Housatonic Valley Association – Wild and Scenic River Program Coordinator/Conservation Grant Manager
The Housatonic River Commission (HRC) and the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) seek an enthusiastic and qualified professional with experience in grant administration, partnership building and community engagement to support our work to protect the Housatonic River and its watershed. This position has two main components:
Housatonic Wild and Scenic River Program Coordinator
This individual will coordinate the work of HRC related to their management of the stretch of the Housatonic from the Massachusetts border to Boardman Bridge in New Milford, which was recently designated as a federal Wild and Scenic River based on its Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs) for recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, scenery and cultural legacy. The HRC includes representatives from the Towns of North Canaan, Canaan, Salisbury, Cornwall, Sharon, Kent and New Milford (River Towns); and, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), National Park Service (NPS), Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG), and FirstLight Power (Advisory HRC Members).
Conservation Grant Manager
This individual will manage grants and as time permits help implement projects that support HVA’s conservation and community outreach work. The grants and projects this position will focus on include but are not limited to advocacy, education, recreation, events, and our watershed-wide conservation campaigns: Clean, Cold and Connected – aimed at restoring and protecting waterways from the Berkshire Hills to Long Island Sound, and Follow the Forest – aimed at conserving a linked forest corridor from the Hudson Highlands through the Housatonic Watershed to Canada. This position works closely with Program staff and helps sustain partnerships with organizations and communities across the watershed.
Status:
This is a full-time, salaried position that will be housed at HVA. Approximately 50% of this position will be dedicated to HRC/Wild and Scenic Coordination. Approximately 50% of this position will be dedicated to HVA conservation grant management, and project implementation as time permits.
Reports to:
HRC Chair and HVA Executive Director (in close coordination with the Watershed Conservation Director), under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding between HRC and HVA. Management of this position will be collaborative between HRC and HVA, with clear guidance about how to receive and respond to direction for the Program Coordinator/Grant Manager.
Compensation and benefits:
The starting annual salary range for this full-time position is $50,000 – $55,000. Benefits include health insurance, 403b retirement plan and HVA match, life and short-term disability insurance, paid holidays and time off, remote work flexibility.
Qualifications and competencies:
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position:
Experience with grant writing and management.
Experience with project planning and implementation.
Fastidious attention to administrative, financial and recordkeeping tasks.
Strong interpersonal skills that will foster effective working relationships at all levels, inside and outside of HRC and HVA.
Excellent communications and writing/editing skills, with a strong sense of narrative and storytelling.
Knowledge and ease with social media and communications technology.
Ability to work effectively under frequent deadlines, respond quickly to unexpected challenges and shifting priorities, and follow through on time-sensitive tasks with minimal supervision, both autonomously and with a team.
Ability to work evenings as needed.
A valid driver’s license and access to a personal vehicle.
Desired qualifications:
Familiarity with the Housatonic River and its watershed; interest or experience in river management and understanding of the Wild and Scenic Rivers program; experience with planning/implementing conservation projects.
Housatonic Wild and Scenic River Program Coordinator Duties:
The Wild and Scenic Program Coordinator is the “glue” that holds the HRC together. Specific duties are listed below:
Attend all regular and special meetings of the HRC, including site visits as appropriate.
Support HRC’s development of annual work plans that list and describe projects that further the goals of the Housatonic River Management Plan and meet the federal W&S designation requirements.
Develop Requests for Proposals, contracts and other deliverables necessary for disbursement of Wild and Scenic funds to implement projects included in annual work plans.
Liaise between HRC and contractors.
Track the progress of projects/contracts, and ensure accurate record-keeping.
Administer HRC’s communications, including website, social media and other public outreach.
Support HRC administrative assistant (who is responsible for meeting announcements, agendas, and meeting minutes) in planning, organizing and facilitating monthly and special meetings of the HRC.
Conservation Grant Manager Duties:
HVA’s Conservation Grant Manager provides vital support for all aspects of our grant-funded projects funding, from request to final reporting. Specific duties are listed below:
Support HVA Program and Development staff with writing and submitting funding proposals for competitive grants, and to donors.
Develop and facilitate execution of contracts with funders and sub-contractors.
Develop and submit timely invoices to funders.
Work with Finance Director and Program Staff to ensure prompt payment to sub-contractors.
Manage important information related to obligated funding, including but not limited to:
o Adding important deadlines (reporting, milestones, contract end dates etc.) to HVA calendar and other tools when funding is received.
o Tracking and ensuring completion of special requirements for individual grants, such as press releases.
Drafting initial interim and final reports with support from appropriate Program staff.
Ensuring timely submission of the above.
Assisting Program Staff with implementation of conservation projects as time allows.
To Apply:
Applicants should submit the following as a single .pdf or .doc file:
- COVER LETTER explaining your interest and qualifications.
- RESUME/CV
- THREE PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
Submit via email to Lynn Werner, Housatonic Valley Association Executive Director (lwerner@hvatoday.org and William Tingley, Housatonic River Commission Chair (wrtingley@gmail.com). Please include your name and “Wild and Scenic Program Coordinator/Conservation Grant Manager” in the subject line. Position will remain open until filled; preference will be given to candidates who apply before December 15th.
About HRC:
HRC was created by the River Towns to give advisory opinions in respect of the protection of the Housatonic River Valley from the Massachusetts border to the Boardman Bridge, 41 miles to the south. HRC held its first meeting in July of 1979 and completed a River Management Plan in 1981and amended in 2006 that outlined objectives and duties of the Commission and included recommended regulatory language that was subsequently incorporated into the zoning regulations of all the River Towns. The River Management Plan has been effective in aiding the HRC in monitoring development and environmental impacts along the corridor and in advocating for the scenic, historic and natural resources of the River. In their advisory capacity, the representatives of the River Towns and Advisory members seek to find solutions to environmental and other issues that may adversely affect the River and the River Towns. HRC holds meetings once a month starting at 7 pm.
About HVA:
HVA leads conservation action in communities across the Housatonic watershed in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. We restore and protect the Housatonic River and its tributaries, protect strategically important lands, and take action to help ecosystems and communities adapt to climate change across the watershed and beyond. We do this directly or in collaborations with partner agencies and organizations, community and business leaders, and concerned citizens working for a clean and healthy natural environment. Our overarching goal is to achieve a climate-ready Housatonic Watershed by 2040. In addition to our advocacy, issue response and education programs, two major campaigns toward our 2040 goal are underway: Clean, Cold and Connected, aimed at restoring and protecting local streams and the waters they flow to, including Long Island Sound; and Follow the Forest, aimed at protecting a continuous forest corridor through the Housatonic watershed to connect the Appalachian Highlands of eastern New York with the forests of western Massachusetts and Vermont through to Canada. HVA is committed to being fully representative of the watershed’s people and diverse communities in all our work and across our organization. We strive to make our conservation actions equitable and inclusive by enabling participation by all and increasing our understanding of and responsiveness to environmental inequity. Our team is committed to continuously improving equitable representation across our organization and in our work towards a healthy watershed. Learn more about HVA at hvatoday.org.
HRC and HVA are equal opportunity employers. If you have the drive, interest and skills to succeed in this position, tell us about how you can help, and we will consider your application. HVA provides equal employment opportunities to all eligible persons and administers personnel policies and practices in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws. We do not discriminate or abide discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, legal history, genetic information, mental disability or physical disability. Our commitment to equal opportunity is a guiding principle in all of our employment practices and policies.
Please note: This position description has excluded duties and responsibilities incidental to the performance of the above listed duties and responsibilities, for example the timely filing of timesheets and other paperwork; responsiveness to other overall organizational needs; maintaining positive and respectful relationships with staff and board; etc. All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements. To perform this job successfully, the incumbent will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee incumbent in this position. HRC and HVA reserve the right to modify, change, or add to the position’s job duties and responsibilities as business needs may require. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at-will relationship.