Planner, Environmental
The mission of the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department is to conserve and enhance lands with natural resource, agriculture and scenic values, while providing meaningful education and appropriate recreation opportunities.
To improve outcomes associated with this mission, the City of Fort Collins established the Nature in the City (NIC) program in 2015 to seek out, develop, and implement urban conservation opportunities through innovative partnerships, policies and projects. Housed within the Natural Areas Department, NIC works with many City departments and with a broad spectrum of community partners to realize its commitment to expanding access to nature, creating high-quality habitat and diversifying urban landscapes. Learn more at: https://fcgov.com/natureinthecity/
Now in its fourth year of implementation, the City is seeking an Environmental Planner to join the Nature in the City team. The successful applicant will join the Natural Areas Department’s Planning and Special Projects group and support efforts of affiliated departments City-wide, bringing an interest in urban conservation and equitable access to nature for residents in the city. This position will provide planning and technical support in a variety of areas including urban conservation, project management, grant program administration, outreach materials development, along with support of management plan development. This interdisciplinary position is best suited for a passionate urban conservation advocate with a proven capacity to:
- Manage diverse projects, providing structure and leadership to multifaceted project teams;
- Collaborate with wide range of community members to implement projects and ensure their long-term success; and
- Communicate effectively though both formal and informal writing and speaking opportunities.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all-inclusive.
- Supports complex, interdisciplinary efforts city-wide, through detail-oriented, project management
- Manages consulting contracts with environmental and other professional firms
- Assists with the artistic and functional design of natural features for NIC capital projects as well as outreach materials such as videos, webpages, brochures, and other written and verbal content to better engage diverse stakeholders in the NIC program
- Supports implementation of community science efforts related to citywide biodiversity monitoring
- Ensures consistent and sound data collection aligns with and supports broader efforts of the Natural Areas Department
- Provides technical expertise and research on urban conservation and natural resource issues
- Supports the drafting and development of management plans, policy statements and other planning documents to guide the activities of Natural Areas staff
- Collaborates extensively with community members and groups, consultants and public agencies
- Engages a diverse public in planning processes and community conversations
- Performs grant solicitation, management, and evaluation
- Makes presentations to and answers questions from the public
- Participates in regional and local conservation planning, public access, visitor experience and urban development efforts
- Coordinates, leads, and serves on task forces and teams related to urban conservation
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
This position does not have any supervisory responsibilities but may lead the work of seasonal employees