Natural Resource Specialist 3 (PCN 10-2108)

Full Job Description

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water, is recruiting for a Natural Resource Specialist 3 in Fairbanks.

This position is open to Alaska Residents only.

Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

What You Will Be Doing:

You will serve as a senior Natural Resource Specialist 3, playing a key role in keeping Alaska's Mine Permitting and Compliance Program running smoothly and effectively by administering the multi-agency Application for Permits to Mine in Alaska (APMA) and supporting complex, sometimes controversial permitting and reclamation decisions for placer mining and mineral exploration.

You will act as a program and process specialist, working with state and federal partner agencies, applicants, and the public to keep a comprehensive, efficient, and legally defensible statewide permitting system on track.

You will have primary responsibility, under the direction of the Program Manager, for refining program workflows, guidance, and electronic permitting tools so DNR and other agency staff can process permits consistently, on time, and in a manner that supports Alaska's broader economic health.

You will use strong analytical, writing, and records-management skills to organize extensive case files, build clear and defensible administrative records, and prepare high-visibility decision documents, appeal materials, and responses that support litigation and policymaker inquiries.

You will also monitor data and case files to spot trends and risks, recommend improvements, and provide outreach and clear information to operators and stakeholders, making you a key expert in maintaining the credibility, continuity, and effectiveness of this critical program.

Mission and Values/Culture:

Our team helps carry out the Department of Natural Resources' mission to manage Alaska's lands, waters, and minerals for the benefit of current and future Alaskans, while supporting a strong, sustainable economy.

We value responsible resource development that balances economic opportunity with environmental stewardship and respect for Alaska's communities.

Our culture emphasizes collaboration, technical excellence, and public service, reflected in sound, transparent decision-making and efficient permitting processes.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

This position is housed within the Mining Section, which offers an extremely supportive, positive, and collaborative work environment.

The successful applicant will have access to training and travel opportunities, as well as advancement opportunities within the Division/Department.

The work is both intellectually challenging and professionally rewarding, with frequent opportunities to solve complex, real-world problems.

Employees work extensively with the mining industry, the public, and other agencies to support the responsible development of Alaska's mineral resources, contributing directly to the state's long-term economic health.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

This position is based at the DNR Northern Regional Office (NRO) in Fairbanks, a beautiful Interior Alaska city that serves as the economic and transportation hub of the region, with an international airport and the University of Alaska Fairbanks nearby.

The NRO campus offers a charming, wooded setting with convenient access to shopping and restaurants, and Fairbanks provides extensive year-round outdoor recreation opportunities- including hiking, wildlife viewing, river trips, winter sports, and world-class aurora viewing- amid striking natural scenery and a rich mining history.

This role provides a strong balance between office-based work and fieldwork/travel and supports permitting and program administration for the statewide permitting program, with remote fieldwork travel expected across the state.

We are looking for a candidate who possesses the following position-specific competencies.

Click here to learn more about working for the Division of Mining, Land & Water.

Requirements

Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications InstructionsThis 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:

• Analytical Thinking/Problem Solving: uses a logical, systematic, sequential approach to address problems or opportunities or manage a situation by drawing on one’s knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary.
• Decision-Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
• 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.
• 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.
• Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

equivalent to those typically gained by:

Education in a natural resource field such as forestry, geology, agronomy, and hydrology, law, public administration, planning, economics, or a closely related field 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.

Qualifications

** Please read the information below carefully. **

At the time of the interview, please ensure that you provide the following materials. Failure to do so may result in loss of consideration. Required documents include:

SPECIAL NOTICES

Application Notice

You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or by submitting a paper application. Instructions for applying are available on the Workplace Alaska How to Apply webpage. Your application must be received by 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on the closing date.

Writing Sample

If invited to an interview, you will be required to provide a professional writing sample for which you served as the author or a major contributing author.

The sample should demonstrate your ability to explain detailed or complex information clearly and concisely. The writing sample may be an excerpt of a larger document or multiple smaller documents

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 competence in applying specific 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 yet obtained a degree, please indicate the units you have 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 at foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above.

If using this education to meet minimum qualification requirements, you must demonstrate that the credentials have been submitted to a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in standard U.S.

education programs. Alternatively, an accredited U.S.

post-secondary institution must report that the other institution's transcript is given full value or that full value is recognized in relevant subject areas aligned with the post-secondary institution's curricula.

It is your responsibility to provide this 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 whether the minimum qualifications are met.

If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the recruitment interview and selection phase.

Note: Attaching a resume does not substitute for completing the application in full. 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 indicate the union to which you belong 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.

EEO STATEMENTThe State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Individuals with disabilities who require accommodation, auxiliary aids 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.

Additional Information

If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure that your email address is correct on your application and that your spam filter will permit emails from the governmentjobs.com domain.

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 password reset page.

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

David Charron

Geologist 5 – Program Manager

Fax: 907-451-2703

Phone: 907-451-2827

Email: david.charron@alaska.gov