use of internet, email, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database software.
• Skills in leading the scientific direction of the Coastal Science department.
• Skills in writing executive-level summaries, technical memos, reports, work process, and policy documents.
• Skills in project management and grant/contract administration, including time-management and prioritization.
• Skills in scientific data collection, management, analysis, and interpretation, including that of modeled or statistical data.
• Skills in critical thinking.
• Ability to maintain the security or integrity of critical infrastructure within Texas.
• Ability to meet agency in-office requirements.
• Ability to lead projects and perform duties as assigned without direct supervision.
• Ability to adhere to work schedules, follow procedures with respect to leave and submit accurate timesheets by prescribed deadlines.
• Ability to make mature, objective decisions and identify areas of potential problems.
• Ability to perform effectively and willingly when changes occur in scope and nature of the work and work environment.
• Ability to perform routine and non-routine work assignments accurately and on-time with little or no supervision.
• Ability to perform assigned duties and improve work habits and/or output.
• Ability to complete assigned work, on time, neatly and in order with infrequent errors.
• Ability to complete tasks and projects in a timely manner and persists until tasks are completed.
• Ability to interpret policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Ability to provide prompt, courteous and accurate assistance and clear and concise communication to agency staff, as well as to employees of other political entities and the public both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work with others in a team environment and cooperate with supervisors, co-workers, and others.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and schedule work in order to maintain regular progress on assignments and meet deadlines.
• Ability to stand/sit/move to perform activities such as retrieve/replace files in a large file system for boxes up to 30 lbs.
• Ability and willingness to travel 10% of the time, primarily within the State of Texas.
• Ability to operate a vehicle (state or personal) for state business and maintain a driver’s license and driving record that complies with state and agency requirements.
• Ability to work shifts that may exceed 8 hours, including early mornings, nights, and weekends.
• Ability to train others.
• Ability to assign and/or supervise the work of others.