Agricultural and Water Resources Stewardship Senior Manager

It’s a great time to join the City of Boulder! Application Deadline: June 5, 2026 Compensation Details: Full Pay Range 101,171.20 - 150,280.00; generally the hiring range is from the minimum up to 80% of the range. This is a full‑time salaried position. Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40 Benefit Eligibility Group: Non Union (30+ Hours) Job Description Summary Under limited direction, the Agricultural and Water Resources Stewardship Senior Manager leads, directs, supervises, coordinates and manages the Agricultural and Water Stewardship teams which are responsible for understanding, caring for, and promoting the agricultural and resource well‑being of open space lands within a department‑wide and regional context. The Senior Manager is responsible for setting the vision and practices of these teams and for implementing the department’s vision, mission and initiatives, collaborating closely with multiple work groups, other city departments and external partners. The position supervises staff and collaborates as a team member of the division and departmental management teams. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Provides vision, goals, motivation, and multi‑programmatic delivery for the work group, within broad outlines provided by leadership and city‑wide and departmental strategic and management plans, working as part of a department and city‑wide team to support the overall charter and mission. Contributes to the strategic leadership of and directly manages the Agricultural Management, Water Resources Management, and Agricultural Ecology programs. Provides, through these programs, decision‑makers, staff, and the public with information about agricultural management, water resources, and agricultural ecology on open space lands. Serves as an active participant in the service area and department management teams, communicating vision and direction to inform stewardship annual work planning and budget alignment. Establishes and ensures a culture that models city values, provides effective leadership, and promotes high performance. Oversees strategic development, prioritization, and coordination of work within the work group, including research, design, management, and monitoring, to ensure operational consistency and collaboration, meet department goals, and resolve problems. Communicates, proactively and positively, city and department initiatives, keeping staff informed on relevant issues. Assigns, schedules, directs, and evaluates work to ensure it is completed timely, effectively, safely, collaboratively, and efficiently. Supports staff through training, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. Builds effective alliances with other department workgroups, divisions, city departments, local, state and federal agencies and public interest groups; coordinates with appropriate agencies and partners to ensure timelines, regulatory requirements, public process requirements, and budgetary constraints are met. Develops client relationships and provides exceptional customer service to internal and external customers through careful listening and understanding of client issues and by communicating research findings, proposals, specifications, and project statuses to ensure multiple management objectives are met. Manages capital and operating budgets associated with the work group and related projects; responsible for work group business processes; pursues grant opportunities related to work group goals. Utilizes the best practices and objective scientific research available to support management decisions. Ensures that agricultural management, water resources, and agricultural ecology values are considered, supported, and impacts mitigated to the extent practical before proceeding with uses of open space lands. Provides timely and quality delivery of permitting processes and proactive regulatory compliance advice. Develops and ensures contractor compliance with contract terms. Creates a respectful, trusting, and supportive environment. Provides clarity about the context and scope of each program within the work group and aligns program contributions with the department mission and charter in the most effective way possible. Leads and mentors work group staff based on principles of empowerment, listening, standards of excellence, city and department values, community connections, and responsiveness. Develops, updates, implements, and monitors a work plan and longer‑term strategy for each program within the work group that focuses on customer service. Recognizes the needs of staff, coaches them, and seeks training and experiential opportunities to help develop skills and capacity. Conducts annual performance evaluations for standard staff, ensures required training needs are being met, and manages personnel budgets. Provides strategic advice and technical guidance for management plans, capital plans, land use plans, and project designs to implement stewardship program goals within a department‑wide context that supports all chartered land uses and open space purposes. Develops and presents written and oral reports on programs and projects to division, department, and city management staff, city advisory boards, Open Space Board of Trustees, and City Council. Provides liaison role to external organizations for program disciplines, as applicable, representing department goals and integrating with the goals of others. Contributes as a subject matter expert on topics related to agricultural and water resources management. Resolves public concerns related to agriculture and water resource stewardship. Contributes to OSMP management team cohesion and unified communications, especially once department direction has been decided, even if not everyone agrees. Maintains a high level of professionalism and integrity; provides excellent customer services to internal and external customers; listens to questions and concerns, evaluates issues and possible solutions, works collaboratively with the OSMP and other city teams to find solutions to challenges that arise; inspires confidence and respect; uses feedback from others to grow and develop. Takes proper safety precautions, anticipates unsafe circumstances, and acts accordingly to prevent accidents. Responsible for the safety of self, others, materials, and equipment. Uses all required safety equipment and follows all safety regulations, policies and procedures. Reports all accidents and damage to city property. Actively supports and upholds the city’s stated mission and values. Performs related duties as required to meet the needs of the city. Minimum Qualifications Ability and willingness to attend evening meetings and work early or late hours as necessary for field work. Ability to cope with change, shift gears comfortably, and handle risk and uncertainty. Ability to determine what encourages others; and ability to delegate while fostering independent decision‑making. Ability to enjoy working hard, being action oriented, and seizing opportunities. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, departments, governmental agencies, and the public; ability to foster productive and collaborative relationships across a range of disciplines. Ability to lead the response to issues which may have significant impact on processes or stakeholder groups. Ability to motivate others and facilitate a positive work environment that supports peak performance. Ability to plan and coordinate the work of others, and to provide feedback to coworkers, volunteers and seasonal employees for continuous improvement of operations. Ability to prepare effective written reports and public presentations, and to work and communicate effectively with diverse groups of people, including the ability to deal courteously with the public and land users. Ability to support staff in integration of diverse resource management goals throughout their work to ensure all charter purposes of Open Space are upheld through the work of the agricultural and water resources stewardship staff. Ability to use a variety of inventory and monitoring tools. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, assume responsibility, and prioritize and resolve problems. Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines. Ability to work well as a leader and be creative in implementing new project ideas. Ability to schedule and organize work using latitude in determining approach; integrating business considerations into professional work; taking a systems approach to problem solving; and setting/meeting a strategic vision. Knowledge at an advanced level of job area (e.g., agriculture, water resources, agricultural restoration). Knowledge of ArcGIS and Microsoft Office. Skill and experience in developing and implementing strategic plans. Skill and experience in managing an operational budget and identifying financial priorities. Skill and experience in project and/or process management. Skills in analysis and organization. Must hold and maintain a valid driver’s license. Must successfully pass a background check before first day of work and maintain acceptable screening. Preferred Qualifications Knowledge of agricultural management, water resources management, and/or agricultural ecology management techniques and activities in Western High Plains and/or Rocky Mountain Front Range Foothills ecosystems/cultures. Advanced degree in Natural Resource Management, Ecology, Biology, Zoology, Agriculture, Weed Science, Range Science, Rangeland Ecology, Hydrology, Wildlife Management, Environmental Science, Water Resources, or related field and seven or more years of successful experience supervising professional employees such as natural resource, resource management, or scientific personnel as well as multiple professional work teams. Required Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management, Ecology, Biology, Zoology, Agriculture, Range Science, Rangeland Ecology, Wildlife Management, Environmental Science, Water Resources, or related field, plus a minimum of seven years’ work experience demonstrating a working knowledge of agriculture, water resources management, and/or agricultural ecology. Eight years of experience may substitute for the education requirement only; or an advanced degree plus a minimum of five years’ work experience. Twelve years of experience may substitute for the education requirement only. Minimum of three years of successful experience supervising professional employees such as agricultural, water or natural resource personnel, including developing work plans, coordinating projects, hiring, evaluating and managing staff in all aspects of related work. Supervision Supervision Received: Open Space and Mountain Parks Deputy Director – Resource Stewardship Supervision Exercised: Water Resources Senior Project Manager, Agricultural Land Restoration Manager, Agricultural Senior Program Manager, Agricultural Program Manager Working Conditions and Requirements Physical Demands and Mental Effort: Ability to perform a wide range of physical and manual tasks in an outdoor environment. Ability to stand, bend, walk, kneel. Ability to carry up to 40 pounds while hiking on rough terrain. Communication, vision, manual dexterity and stress tolerance are required. Ability to work in adverse weather and field conditions. Work Environment: Works in a clean, comfortable environment, and also works in an outdoor environment year‑round. May be exposed to dangerous wildlife, toxic chemicals, and dangerous weather conditions. Machines and Equipment: Frequently uses standard office equipment including computers, calculators, cell phones, copy machines; vehicles including four‑wheel drive; and various field measurement equipment. As part of the City of Boulder’s commitment to a future with equitable access to health, prosperity, and fulfillment that is not limited by a person’s race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, religion, sexuality, or socioeconomic status, it is the city’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) for all individuals. The city does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law or policy. #J-18808-Ljbffr City of Boulder, CO