Job Title: Program Manager
Reports to: Executive Director
Status: Full-time, Virtual/Hybrid Alaska
Salary: Exempt, $65,000-$72,000
About the organization: The Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA) was formed in 1991 when fishing leaders from the Alaska portion of the Yukon River and its main tributaries gathered together to work on salmon fisheries issues along the Yukon River. Over time, YRDFA has matured into an organization through which fishing families throughout the Yukon River drainage work together by sharing information and perspectives at decision-making forums. YRDFA has developed unique outreach and education programs, addressed threats to salmon in the marine environment, and implemented traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) research, as well as offered training and employment to sustain the fishing way of life along the Yukon River. Our board members and alternates live along the Yukon River and work to achieve our mission of protecting and promoting all healthy wild fisheries and cultures along the Yukon River.
Position Summary: This position is responsible for overseeing a program to support the creation of a Watershed Ecosystem Action Plan (WEAP). The ecosystem plan will address freshwater habitat impacts that are contributing to the degradation of Pacific Salmon freshwater rearing and spawning habitats in the Yukon river drainage. The WEAP will be a written planning document and associated GIS mapping tool, which will prioritize the ecosystem restoration activities in the watershed most likely to benefit Pacific Salmon productivity. The program manager will manage several activities planned to support the creation of the WEAP, including planning and attending community meetings, supervising field crews who will collect stream habitat and water quality metrics, and supervising a GIS analyst. The program manager will also attend a regular monthly meeting with the WEAP working group and maintain online meeting notes and action items. This position is grant funded for an 18 month period and may continue beyond the timeframe with additional funding to continue the specified project.
Job Description: The program manager will provide essential support to the administration and implementation of the program. Duties and functions will include:
- Create and manage schedules to ensure completion of project activities and milestones.
- Manage complex budgets with multiple funding sources.
- Maintain clear and frequent communications about projects with partners
- Work closely with Tribal Governments, resource agencies, landowners, and other watershed stakeholders to plan and schedule in person community meetings to gather Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and community resource concerns. Community meetings will take place in 7 hub villages (Emmonak, St. Mary’s, Holy Cross, Galena, Tanana, Fort Yukon, Allakaket). Meetings are expected to be completed early summer of 2023.
- Document results of community meetings and share with partners and Tribal governments.
- Supervise and plan activities, survey locations, and training for a ~10 person field crew who will be collecting stream habitat and water quality metrics in accordance with the Bureau of Land Management Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) protocol. Field crew will be located in the 7 hub villages throughout the Yukon Watershed.
- Work with partners and incorporate GIS information and TEK to identify locations of impacted sites for field crew surveys.
Supervise a GIS analyst who will assist with planning and overseeing field crew activities.
Attend monthly virtual meetings with the WEAP working group, keep minutes of meetings and action items and maintain an online file management site for working group documents. - Write grants and pursue project funding.
- Assist with meeting planning to include logistics such as air and ground transportation, meals, lodging, and speaker arrangements;
- Regularly communicate via phone, fax, and e-mail to members and project partners;
- Assist with evaluation of the program and strategies for improvement;
Job Requirements/Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have the following background and skills:
- Familiarity with Alaska Native cultures, non-profit organizations/Tribal governments, and communities along the Yukon River;
- Field experience collecting water quality data and/or stream and riparian habitat metrics
- Experience using an auto level and stadia rod to collect stream profile data
- Understanding of stream and riparian habitats and how they support biological and ecosystem functions.
- Experience working with federal and state permit processes related to aquatic restoration projects and in-water work.
- Experience writing, managing and reporting on federal grants.
- Experience overseeing remote worksites and managing field logistics off the road system preferred
- Experience using MS Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and GIS
- Demonstrated success building and managing budgets
- Excellent coordination and event management skills;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Self-initiative;
- Desire and willingness to work as part of a team;
- Willingness and ability to travel to rural Yukon River villages and urban Alaskan hubs periodically;
- Ability to effectively engage and partner with others;
- Fundraising experience and interest;
- Ability to post regular and consistent information via social media;
- Experience in grants management is a plus.
- Bachelor of Science or advanced degree in natural resource management, project management, biological science, ecology, conservation biology, environmental science, community and regional planning, planning and public policy. Experience may be substituted for education.
Work may at times be physically demanding. May require walking and maintaining balance on slippery surfaces and sloping, highly uneven stream banks, and in conditions of moderate streamflow; may require lifting, pulling, pushing, and carrying of field equipment over long distances. The position will also require multi-day travel to remote areas in Alaska by boat or small plane
This opportunity is an at-will position, in which the program manager will be an employee of the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association and subject to YRDFA’s personnel policies, benefits, and its hiring and termination decisions. Benefits include vacation leave, sick leave, paid holidays, and HSA benefits.
To Apply: Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please provide a cover letter outlining your interest and experience, 3 references, and a resume, to: Serena Fitka, Executive Director, YRDFA at serena@yukonsalmon.org.
Deadline to apply: February 28, 2023 with anticipated start date March 13, 2023.