State of Washington Olympia, WA, USA
Assistant Division Manager - Planning, Science, and Monitoring, WMS2
Assistant Division Manager - Planning, Science, and Monitoring, WMS2
Recruitment #2026-5-1770
Full-time, Permanent, WMS, Non-represented position
Location: Natural Resources Building- Olympia, WA
Work Hours and Partial Telework flexibility may be available and considered
Relocation Compensation may be available and considered
Salary: $100,848.00 - $117,612.00 Annually
To allow for growth and salary progression, the full salary range is: $100,848.00 - $123,816.00
Review of applications is ongoing. We reserve the right to make a hiring decision or close this recruitment at any time after 5/11/26. It is in your best interest to submit materials as soon as possible.
Want to join something GREAT and make a difference?
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has an exciting opportunity within our Forest Resilience Division as an Assistant Division Manager for Planning, Science, and Monitoring. Are you an experienced leader who is passionate about increasing the health and resilience of our forested landscapes and communities in Washington? Do you love working with diverse partners and tackling solutions at landscape scales across land ownership boundaries? Do you have experience in conservation planning and collaboration with public and private partners, as well as forest ecology science development and application? If so, then this is the job for you! The DNR Forest Resilience Division is seeking a motivated and experienced individual to lead and manage our Planning, Science, and Monitoring Section.
The Forest Resilience Division works across all lands, in the interest of all Washingtonians, to sustain and increase the health and resilience of our forests and the values they support for the well-being of people, communities, wildlife, and landscapes today and into the future. The Division supports the Commissioner of Public Lands as the designated state lead on all forest health issues (RCW 76.06.150) and the State Forester in fulfilling their forestry portfolio. The Division’s work stretches from street trees and open spaces in our cities to remote, high-elevation forests. In an all-lands, all-hands approach, the division facilitates landscape-scale planning to inform strategic implementation of forest health treatments to increase the health and resilience of Washington forests, watersheds, and communities.
The Planning, Science, and Monitoring Section plays a critical role within the Forest Resilience Division and includes four program areas that support our work across all land ownerships in Washington:
Forest Health Protection: Providing technical assistance to landowners on insects and diseases impacting their forests, as well as monitoring, including aerial surveys of forest health conditions that result in annual Forest Health Highlights reports.
Post-Fire Recovery: Working at all levels of the disaster recovery cycle to support post-fire recovery in affected areas, and in coordination with impacted communities, through a highly coordinated network of professionals and resources across the agency and federal, state, local, and tribal partners.
Prescribed Fire: Identifying, funding, and supporting projects across all-lands to plan, apply, and monitor the use of prescribed fire at scale to meet our state’s forest resilience goals and coordinating to leverage resources and support a trained workforce, including implementation of the state’s Certified Burner Program.
Strategic Science & Planning: Oversees development of forest resilience strategic plans including the state’s Forest Action Plan, 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Eastern Washington and Western Washington Forest Health Strategic Plan, as well as forest health assessments to inform where investments are most necessary and strategic, and facilitates coordinated work and investments with partners across all-lands to plan, implement, and monitor activities and progress toward our stated goals.
This position directly supervises 7 full-time employees while leading a team of 23. This position works closely with other Divisions in DNR, particularly the Wildland Fire Management Division and Forest Resources Division, as well as regional.
Responsibilities:
Organize and Administer DNR’s All-Lands Forest Health Science and Planning Programs
Provide high-level leadership of DNR’s forest health planning activities, implementing RCW 76.06.200 and the development, implementation, and revision as needed of the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan, Western Washington Forest Health Strategic Plan, and the statewide Forest Action Plan.
Provide high-level leadership of DNR’s forest health monitoring activities, including the aerial insect and disease survey, Forest Health Highlights Report, 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan Monitoring Framework, and fuels monitoring to inform prescribed fire to ensure alignment with DNR mission and vision, achieve landscape-level outcomes, and meet goals of the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan, Western Washington Forest Health Strategic Plan, and Forest Action Plan.
Provide high-level leadership and direction, working with staff and internal and external partners to achieve the goals/objectives of our forest health strategic plans.
Ensure safe and effective planning and implementation of programs in alignment with agency policies and priorities and in coordination with federal, state, tribal, and local agencies, governments, and partners, as well as ensure compliance with applicable state and federal laws.
Establish metrics, deliverables, performance measures, and program priorities in collaboration with the Division Manager and Program Managers.
Review and analyze long-term or ongoing program needs. Identify and anticipate future program needs, then seek solutions within agency constraints.
Coordinate annually with regions to plan, obtain, allot, and implement sufficient personnel, program, and fiscal resources to achieve program outcomes.
Propose and develop operational policies, procedures, and processes for consistent implementation of programs.
Monitor and provide input to Division Manager, Deputy Supervisor, State Forester, and Executive Management on congressional developments as they relate to forest health; landscape-level restoration; ecosystem planning, science, or restoration; forest health or ecosystem monitoring, or opportunities for accelerating ecosystem improvements across all lands.
Ensure program reporting continuity across the agency and interagency for consistent deliverables and accomplishment reporting.
Work with federal partners and in coordination with program staff to establish programs or initiatives in new and emerging areas of work of shared stewardship, including engagement with the ongoing Central Washington Initiative and interagency Burn Pilot.
Support program activities, contracts/agreements, and partnerships, and provide advice to program managers.
Budget Development and Fiscal Stewardship
In coordination with the Program Managers and Regions, lead development of biennial operating and capital budgets, spending plans for each program of work, ensuring alignment with program needs and agency priorities; develops and provides recommendations for legislative budget.
Perform routine expenditure and variance monitoring. Identify timely opportunities to ensure effective use of fiscal resources.
Coordinate annually with DNR regions to ensure sufficient personnel, programmatic, and fiscal resources are planned, secured, utilized, and appropriately allotted to achieve program outcomes.
Support federal budget development needs for USDA Forest Service-associated grants and programs, specifically the Cooperative Forestry Programs delivered by the Section. Coordinate regularly with USFS peers to achieve synergy in Region-State objectives associated with these programs.
Responsible for overall fiscal tracking and reporting associated with federal grants, state legislative funds, and third-party funds; collaborate with the Forest Resilience Grants and Contracts Supervisor, Senior Contract Specialist, and Budget Analyst.
Provide fiscal leadership and accountability to programs and serve as the lead in the Division’s senior budget management team.
Ensure grant expenditures are consistent with narratives, grant deliverables are met, and relevant reports are completed before deadlines.
Negotiate and secure funding sources through agreements with federal partners to meet mutually beneficial goals and objectives. Investigates and provides recommendations on potential third-party funding sources in coordination with the Division Manager.
Manage relevant forest health grants and contracts, which will include: writing grant proposals, negotiating agreements, monitoring grant expenditures, ensuring grant deliverables are met, and developing relevant grant reports.
Supervision and Organizational Leadership
Supervise the section Program Managers, ensure program managers fulfill assigned responsibilities, and programs are accountable to deliverables and strategic outcomes.
Instill a high-functioning, transparent team dynamic and support the development of section staff.
Provide mentorship, professional development, and routine reviews and coaching for Program Managers. Support mentoring, professional development, and reviews of all section staff.
Oversees and develops strategic work plans and goals for direct reports, establishing performance expectations, evaluating performance, providing employee support and enhancement opportunities through training and mentoring, dispute resolution, and corrective action;
Ensure staff have adequate resources to perform job duties and meet deliverables.
Provide leadership and advice for Human Resource functions pertinent to the section and its programs.
Ensure Section hiring practices and results comply with applicable policies and laws.
Policy, Outreach, and Partner Engagement
Serves as the senior agency advisor on issues, policies, and practices relating to forest health conditions, forest health restoration management, and forest health planning. This position represents DNR in that capacity on interagency committees, working groups, and task forces at the local, state, national, and international levels.
Participates in the Forest Resilience Division’s legislative work by recommending legislative proposals, completing bill analysis, writing and reviewing fiscal notes, monitoring hearings, and preparing legislative briefing materials. The position will also develop relevant operating and capital budget requests.
Serve as the agency’s primary liaison with the US Forest Service Forest Health Protection team to ensure effective communication and coordination between the DNR and US Forest Service forest health programs to achieve our shared forest health goals. This position will also be the agency’s primary liaison with other state forest health programs.
Participate in the coordination and facilitation of the Forest Health Advisory Committee, including acting as a staff Co-Chair for meetings in rotation with other Assistant Division Managers.
Engage with agency leadership to advocate for program resources and advancement, proactively provide program progress and performance reports, and ensure program alignment with executive vision.
Interpret and communicate national policy changes to Division Manager, program staff, and agency staff; work with Division Manager to determine program impacts.
Provide program responses to public, legislative, and other information requests.
In coordination with the State Forester or Division Manager, represent the department, division, and programs in a variety of capacities on local, regional, statewide, or national committees or groups related to subject matter within the Section’s purview.
Participate in tours, meetings, calls, and other engagements in coordination with program field staff, regional staff, and federal partners as they relate to the Section’s programs of work.
Provide guidance to staff (management, division, and region) when engaging with external partners to ensure consistency of program messaging and provide feedback to staff on content outside of their scope.
Engage with partners and interest groups on various levels statewide as a representative of the department and program related to subject matter within the Section’s purview.
Support federal partners when requested on federal staff briefings, meetings, and other internal federal matters as related to the scope of the Section. Participates in hiring and interview panels when requested.
Responsible as lead in the development of legislative-required reports and/or reporting requirements relating to statewide forest health issues.
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in forestry, forest management, forest ecology, natural resources, or related field;
OR an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
Four years or more of applied experience and knowledge of natural resource management, regulations, principles, and practices.
Key Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge of major forest health issues in the Pacific Northwest and management strategies to address those.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including substantial public speaking experience, to convey complex natural resource issues to technical and non-technical audiences.
Proven experience managing a high-performing team of natural resource professionals to achieve program deliverables and priorities.
Ability to lead internal and external working groups as needed to further agency projects and initiatives.
Experience participating and leading multi-partner natural resource groups and understanding of how to effectively communicate and represent both science and agency policy to external partners.
Superior leadership and collaboration skills, including the ability to listen, understand, facilitate, negotiate, and work skillfully in those settings to support a wide array of interests and objectives.
Experience working with diverse and competing interest groups to develop solutions and resolve conflicts around high-profile projects or issues.
Experience in both stand-level field monitoring and remote sensing data to monitor forest health conditions
Demonstrated ability to develop and manage multiple program budgets to achieve deliverables and priorities.
Ability to function largely independently, making sound decisions in a complex, diverse operating environment.
Ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others, both inside and outside the organization.
Proficiency with computers, Microsoft Office applications, and SharePoint.
Experience participating in and leading regional and local natural resource planning efforts.
Experience writing, reviewing, and managing grants and contracts.
Demonstrated strong organizational and project management skills.
Required Competencies
Ability to convey messages correctly, clearly, and persuasively using excellent written, verbal, and public speaking skills to a variety of audiences.
Ability to understand complex planning and policy issues and apply understanding to accomplish agency goals and objectives.
Understanding and experience in effectively communicating and representing both science and agency policy to external partners.
Highly inspirational and engaging with other natural resource professionals – the ability to mobilize people and to find synergy in work.
Visionary and adaptable to changing organizational and natural environments - ability to identify/anticipate future needs to increase successful outcomes for our state forests
Commitment to fostering and supporting an environment that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice practices.
Perform assigned duties in a consistent manner to ensure applicable laws, regulations, and public records retention and requests are followed.
DNR Core Competencies: Personal Accountability, Value Others, Compassionate Communication, Inspire Others, and Commitment to Excellence.
Special Requirements and Conditions of Employment:
Works primarily in an indoor office space with occasional work in remote field locations. May require extensive driving on paved and unpaved roads. Position does not normally come in contact with any hazardous chemicals other than typical office cleaners and adhesives.
The position requires approximately 2-8 days away from the duty station per month, which includes overnight travel for meetings, conferences, and other events throughout Washington State, as well as some regional and national events.
Desired Qualifications:
Master’s degree in forest management, forest ecology, or a closely related field.
Five years’ work experience in forest entomology, forest pathology, forest management, forest ecology, wildfire science, natural resources management or a closely related field
Two years of successful experience supervising natural resource professionals (a minimum of two direct reports).
Significant experience participating in the legislative process to analyze the fiscal and program impacts of proposed legislation.
Experience developing and administering grant programs.
Knowledge of climate change impacts on forest ecosystems and adaptation strategies.
Familiarity with US Forest Service State and Private Forestry programs, authorities, and typical areas of work.
Familiarity with forest health improvement, wildfire behavior, wildfire prevention, and fuel reduction strategies.
Familiarity and experience working to promote environmental justice.
Experience in prescribed fire planning and application
Experience using Geographic Information Systems to analyze and map natural resources.
Don’t let doubts stop you from applying for this position. If you have any questions about the required qualifications or how your experience relates to them, please contact us at [email protected]. A note to potential candidates: Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are less likely to apply for jobs unless they feel they meet every qualification as described in a job description. We value diversity and inclusion in our organization, and we are looking for the best person for the job. Don’t hesitate to apply!
Application Requirements: Failure to provide the listed documents may result in disqualification. If you have questions or difficulty attaching these documents, please contact [email protected].
Apply online: at www.careers.wa.gov (Click on the APPLY button above).
Letter of interest: describing your specific qualifications for the position and the position required, desired, and special requirements.
Resume: that details your experience and qualifications.
References: 3-5 professional references with current telephone numbers, to include your 2 most recent supervisors. You may attach a document, use the References text field in the online application, or include it with your resume.
Important: Do not attach any documents that include photos or private information (Social Security number, year of birth, etc.).
Complete all supplemental questions.
Candidates who move forward in the recruitment process may be contacted via email at [email protected] with interview information/scheduling instructions. Please monitor the email listed in your application materials and check your junk email folder to ensure you receive those communications.
Questions? Please contact Jennifer Watkins at [email protected]/360-338-1688or email us at [email protected].
Persons requiring accommodation in the application/testing process, or in this job announcement, in an alternative format may call (360) 522-2500 or email [email protected]. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.
About the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
At DNR, we approach our work through the lens of making Washington a better place environmentally and are dedicated to serving Washington’s lands and communities through diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Our Vision – Our actions ensure a future where Washington’s lands, waters, and communities thrive.
Our Mission – Manage, sustain, and protect the health and productivity of Washington’s lands and waters to meet the needs of present and future generations.
Our Core Values:
Safety and Well-Being —Our top priority is the safety of the public and our employees.
Public Service —We value and respect the public we serve, and we value and respect the people of the Department of Natural Resources who step up to serve.
Innovation and Creative Problem-Solving — We solve our state’s most pressing challenges through innovative thinking, dedication, and bold and creative vision.
Leadership and Teamwork —We are committed to building leaders at all levels and building teams for success.
DNR provides excellent benefits, a few of which include:
Commitment to organizational health and wellness
Work/life balance
DNR Employee Resource Groups (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, Women’s Employee Resource Group, Veterans Employee Resource Group, etc.)
Statewide Employee Business Resource Groups, visit here to learn more
Leadership that empowers and supports employees
Professional development opportunities
Educational and career development aid
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Eligibility
Opportunities to participate in wildland fire suppression assignments
A comprehensive benefits package includes employer contributions toward health insurance, paid holidays, retirement plans, sick leave, and vacation days. Visit http://careers.wa.gov/benefits.html for more information.
Additional Information:
This recruitment may be extended and used to fill future similar vacancies for up to sixty (60) days.
DNR does not use the E-Verify system. For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.
Veterans wishing to claim Veteran’s preference, please attach a copy of your DD-214, NGB-22, or other verification of military service. Please black out your Social Security number before attaching it. We thank you and are grateful for your service!
Equal Opportunity Employer: The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans, military spouses or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.
Once you submit your online application, you can check your status by logging into your account. If you experience technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, call 360-664-1960 or 1-877-664-1960 or email [email protected].
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