Hybrid Natural Resource Specialist 4 (PCN 10-1827) at State of Alaska, AK

About the Department

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water, is recruiting for a Natural Resource Specialist 4 to be located in either Anchorage or Juneau.

This position is open to Alaska Residents only. 

Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

What You Will Be Doing:  

The Statewide Abatement of Impaired Land (SAIL) section within the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Mining, Land, and Water (DMLW) leads impaired land management efforts for DMLW and serves as DNR’s subject matter expert on impaired lands.       

• Managing lands impaired by spills, contamination, solid waste, derelict vessels, and marine debris. 
• Conducting extensive land status, regulatory, and legal research.   
• Conducting site assessments and responding to spill incidents to represent DNR interests. 
• Working with environmental regulators, parties responsible, contractors, and the public to manage impaired land sites and represent DNR interests in the environmental regulatory process.
• Maintaining land management records, producing defensible decisions, making policy recommendations, and leading projects related to the management, prevention, mitigation, and remediation of impaired land and the associated environmental liabilities.

Mission and Values/Culture:  

The SAIL team is made up of a group of dedicated professionals committed to serving the public and managing land and resources. The team is dispersed across the state and is co-located with other DMLW staff with whom the team coordinates regularly. The work environment is focused on understanding and learning.   Staff are supportive of one another, and we work towards collaborative and creative solutions to work challenges.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:  

• The SAIL Section offers meaningful work in a friendly and supportive environment, opportunities for training and professional development, and a flexible work environment. 
• SAIL serves as a statewide team and this position offers opportunities for travel to different parts of Alaska to conduct site assessments and field training.  
• This position will have the opportunity to shape impaired land management policy, lead projects, and create innovative solutions that can positively impact the land, people, and economic development.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:  

• Because SAIL is a statewide team with staff working in multiple offices, most team collaboration is conducted via Microsoft Teams and other digital platforms. When possible, the team comes together for training and collaborative work.
• This position will be located in a DNR office in downtown Anchorage or Juneau. Core office hours are 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Though this position is primarily office-based, we offer hybrid teleworking opportunities and a flexible schedule.
• Travel to rural locations may require travel in small aircraft, boats, or off-road vehicles.

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

• Oral and Written Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• 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.

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

Position Duties

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.

Minimum Qualifications

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

• 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.
• 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.
• 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, 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.

Starting Salaries

Anchorage/Palmer – $3239.25 biweekly

Fairbanks – $3401.25 biweekly

Minimum 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: 

• A copy of educational transcripts is relied upon to demonstrate competencies. 
• A resume with a complete job history. 
• A list of three professional references, at least one from a current or former supervisor. 
• A copy of your driver's license. 
• A cover letter – see instructions below. (1 page maximum) outlining how your knowledge and experience will support success in the role. 

SPECIAL NOTICES

• This position requires occasional travel within the state, occasionally to remote locations, backcountry travel (i.e., ATV, snowmachine, and small aircraft), and occasionally overnight/multi-day travel.
• This position requires an Alaska driver’s license.

Application Notice

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

Cover Letter

If invited to an interview, you will be required to provide a cover letter. It should be two to three paragraphs (no longer than one page) and outline how your knowledge and experience will support your success in the role. 

Supplemental Questions

For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions.  The State of Alaska (SOA) utilizes 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 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 is not a substitute for completing the application in its entirety. 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. 

Multiple Locations

This position is being recruited in Fairbanks and Anchorage; the final location is dependent upon the location of the most qualified candidate. There is only ONE position to be filled.  

Driver’s License Requirement

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

EEO STATEMENT
The 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.

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

Other Qualifications

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 [email protected].

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:

Aaron Timian

SAIL Section Chief

Phone: 907-451-3014

Email: [email protected]