Seeking a Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership Project Manager
The Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership (SMSP) Project Manager is a unique position created to accelerate cross-boundary land stewardship in southwest Montana’s sagebrush steppe. It is a fully funded three-year position.
Heart of the Rockies Initiative would like to attract an experienced and capable conservation practitioner to the job – someone able to independently manage cross-organizational relationships, who can coordinate multiple simultaneous projects, and who is motivated to take on new and innovative approaches to natural resource stewardship.
Position Description:
The Project Manager is a full-time position that provides support to the SMSP Coordinator and is based out of Dillon, Montana. The Project Manager will work with the SMSP Coordinator to develop and implement partnerships with local communities, private entities, and private landowners, and help the SMSP advance a cohesive cross-boundary strategy to address threats to sagebrush steppe. Examples of opportunities include:
Further development of priority riparian and wet meadow restoration efforts at a watershed scale.
Development of a coordinated approach to address the threat of invasive annual grasses in southwest Montana.
Maintaining or increasing our progress to abate conifer expansion, and further our effort to increase woody biomass utilization.
Increase the use of prescribed fire.
Explore opportunities to support large-scale regenerative grazing practices.
Engagement and development of local workforce to address resource issues.
While the SMSP focuses on four primary natural resource disciplines affecting the sagebrush steppe ecosystem (i.e., conifer expansion, wet meadow and riparian habitat degradation, invasive annual grasses, and wildlife movement barriers), it is expected that the Project Manager will develop autonomy in their work plan and project development as they become comfortable and more skilled, and according to their individual interest areas and expertise.
Position Duties and Responsibilities:
Develop projects within the four primary conservation issues being addressed by the SMSP.
Serve as project lead to oversee project design and coordinate the implementation of those projects, completing follow-up monitoring and reporting when required.
Build and maintain close and mutually beneficial collaborative relationships among federal and state land and wildlife management agencies and NGO partners.
Work with partners to support all phases of project development and implementation.
Develop and track project budgets in coordination with the SMSP Coordinator.
Independently create projects on behalf of the SMSP while working with the appropriate land management agency or private landowner.
Prepare and inspect contracts.
Assist in the preparation of grant applications, project completion reports, and grant reports.
Applications are due by October 15, 2021.
