JOB DESCRIPTION POSITION: Habitat Program Supervisor REPORTS TO: Senior Plant Ecologist STATUS: Full-time, Exempt UPDATED: July 2014 DEPT: Conservation
POSITION SUMMARY: The Habitat Program Supervisor leads the Conservancy’s Catalina Habitat Improvement and Restoration Program (CHIRP). A major position responsibility includes implementing the Conservancy’s invasive plant control program. Responsibilities involve a wide range of field and office activities, including program development and implementation, GIS data collection and analysis, project management, education and outreach, grant writing, and budget and grant management. This position is directly responsible for hiring and supervising permanent and seasonal staff and volunteers. This position is a two-year term with possibility of extension contingent on funding. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: • Lead in all aspects relating to the management of invasive plants including overall program development, budgeting, and grant management. • Maintain and update a prioritized list of non-native invasive plant species on the island based on their abundance, distribution, invasiveness, and ease of control. • Assist in the collection and analysis of monitoring data to measure the effectiveness of restoration and control strategies. Maintain invasive plant program GIS database in coordination with Conservancy GIS program staff. • Collaborate with other program staff on the development of a long-term island-wide habitat restoration and invasive plant control strategy based on different spatial scales. • Prepare and implement annual work plans that include goals, budgets, and schedules. • Identify grant-funding sources, cultivate working relationships with funding entities, and conceptualize, write, and submit grant proposals. • In collaboration with Conservancy staff, appropriate island agencies and organizations, community members, and the public, develop and implement prevention programs and strategies aimed at preventing the introduction and establishment of invasive plant species. • Provide technical expertise and conservation recommendations to staff, executive team, and board regarding conservation issues on the island. Provide assistance to visiting researchers as appropriate. • Develop and maintain a list of needed research projects related to non-native invasive plants, and facilitate research on those topics with academic institutions. • In collaboration with the Conservancy’s Education and Communications Departments develop outreach information, presentations, articles for internal and external publications, interpretive displays, professional journals and press releases on invasive plants and the Conservancy’s programs. • Perform other duties as assigned. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. An ideal candidate will possess a substantial combination of all these requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS: • Must be experienced in invasive plant management including herbicide types and uses, herbicide application equipment (truck mounted spray rigs, backpack sprayers), mechanical control methods (e.g. chainsaws, brush cutters, Macleod, Pulaski, lopper, handsaw, weed wrench) and current herbicide storage, application, safety, and disposal regulations. • Possession of a Qualified Applicator Certificate or ability to obtain this certification within six months required. • Knowledge or experience in applied habitat restoration, especially plant community restoration, and monitoring required. • Previous collection and analysis of field data using quantitative analytical skills is required. Must be proficient in Windows and geospatial software and equipment. Experience with ArcView/ArcInfo Pathfinder, Trimble and ArcPad GPS platforms preferred. • Employee must hold a valid driver's license and be able to drive 4 wheel drive vehicles with spray rigs over rough terrain and unimproved roads. COMPLEXITY/PROBLEM SOLVING: • Able to think critically and creatively to develop solutions to complex restoration and invasive species control problems. • Ability to adapt and respond to unexpected or unplanned ecological (e.g. fire, drought, new invasions) or programmatic (e.g. changes in organizational priorities or funding) circumstances while still progressing towards core program objectives. • Ability to work effectively on an interdisciplinary team balancing conservation, recreation and education organizational goals. COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS: • Excellent written and oral communication skills are needed. • Prior supervisory or field crew leadership experience strongly preferred. Experience overseeing volunteer workers a plus. • Ability to adapt and function effectively in a complex organizational environment with a range of different departments and operations is necessary. • Ability to work both independently or as a part of a team is essential. EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: M.A. or M.S. in ecology, conservation, weed science, botany, biology, environmental studies, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing invasive plant and habitat restoration monitoring and management programs. Knowledge of the Southern California flora and habitats preferred. DEMANDS: 1. Employee must desire to live and work on Catalina Island and be comfortable with the major aspects of island life including schools, medical care, housing, shopping, and transportation. 2. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The office environment has moderate noise levels and is a non-smoking environment. Field conditions are strongly weather-dependent and may be hot, dusty, cold, muddy, and/or wet depending on season and degree of exposure. Smoking is allowed only at limited designated locations on the island. Work may be conducted independently or with groups of staff and volunteers. Hiking conditions include steep, rugged terrain with unstable rocky substrate and cactus. Wild animals, including bison and rattlesnakes, may also be encountered in the field and pose some threat. 3. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Position involves functioning in both field and office environments. Field work involves manual labor; hiking long distances over rugged terrain and through dense scrub; and routine handling of plants. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. To be considered for this position, submit your resume, salary history, and salary requirements to j...@catalinaconservancy.org. Please be sure to put the job title in the subject line.
