Natural Resource Specialist 5

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, is recruiting for a Natural Resource Specialist 5 in Anchorage.

What You Will Be Doing:  

This position acts as a special projects coordinator, assisting the Director and Deputy Directors as an expert policy advisor on various legislative, regulatory, and policy matters pertaining to natural resources, including forestry and fire issues. The successful applicant will research complex natural resources issues, such as forest management, fire science, and ecology, and write research and briefing papers, work with the public and agencies to solve complex problems, create presentations, and develop other materials needed to respond to requests for information from the Commissioner`s Office, Legislators, and the Governor. The position is also the liaison for staff to the Governor-appointed Board of Forestry, which oversees the implementation and effectiveness of the Forest Resources and Practices Act (FRPA).

Mission and Values/Culture:  

The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection supports forest resource management on 20 million acres of Alaska wildlands and provides fire protection services and management on 150 million acres. The Division is responsible for fire suppression to protect Alaskans' lives and property; developing, conserving, and enhancing Alaska`s forests to provide a sustainable supply of forest resources for Alaskans; and creating a hazardous fuels reduction program to protect communities in fire-prone areas statewide proactively. 

Benefits of Joining Our Team:  

This position offers an unparalleled opportunity to support high-level decision-making for the Division and the Department of Natural Resources. As the special projects coordinator, the tasks assigned will vary greatly, providing an intellectually stimulating, constantly challenging, and interesting work environment that rewards an innovative problem-solver. Tasks include becoming the Division’s expert on the science behind a range of complex natural resources management issues; drafting and reviewing new legislation and regulations; developing compelling presentations for fire protection, hazardous fuels reduction, and forestry budget requests; developing interagency cooperative projects; convening stakeholder groups to address Forest Resources and Practices Act issues or other topics; and responding to appeals and requests for information.

Because of the wide-ranging nature of the job, this position has the advantage of working with a variety of Division staff, from foresters to administrative staff, hazardous fuels specialists to accountants, and firefighters to public information officers. The successful applicant will assist staff and coordinate projects located throughout Alaska, from the temperate rainforests of Ketchikan (Southeast Alaska) to the boreal forests of Fairbanks (Interior Alaska).

The Division has recently expanded, adding staff and programs due to increased support for and interest in fire protection, timber production, carbon offset projects, and hazardous fuels management throughout Alaska. This position serves as the Division’s expert on a number of natural resources issues and, therefore, plays a key role in the Division's dedicated, high-functioning management team.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:  This position is located in vibrant downtown Anchorage in the Atwood Building at 550 W. 7th Avenue, Suite 1450. It also offers the flexibility to work some days remotely. Life in Southcentral Alaska is an outdoor recreationist's dream. Situated adjacent to the Chugach Mountain range, abundant public lands offer hundreds of miles of skiing, running, and hiking trails, as well as plentiful fishing and hunting opportunities.

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and is home to two universities, as well as parks, museums, excellent schools, great restaurants, and theaters. 

Click here to learn more about working for the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection.

Minimum Qualifications

Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions

This job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class. 

Competency Description            

The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class.  They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency.  They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are only used as parameters and guidelines.   A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options for how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

• Environmental Science: Knowledge of the interdisciplinary concepts, principles, theories, and methods of investigating the natural and physical environment, including examination of ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geography, atmospheric, and other related sciences in the protection and improvement of the environment and its resources.
• Influencing/Negotiating: Persuades others; builds consensus through give and take; gains cooperation from others to obtain information and accomplish goals.
• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.
• Organizational Awareness: Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.
• Project Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

equivalent to those typically gained by:

Education in a natural resource field, law, public administration, planning or economics and/or progressively responsible professional experience in natural resource management.

Definitions:

“Competencies” means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.

“Professional experience” means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.

“Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.

“Qualified” means is assessed to credibly possess the competencies needed to learn the job in a reasonable period.

“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.

“Typically gained by” means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.

Special Note:

For purposes of the minimum qualifications, natural resource management is defined as the management of the land, water, mineral, forest, oil, gas, agricultural, archaeological, natural and cultural history, park, and related surface and subsurface resources. Experience or education in natural resource management means involvement in the above resources exclusively. Those with experience or education in managing these resources may specialize in different management functions (for example, planning, regulation, research or title). All of this experience is applicable to the natural resource management definition. Some positions may require education in a particular area of natural resource management or specific technical knowledge and training gained through specialized education or progressively greater responsibilities at the lower levels of the series.

Additional Required Information

** Please read the below information carefully. **

Ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class. 

At the time of the interview, please ensure that you provide the following materials: 

• A list of three professional references, one of which should be your most recent supervisor, including name, job title, employer, and current phone number(s).
• A copy of your last three performance evaluations, or if not available, an explanation of why they are unavailable.

SPECIAL NOTICES

• Valid driver's license.
• Background check (firearms)
• Occasional in-state travel.

Application Notice

You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or a hardcopy application. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska “How to Apply" page. Your application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on the closing date.   

Supplemental Questions

For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions.  The State of Alaska (SOA) uses four proficiency levels to measure and describe an applicant’s level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The four proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You must rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.

Education

If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill out the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. 

Special Instructions for Foreign Education

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the post-secondary institution. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. 

Work Experience

If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer’s name, job title, employment dates, and whether full or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine whether the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the recruitment interview and selection phase. 

Note: Attaching a resume is not an alternative to filling out the application entirely. Noting, "see resume" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.  

Bargaining Unit

If you are a current state employee, please mark the union you are a member of at the time of application. Do not complete this question if you are not a current state employee. 

Driver’s License Requirement

Applicants must possess a valid driver's license. Proof of licensure will be required prior to reporting to duty.  

Firearms

This position requires the use or possession of a firearm or ammunition. In accordance with the federal Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997 (PL 104-208), if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, you may not hold this position.

A "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" is an offense that is (1) a misdemeanor under Federal or state law and (2) has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.

If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, do NOT apply for this position.

EEO STATEMENT The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats should call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.

Please be sure to check your junk folder for any messages that may be sent to you about this recruitment. 

Contact Information

Workplace Alaska Application Questions & Assistance

Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to recruitment.services@alaska.gov.

For assistance with your password, please visit the reset password page.

For specific information about this position, please get in touch with the hiring manager at the following:

Joely Bernas

Administrative Operations Manager

Phone: 907-269-8477

Email: joely.bernas@alaska.gov