Housatonic Valley Association – Berkshire Clean, Cold and Connected Restoration Coordinator
The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) seeks a highly motivated, detail-oriented conservation practitioner familiar with aquatic habitat restoration to join our Watershed Conservation Team as the Berkshire Clean, Cold and Connected (BCCC) Restoration Coordinator. The BCCC Restoration Partnership area covers the Housatonic, Hoosic and Farmington River watersheds in Berkshire County, MA. The BCCC Restoration Coordinator will work closely with the Watershed Conservation Director, the Berkshire Watershed Manager and BCCC partners to identify, plan and execute aquatic habitat restoration projects, including but not limited to culvert replacement, dam removal, natural stream channel reconstruction, wetland restoration, floodplain reconnection and riparian buffer enhancement. This position is based in HVA’s Berkshire office in Stockbridge, MA.
BCCC Partners have been working over the past year to develop an Implementation Plan that articulates our shared goals for aquatic habitat restoration in the Berkshires and specific actions we will take to accomplish those goals. The BCCC Restoration Coordinator will facilitate partner collaboration around executing the actions identified and lead regular updates to the Implementation Plan.
Reports to:
Watershed Conservation Director
Status:
Full-time, Salaried, Exempt
Duties:
• Coordinate the Berkshire Clean, Cold and Connected Restoration Partnership, which will include but not be limited to:
> Liaising with Core Partners (MA Department of Ecological Restoration, Trout Unlimited, Berkshire
Regional Planning Commission, Hoosic River Watershed Association, Farmington River Watershed
Association, Berkshire Environmental Action Team) and a variety of local, regional, state and federal
agencies and stakeholders;
> Facilitating communication and resource-sharing between Core Partners;
> Administering sub-awards to partners from BCCC’s MA Department of Ecological Restoration
Partnerships Program grant, and from other grants secured by HVA for implementation of projects
identified in the BCCC Implementation Plan;
> Leading implementation of the BCCC Restoration Partnership Implementation Strategy, including
supporting partners working to implement priority aquatic habitat restoration projects;
> Promoting the resources available through the BCCC Restoration Partnership to municipalities,
landowners and other potential collaborators.
• With support from the Berkshire Watershed Manager and the Watershed Conservation Director, lead HVA’s aquatic habitat restoration efforts in the Berkshires that have been included in the BCCC Implementation Plan. These include but aren’t limited to road-stream crossing assessment and replacement planning, culvert replacements, and stream corridor restoration project planning and construction.
• Conduct data collection and field work in support of aquatic habitat restoration projects.
• Supervise field staff (including but not limited to the Berkshire Conservation Technician and seasonal interns) and volunteers assisting with aquatic habitat restoration projects that have been included in the BCCC Implementation Plan.
• Prepare technical reports.
• With support from the Berkshire Watershed Manager, the Watershed Conservation Director and HVA
Finance and Advancement staff, write and manage grants to support the BCCC Restoration Partnership.
• Communicate regularly with HVA’s Finance and Advancement staff to ensure integration of BCCC Restoration Partnership into HVA’s operations in these areas.
Required Experience/Qualifications:
• Enthusiasm and passion for conservation work, the goals of the BCCC Restoration Partnership, and HVA’s mission.
• Experience facilitating partnerships or other collaborative efforts that include stakeholders with diverse
missions and priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and lead habitat restoration projects, including construction projects that
require complex permitting and consultant/contractor management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work outside for extended periods of time under inclement conditions.
• Ability to balance multiple projects concurrently to ensure quality, performance, and consistency with
established schedules and deadlines.
• Access to a reliable personal vehicle. HVA provides mileage reimbursement but does not provide work
vehicles for staff.
Desired Qualifications:
• Proficiency with ArcGIS.
• Experience with rod-and-level surveying.
• Restoration project design experience.
• Familiarity with regulatory environment in Berkshire County related to aquatic habitat restoration projects, particularly in-stream work and culvert replacement.
• Understanding of surface water hydrology and fluvial geomorphology.
• Familiarity with the ecological communities of the Berkshires.
• Experience working with municipal government and/or landowners to implement conservation projects.
Professional Development:
The BCCC Restoration Coordinator will have access to a variety of professional development opportunities through MA DER, HVA and BCCC Core Partners. We encourage applications from individuals who do not have the skills listed above but are eager to acquire them.
Time and Compensation:
The starting annual salary range for this full-time position is $60,000 to $65,000. Benefits include health insurance, 403b retirement plan and HVA match, life and short-term disability insurance, paid holidays, paid time off, and remote work flexibility.
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
- Optional but encouraged: Examples of past work relevant to the duties of the BCCC Restoration
Partnership Coordinator (please limit to 1-2 pages/project, no more than three projects)
Submit via email to Michael Jastremski, Watershed Conservation Director (mj.hva@outlook.com). Please include your name and “BCCC Restoration Coordinator” in the subject line. Position will remain open until filled; preference will be given to candidates who apply by March 1st.
About the BCCC Restoration Partnership:
The Berkshire Clean, Cold, and Connected Restoration Partnership is a collaboration between Berkshire County restoration practitioners, local and regional stakeholders and the Massachusetts Department of Ecological Restoration to build regional capacity to plan and implement critical ecological restoration projects. The work of the BCCC Restoration Partnership is meant to restore degraded aquatic ecosystems and increase climate change resiliency across its 766 square mile Partnership Region in Berkshire County, including the Hoosic, Housatonic and Farmington River watersheds.
About HVA:
HVA leads conservation action in communities across the tristate 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.
HVA is an equal opportunity employer. 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