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 and Roth 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 .
COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Our Mission is to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state, to provide a quality state parks system, and to provide enjoyable and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado's natural resources.
The Habitat Conservation Team exists to develop, coordinate, and implement a statewide strategic landscape scale habitat conservation program for the conservation of wildlife populations and the ecological functions that sustain them. The team's primary responsibilities are focused on biological planning, conservation design, and delivery of habitat conservation through coordination of habitat treatments (e.g. enhancement, restoration), monitoring, research, and post-treatment evaluation.
This position serves as CPW’s senior authority on ecoregional plant material development, production, storage, utilization and multi-agency distribution. Recognized by senior and executive management, the position focuses on native plant material resources across the Colorado Plateau, Southern Rockies, Wyoming Basin and Arizona/New Mexico Plateau (USGS Level III Ecoregions). Responsibilities include formulating strategic program goals for CPW leadership and advising the CPW Commission, Director, Leadership Team, Terrestrial Branch Manager and Habitat Conservation Program Supervisor on native plant policy and vegetation practices. The position directs statewide operations, including increasing native plant material availability, supporting propagation/production efforts, managing Escalante SWA Seed Storage Building operations and implementing statewide strategies. As the agency’s senior authority, this role directly influences policy, conservation, planning, management and funding decisions across external state, federal and private organizations.
Specific job duties include but are not limited to:
Program Oversight & Strategy Implementation
Serve as the agency’s senior authority for the Colorado Plateau, Wyoming Basin, Southern Rockies and Arizona/New Mexico Plateau ecoregional native plant material programs. Integrate terrestrial, avian and pollinator habitat needs into broader ecosystem management frameworks. Develops ecoregional strategic goals, objectives, and statewide guidance on plant material development, inventory, data collection, monitoring and use. Coordinate directly with adjacent states, regional associations and national organizations regarding the US Department of Interior National Seed Strategy programs. Provide high-level policy recommendations to CPW leadership and federal agencies to standardize statewide policy direction around native plant materials.
Multi-Level Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement
Serve as the primary Inter-Agency Liaison to coordinate with federal partners (USFS, BLM, NPS and BOR), state agencies (DNR, CDOT, CSFS), and Tribal nations. Align native plant material utilization with land and water management policies, statewide wildfire resilience goals, and watershed health initiatives. Facilitate collaborative relationships with the agricultural community, commercial seed producers, county conservation districts, and private landowners to balance ecological function and biodiversity interests with private property rights. Represent CPW at state and regional levels as an ecoregional expert on strategic native plant material program issues. Act as the principal technical representative at multi-agency and multi-state forums to highlight CPW’s wildlife, ecological function, climate resiliency and biodiversity priorities. Establish memorandums of understanding and cooperative agreements with state and federal partners to effectively delivery programmatic goals across multiple jurisdictions and landownerships.
Fiscal Stewardship, Procurement and Facility Operations
Develop, track, and manage the annual statewide budget for Habitat Conservation ecoregional native plant material programs and Escalante Seed Storage Building operations. Ensure fiscal responsibility and the efficient allocation of available funds across the state to meet program strategic goals. Manage all aspects of Escalante Seed Storage Building operations, facility maintenance and warehouse equipment usage, including forklifts, commercial shipping tools and heavy machinery. Work closely with the procurement staff to purchase specialized goods and services. Oversee the bidding and execution of external personal service contracts for programmatic delivery. Identify and pursue diverse funding streams while managing the full lifecycle of grant funded projects from application to auditing compliance. Develop comprehensive work plans and establish annual targets for the Native Plant Material program
Technical Support: Monitoring, Research, Data Management, Training, Outreach & Education
Collaborate with agency colleagues, academic institutions and external state and federal partners to peer-review relevant research and management products. Coordinate with the Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program and regional states (Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico) to leverage expertise, accelerate commercial plant material production and provide technical assistance on novel native material establishment techniques. Serve as the agency’s subject matter expert for ecoregional native plant materials. Developing educational resources that translate complex ecological data into accessible information regarding native habitat and watershed restoration. Partner with CPW colleagues to design educational outreach programs for agency staff and external partners. Quantify the successful establishment rates of ecoregional native plant materials (including seed and root stock) and other commercially available plant materials.
Other Duties as Assigned
Performs other related duties as assigned to ensure the effective implementation of goals and objectives defined by the Habitat Conservation Team and the overall Division mission. Examples include but are not limited to: assist in agency-wide responses to wildfire restoration, representing Habitat Conservation Programs on internal and external committees, task forces, or professional societies (e.g., Society for Range Management/Ecological Restoration, WAFWA). Ensure completion of mandatory training, internal reporting, and other general administrative tasks required of a statewide coordinator.
Minimum Qualifications
Eight (8) years of relevant experience with native seed collection, cleaning and storage; native seed propagation; seed based habitat restoration techniques, or an occupation related to the work assigned to this position.
OR
A combination of related education in Natural Resources, Wildlife Management, Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, Environmental Policy, Geography, Geology, Zoology/Animal Sciences, Botany, Horticulture, Agricultural Biology and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to eight (8) years.
Substitutions
• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
Preferred Qualifications
• Current or former State experience relevant to this position.
• Current or former Colorado Parks and Wildlife experience.
• Experience in data management and analysis.
• Experience with managing employees.
• Experience with ArcGIS and spatial analysis.
• Experience in the State of Colorado’s procurement process.
• Experience with native seed collection, cleaning and storage.
• Experience with native seed propagation.
• Experience with seed based habitat restoration techniques.
• Experience with ecological monitoring.
Required Competencies
• Current or former experience relevant to active habitat management, native seed project management and native seeding monitoring.
• Experience in budget management, budget tracking and reporting.
• Experience in data management and analysis.
• Strong background in Colorado flora.
• Professional level writing, research and communication development skills
• Experience working in a government role.
• High level of written and oral communications.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel and Google Suite
Conditions of Employment
• State of Colorado residency is required at the time of application.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state of Colorado driver's license if operating a State vehicle, including CDL Class A endorsement.
• Statewide travel is required on an as needed basis.
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose the information on the application and provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify their application from the current position. (Please Note: Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with DNR).
• Pursuant to the DNR-120 Fleet and Driving Standards Administrative Directive , any worker who will be expected to drive a State-owned vehicle is responsible for maintaining a safe driving record and a valid driver license prior to driving any State-owned vehicle.
To be compliant with the new fleet vehicle policy, Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) will be pulled for review for workers who:
• Have an assigned State fleet vehicle
• Are required to operate a vehicle as part of the position
• Utilize a State fleet vehicle as a pool vehicle
APPEAL RIGHTS: It is recommended that you contact the Human Resources Specialist listed below to resolve issues related to your possession of minimum qualifications. However, if you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.
An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email (dpa_state.personnelboard@state.co.us), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.
For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at (303) 866-3300; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.
The Assessment Process
• 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.
We are committed to increasing a “Colorado for ALL" of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of all backgrounds and abilities. The State of Colorado believes that a “Colorado for ALL” drives our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.
If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, at dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us
ADAAA Accommodations
Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request accommodation, please contact our Benefits Specialist at dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us at least five business days before the date that any accommodation will be required to allow us to evaluate your request and prepare for the accommodation. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and type of accommodation needed. Please ensure that you have this information available well in advance of the assessment date.
E-Verify
DNR uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify , including your rights and responsibilities.
Toll–Free Applicant Support - Technical Help
If you experience technical difficulty with the NEOGOV system (e.g. uploading or attaching documents to your online application) call NEOGOV at 855-524-5627, Mon-Fri between 6 am and 6 pm (Pacific Time). The Human Resources Office will be unable to assist with technical issues.
