Upper Missouri Project Manager

Trout Unlimited is a national organization with 300,000 members and supporters organized into over 400 chapters and councils nationwide. These dedicated grassroots volunteers are matched by a respected staff of project managers, lawyers, policy experts, and scientists, who work out of more than 45 offices across the country. Our mission is to conserve, protect, and restore North America's cold-water fisheries and their watersheds.

Trout Unlimited has been engaged in advocacy, streamflow and habitat restoration across Montana for more than two decades. Trout Unlimited project staff are focused on restoring instream flow, fish passage and habitat restoration work to benefit native and wild trout populations in the Clark Fork basin and the Missouri Headwaters. East of the Continental Divide, our work spans the Gallatin, Upper Madison, Jefferson, Yellowstone and Sun watersheds. In partnership with the Madison-Gallatin Chapter and the Montana State Council of Trout Unlimited, our Western Water and Habitat Program seeks to build upon that effort and expand our capacity to protect and restore streamflows, fish habitat, and fish passage across the iconic waters of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone. We are seeking qualified applicants to fill the newly created Upper Missouri Project Manager position.

Position Summary

Trout Unlimited Project Managers hold unique and diverse positions. The shortest description of the job is to "make things happen." In that spirit, Trout Unlimited is hiring a self-motivated and highly capable person to identify, plan, and implement water conservation, fish passage and stream restoration projects to benefit aquatic resources and fish populations in the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone watersheds. The Project Manager will work closely with the local agricultural community to seek opportunities to reconnect and restore coldwater habitat on private lands as well as coordinate with agency land managers to improve and reconnect aquatic habitat on public lands. The Project Manager will be responsible for all aspects of restoration project work, but will also work closely with other Trout Unlimited staff and volunteers working throughout the Upper Missouri Basin. Experience with stream restoration, contractor oversight, and hydrology are key qualifications.

A significant focus will be placed upon partnership-building with the Madison-Gallatin TU Chapter as well as other local TU chapters and grassroots leaders, land trusts, state and federal agencies, landowners, watershed groups, and other non-profit organizations. Good communication skills are required. In addition, the successful applicant will be expected to seek out and obtain grant funding to support project work and core operational costs. The Project Manager will be based with other staff—and supervised—out of Trout Unlimited's office in Bozeman, MT, but could live within the Greater Yellowstone region/Upper Missouri watershed. The position will require frequent local travel for field work.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Engage TU chapters, agencies, landowners and other local stakeholders to prioritize projects, initiate restoration planning activities, and develop partnerships.
• Develop and implement streamflow, habitat and fish passage restoration projects and monitoring plans.
• Coordinate with state and federal agencies and other Trout Unlimited staff to collect field data for project development and post-project monitoring.
• Work both independently and in partnership other Trout Unlimited staff on fundraising, including identifying potential funding sources, drafting grant proposals, and developing relationships with funders to sustain the program budget.
• Supervise interns and/or seasonal field technicians.
• Perform basic administration duties including grant reporting, invoicing and tracking project budgets.

This is not and all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related field (hydrology, fisheries, engineering, etc.) required; graduate degree preferred.
• Prefer two years of professional experience in natural resource project management.
• Experience with irrigation design and water conservation, fish passage improvement, and stream restoration preferred.
• Construction experience, working with contractors.
• Experience in fisheries, water quality, and water quantity restoration.
• Demonstrated performance in grant writing and other fundraising activities.
• Superior interpersonal skills and ability to work constructively with diverse partners, community stakeholders and private landowners.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required.
• Experience with media relations and public outreach.
• Good organizational and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work independently while managing complex projects.
• Willingness to travel within the region as necessary.
• Passion for protecting and restoring trout streams and their watersheds!
• Ability to provide own transportation required, mileage reimbursed.

Supplemental Questions

To assist Trout Unlimited in evaluating your application, please answer the following questions. Please make your answers, thorough, concise, responsive and under one page, single spaced.

1. Please summarize your experience resolving complex, controversial issues that involve multiple interest groups. Describe methods you have found helpful in dealing with these situations and how you maintain a positive outlook during high stress situations.

2. Describe any special training you have received or work experiences that you have had related to hydrology, fish passage, stream restoration and construction, stream-flow measurement, and investigating water rights. Describe any training, experience, or special qualities that you have that are important for us to consider when evaluating you as a candidate for this position.

How to Apply

Please send a letter of interest, resume, supplemental questions, and three professional references to patrick.byorth@tu.org by May 31, 2018. Please include a reference to "Upper Missouri Project Manager" in the subject line. Inquiries should be through email. No phone calls please.