Stream and Lake Protection Program Assistant II

Full Job Description

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Are you interested in investing in a career that makes a difference? Consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

It’s our mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources for the benefit of people today – and tomorrow.

That means we have to balance development with conservation so the state we all love provides similar opportunities for our children and their children.

We invite you to explore our website at https://dnr.colorado.gov/about-us to find out more about the work we do to manage Colorado’s natural resources for today – and tomorrow.

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply.

In addition to offering rewarding, meaningful work, we offer:

• Medical and Dental plans
• Strong, flexible retirement plans including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus pre-tax 401K and 457 plans
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Employee Wellness programs
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Accounts
• 11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave
• Flexible work schedule options and remote-work options
• Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system
• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
  
  

The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) exists to establish water policy as directed by statutes to address Colorado’s water issues.

The CWCB is governed by a 15 member board that includes governor-appointed representatives from each of the eight major river basins, the City and County of Denver and several state agencies.

Since nearly all of Colorado’s water originates within its boundaries but is shared with other downstream states, the CWCB works to protect and assure that Colorado maintains its ability to fully use its allocation of the water under various agreements and court decrees.

However, the development of those resources increasingly must focus on the wise use of water in recognition of future drivers like population growth that put pressure on state waters.

The major “units” (sections) of the CWCB related to water supply planning, interstate and federal water issues including water information, instream flow and natural lake level protection, watershed and flood protection, grants and water project financing including agency budgeting/admin support.

The purpose of the Stream and Lake Protection Section is to advocate the protection, conservation and development of the waters of the state in order to secure the greatest utilization of such waters and the utmost prevention of floods for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future inhabitants of the state.

Within this work unit, the Stream and Lake Protection Section (Section) exists to develop, administer, and protect instream flow and natural lake level water rights within the context of the State's Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Program ("ISF Program") by correlating the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of the natural environment through the: (1) appropriation and protection of instream flow (“ISF”) and natural lake level (“NLL”) water rights; and (2) acquisition and protection of water, water rights, and interests in water for instream flow use, in coordination with federal and state agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and other entities and individuals.

The Section also participates in collaborative efforts within Colorado’s water community related to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and coordinates with other sections on implementation of Colorado’s Water Plan.

Currently, the work unit provides protection for approximately 9,956 miles of stream through over 1,723 ISF and 484 NLL water rights within the state.

For more information about the Colorado Water Conservation Board, please go to https://cwcb.colorado.gov/.

Requirements

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

The purpose of this position is to operate as the main coordinator to provide programmatic support to the CWCB’s Stream and Lake Protection Section (8 professional staff) and members of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (9 Governor appointees and 5 ex officio members) in all matters related to the appropriation, acquisition, and protection of ISF and NLL water rights.

The position will specifically assist work flow processes for: 1) legal protection of the CWCB’s ISF water rights and water court participation in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office; 2) ISF water right acquisition, to support, both administrative hearings and water court proceedings, and maintenance of data; 3) ongoing development and management of the Section’s ISF database and its laserfiche digital filing system; and 4) providing required public notices and maintaining records of the Section’s activities.

To perform these support activities, the position will be required to apply knowledge of, and to interpret business management principles as well as specific ISF principles and rules, state water court rules, and CWCB policies, precedents, procedures, guidelines, and objectives.

The position will also be required to research public questions, research technical and legal data, provide information, resolve problems, provide advice, and make decisions on behalf of the ISF professional staff.

Qualifications

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Organized and professional, with a strong self-motivated work ethic
• Dependable and trustworthy, uses good judgment and problem solving
• Adaptable and open to change, contributes with a positive attitude

• Current or former State experience relevant to this position
• Two (2) years of experience providing administrative and operational support to a professional Board
• Two (2) years of experience planning and coordinating onsite office functions
• Two (2) years of experience working with water rights and Colorado Water Courts
• Proficiency in workplace applications of Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat

• Must be a Colorado resident at time of employment.
• You must be legally eligible to work in the United States to be appointed to this position. DNR does not sponsor non-residents of the United States

Additional Information

• All applications received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed by an HR Specialist against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement.

• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process. Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position will be a structured application review by Subject Matter Experts.

• Resumes, cover letters and other attachments are not considered as part of initial reviews, therefore, it is important to document in your application your education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications as outlined in the job announcement.

• Please thoroughly answer all supplemental questions (if listed) since question responses may be evaluated for content, writing ability, spelling, grammar, and effective communication.

• This recruitment may involve additional testing and/or exams to arrive at the top group for interviews.

A salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work.

While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis.