Project Manager

Type: 1.0 FTE, fully benefitted 

Salary Range: $70,000 - $84,000, DOE

Application Review begins upon receipt through July 31, 2024

About Washington Water Trust

Washington Water Trust (WWT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit leader in river and stream flow protection. Our mission is to protect and restore healthy rivers and streams across Washington so that fish, farms, and communities can thrive for generations. WWT is a leader in water rights and water law, stream flow restoration, multi- stakeholder engagement, implementation of instream flow projects, water banking and large-scale water conservation projects. We craft smart, collaborative, and durable solutions to our freshwater challenges. For more information, visit us at  www.washingtonwatertrust.org or view our most recent annual report.

The Position

WWT seeks a team-oriented, motivated, and resilient Project Manager with a passion for rivers and streams. The Project Manager will partner with landowners, tribes, conservation districts, land trusts, as well as local, state, and federal agencies to implement and fund innovative projects with lasting benefits to endangered fish, streams, and local economies primarily in Western Washington. We are seeking candidates who embrace a collaborative approach, hold a technical and social skill set to deliver high quality outcomes, and have an interest and enthusiasm for working in rural communities. 

WWT values a collaborative team environment, built on respect for each other and the people, partners and communities we work with.

This is a full-time exempt position, located in Washington state and supervised by a Program Director. 

WWT is committed to professional development and career advancement opportunities for our employees. WWT supports professional development by providing a training budget for staff and offering position and salary advancement as staff gain skills, experience, and expertise to meet our mission.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Project Management: Manage multiple projects with attention to time management, grant/contract requirements, project deliverable schedules, budgets, project metrics and team communication.

• Project Development: Research water rights and ecological needs to identify and prioritize stream restoration opportunities and develop flow restoration projects.

• Coalition/Team building: Develop effective working relationships with water rights holders, public agencies, tribes, local governments, conservation districts, irrigation districts and salmon recovery funders in WWT’s targeted basins. Collaborate with stakeholders to achieve mutual goals.

• Outreach: Develop and implement outreach strategies based on instream flow needs to reach project partners and/or water right holders by phone, email, mail, media, events and in person to meet flow restoration and project goals. Help expand our work with new programs and into new watersheds.

• Communications: Create and provide effective written and oral communications to diverse audiences, from highly technical to the public.

• Negotiation: Negotiate with water rights holders, subcontractors, agencies and funders to secure contracts, agreements, and water transactions.

• Fundraising: Work with WWT fundraising staff to identify and pursue new funding for projects/programs.

• Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Attributes

• Knowledge of and/or ability to learn the following:

o Western water rights laws

o Conservation markets and or easements

o Microsoft Suite

o Project management software (WWT uses Smartsheet)

• Strong communication skillset including written, verbal, interpersonal 

• Relationship building, resilience, perseverance

• Creative problem-solving

• Self-directed and a critical thinker

• Familiarity with one or more of the following: fisheries science, watershed science, western water management, watershed-based flow restoration techniques, agricultural practices, or other relevant fields

• Experience with geographic information software a plus (WWT uses ArcGIS Pro)

• Demonstrated experience managing projects; experience managing multi-year projects a plus 

• Desired skills and/or ability to learn: 

o Data analytics including time-series management and visualization

o Hands-on experience with water budgets

Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required, with a strong preference for natural resources or a related field; a graduate degree or equivalent experience in natural resources or a related field is a plus.

• 5-10 years’ work experience in a natural resource management or related field, or equivalent combination of graduate school and professional experience.

Working Conditions

This position relies on cultivating good working relationships in the watersheds where we work. We conduct our work, accomplish our mission, and fulfill our passions for restoring rivers and streams through developing relationships with Tribes, agency personnel, landowners, farmers and irrigators, water rights analysis, regional basin planning, developing drought responses, and negotiating water rights transactions.  As much as 85% or more of our work is comprised of the daily use of computers, phones, and virtual meeting platforms at a desk, with some meetings with partners in the basins comprising the balance of the work. This is not a field-based position. 

WWT believes in work life balance with a 40-hour work week. On occasion, employees may be asked to work occasional non-standard hours, including evenings and weekends. Staff must be willing and able to travel throughout Washington.

Under our flexible work policy, WWT offices are open to those who have been fully vaccinated, and staff may also operate from a home office. There will be in-person weekly office days required for team coordination. For remote work, employees must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work during scheduled work hours. 

We are a completely COVID-19 vaccinated staff team and require proof of vaccination for any new hire, to protect the health of our WWT Team, our families and communities.