JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Founded in 1984, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks (WCO) is an organization dedicated to creativity, effectiveness and collaboration in the pursuit of our mission “to sustain and improve the water resources of Springfield and Greene County through projects education and effective management of the region’s watersheds.” Operating out of the Watershed Center at Valley Water Mill Park in Springfield, Missouri affords many unique opportunities for education, hands-on stewardship activities, and an excellent social and physical work environment. We are seeking a dynamic, motivated person with a passion to pursue our mission. As a small nonprofit organization, adding a positon like this affords us a huge opportunity to build the team and ultimately make the water cleaner.

Application Deadline: April 26, 2019
Interviews Notifications: Week of April 29th
Start Date: June 3, 2019
End Date: December 31, 2020 (with possibility of continuation)
Starting Salary: Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
Benefits: health, dental, vision, two weeks paid vacation and accrued sick time
Primary Job Duties: Volunteer Management, Land Management, Education and Outreach.
Requirements: A four-year degree and minimum two years of experience in a related field.

Application instructions: Please send a cover letter, resume, and references to:
Watershed Committee of the Ozarks
Attn: Mike Kromrey
2400 E. Valley Water Mill Park
Springfield MO, 65803
All applications must be post-marked no later than April 26, 2019. WCO is an equal opportunity employer.

Projected work plan
1) Volunteer Management
Recruit, coordinate, implement, and track volunteer projects and hours.
Recruit and train summer interns (Goal of 2).
Recruit and supervise Citizenship and Service Learning (CASL) students (goal of 2 students each year).
Coordinate and plan volunteer work days and events (Day of Caring, river clean-ups, etc.).
Develop volunteer recognition programs.
Develop and implement a volunteer training program (Leopold method of observe, participate, and reflect.).
Work with Conservation Corp Program Manager and Watershed Center Coordinator in scheduling volunteers to meet the needs of their respective programs.
Coordinate background checks with Parks protocol.

2) Land Management
Assist with Watershed management activities on the grounds at Valley Water Mill Park. This includes, but is not limited to: prescribed fire, herbaceous and woody invasive species treatment, timber stand improvement, prairie planting and establishment, trail maintenance, etc.
Document management activities in summary reports, grant tracking documents, GPS tracking, etc.
Maintain WCO equipment. This includes routine maintenance, equipment repair, etc.
Assist with Conservation Corp activities as needed. This might include, but is not limited to: assisting in developing management plans, leading volunteer crews, etc.

3) Education & Outreach
Lead interpretive tours of Valley Water Mill Park for groups ranging from elementary students to adults.
Lead interpretive underground tours of Jordan Creek for groups ranging from middle school students to adults.
Assist in developing and leading educational field trip activities to the Watershed Center for elementary, middle school, and high school students.

4) Other Duties as Assigned
Building and site clean-up.
Miscellaneous, non-glamourous, but necessary tasks
Professional development

The Watershed Center Assistant Coordinator position will report to the Watershed Center Coordinator.

 

Organizational Overview
The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks (WCO) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to sustain and improve the water resources of Springfield and Greene County through education and effective man-agement of the region’s watersheds. The WCO operates the Watershed Center at Valley Water Mill Park to protect water resources through education, demonstration, and recreation. The WCO also implements water related projects at the Watershed Center and elsewhere in the community.

WCO Fellowship Overview
Amid increasing global and local demand for adequate supplies of freshwater, leadership in watershed health is more important than ever. Since 1984, many of our WCO volunteers and interns have gone on to become leaders in watershed health. The WCO Fellowship is designed to provide recent graduates and early career professionals the opportunity to gain experience and grow in five core areas; watershed health, applied science and natural history knowledge, partnership building, problem solving, and communication. Each of these areas is addressed through an informal curriculum and applied on-the-job experiences that allow for exploration of each topic and time for each WCO Fellow to practice and apply these key elements of leadership.

Position Impact Statement
The WCO Fellow supports on-site education programs and assists with a wide variety of land management and monitoring techniques. In addition, the WCO Fellow works closely with our volunteers, supervising their activities and encouraging development of their conservation leadership skill.

Approximate Hiring Timeline
April 21, 2019: Applications Due
April 22-29, 2019: Interview Process
June 3, 2019: Preferred Start Date
December 13, 2019: Preferred End Date

Position Summary
The WCO Fellowship is a unique opportunity to enhance both your natural resource background and build a wide array of skills needed to conduct and manage education programs. Working side-by-side with experienced WCO staff, the WCO Fellow will assist with both land management and educational activities at the Watershed Center. The 100 acre Valley Water Mill Park is a microcosm of Ozarks habitats ranging from prairies to wetlands to glades to oak savannas. These habitats serve as a key component of our educational field trips and their management is critical. This diverse outdoor classroom provides opportunities to learn first-hand about native plant communities, identify threats to native landscapes, and gain effective tools and strategies to efficiently manage a number of diverse ecosystems. As seasons change, management focuses on different activities including invasive species control, prescribed burning, monitoring, native planting, and more. Fellows will have the opportunity to interact with a diverse range of conservation professionals who play active roles in guiding and executing our mission.

Position Summary continued…
In addition to honing your management skills, you will gain firsthand educational experience in program planning, delivery, and communications. WCO Fellows lead guided hikes through Valley Water Mill Park, give tours of underground Jordan Creek, as well as tours of the Watershed Center – a LEED-certified green building and display of Best Management Practices. Fellows will also run educational stations for the nu-merous school groups that visit the Watershed Center. Topics covered include point and non-point source pollution, aquatic life, macroinvertebrates as indicator species, invasive species, as well as many others.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Education/Outreach
Lead interpretive tours of Valley Water Mill Park for groups ranging from elementary students to adults.
Lead interpretive underground tours of Jordan Creek for groups ranging from middle school students to adults.
Assist in developing and leading educational field trip activities to the Watershed Center for elementary, middle school, and high school students.
Manage volunteers for tours, special events, and programs as needed.
Help plan, staff, and organize public events that promote our mission to protect the area’s water re-sources.
Write monthly blog posts for the WCO’s website and assist with social media content creation.

Land Management
Assist with watershed management activities at Valley Water Mill Park. This includes, but is not limited to; prescribed fire, herbaceous and woody invasive species treatment, timber stand improvement, prairie planting and establishment, brush management, trail maintenance, etc.
Assist Watershed Conservation Corp with restoration activities as needed.
Attend a wide variety of professional development trainings and/or certifications focusing on the aforementioned core areas.
Document management activities in summary reports, grant tracking documents, GPS tracking, etc.
Maintain WCO equipment. This includes routine maintenance, equipment repair, etc.
Other tasks as assigned

Qualifications Summary
The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks seeks a recent graduate or early career professional with a degree in a natural resources or science education related field. Fellows must be prepared for physically demanding work in a variety of conditions including extreme heat and cold, standing high water, and expo-sure to ticks, mosquitoes, and poison ivy. Applicants should have an interest in and passion for learning about the complex and interdependent world of natural resources and conservation. The ideal candidate will have some relevant outdoor experience, have demonstrated leadership skills and be adaptable, energetic, and eager to learn. All applicants must be eligible to work in the United States at the time they apply and have a valid driver’s license. Fellows must commit full-time for the entire seventh-month program.

Fellowship Term, Hours, and Schedule
The internship start date is Monday June 3rd, 2019 and will run through December 13th, 2019 (28 weeks). The Fellow’s hours will vary depending on the season and management/education activity. Most weeks will consist of 35 hour work weeks. During some seasons, longer days will be expected, with time off later in the week. Five paid holidays will occur during this time period (Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the Friday following Thanksgiving Day). There is the potential to extend the contracted time for an additional five months if mutually agreed to by both parties.

Fellowship Compensation
The Education and Outreach Fellow will be paid at a rate of $10 per hour. WCO staff are paid bi-weekly. Fees associated with required certifications will be covered by WCO. Required personal protective equipment will be provided by WCO.

Application Procedure
Please send the following application materials to Jeff Birchler, Watershed Center Coordinator (jeff@watershedcommittee.org) by April 21, 2019.
1. One-page cover letter
2. Resume
3. Two academic and/or professional letters of recommendation.
4. A 300-500 word response to the following prompt: Please describe one instance in your academic or professional career in which you have demonstrated leadership. What qualities made you successful and what did you learn from the experience?

The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks is an equal opportunity employer, and recognizes that just as a healthy ecosystem depends on biodiversity, a healthy human society depends on cultural and social diversity. We are committed to expanding the conversation on land ethics by acting to achieve a rich diversity of staff, board, volunteers, members, supporters, and those we seek to engage with our programming. We encourage applicants to address this foundation goal in their application materials.