Senior Counsel & Director of Water Resources

Senior Counsel & Director of Water Resources

Senior Counsel & Director of Water Resources 150 150 kparks@trcp.org
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Published
April 20, 2021
Location
Denver, CO and other locations
Category
Job Type
Contact Name (not public)
Kisha Parks
Main Phone
2026398727

Description

The position serves in a leadership role as both the organization’s Senior Counsel as well as its Director of Water Resources with a focus on Congressional and administration advocacy for water conservation policies essential to hunters and anglers. The position is responsible for the strategic and tactical leadership and issue-based advocacy to influence public policy via the following three-pronged approach:

  • Promoting science-based conservation and policy
    The TRCP takes a science-based approach to conservation that balances sportsmen/women and outdoor recreation access with responsible management of public and private lands.
  • Building coalitions and empowering leaders from the sportsmen-conservation community and beyond
    The TRCP builds constituencies to find solutions to land and water-use challenges and works with hunters and anglers and the conservation and outdoor recreation community to provide public access to fish and wildlife resources, conserve habitat, and fund conservation programs.
  • Implementing public education campaigns and conservation advocacy
    The TRCP uses public education tools to effectively advance public policy in Congress and the executive branch through strategic campaigns, grassroots organizing, media generation, civic involvement, and scientific research.

Responsibilities

  • The Senior Counsel & Director of Water Resources (Counsel/Director) develops, coordinates, and implements a strategic advocacy campaign for the TRCP Center for Water Resources to improve federal water resources policy and funding to conserve aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife populations important to hunters and anglers, as well as defending against projects in high value landscapes that would adversely affect important fish and wildlife habitat important to hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists.
  • The Counsel/Director reports to the Chief Conservation Officer and liaises with other TRCP policy initiatives, communications staff, and government relations staff to implement campaigns that utilize grassroots sportsmen/women’s advocacy, government relations, and traditional and new media.

 

 

  • Key Priorities
    • Colorado River Water Management - The majority of the Counsel/Director’s time will involve working with TRCP partner organizations and other allies to solve Colorado River Basin water management issues, including identifying and growing potential sources of federal and state funding for the projects and programs necessary to improve the Basin’s water supply-demand imbalance in ways that maintain or restore healthy fish and wildlife populations.
      • The Counsel/Director helps leads federal advocacy work.
      • This work includes policy and advocacy in support of healthy river flows and recreational opportunities, with appropriate funding levels, in the State of Colorado as it updates the 2015 Colorado Water Plan.
    • Clean Water Act & National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - The Counsel/Director is the organizational lead on the Clean Water Act and NEPA and writes and submits written comments and makes oral comments on proposed rules to implement these and other bedrock federal environmental laws, including participating in federal and state rulemaking processes and hearings.
      • Amicus Briefs – The TRCP is not litigious. However, the TRCP members, partner organizations, and allies often have strong reasons to oppose or support agency actions that other entities may challenge in court. Periodically, the TRCP may join with partners to draft and file amicus briefs.
    • New Policies – The Counsel/Director identifies conservation policy and funding opportunities for water resources, evaluates the potential for TRCP involvement, works with TRCP partner organizations to engage and educate the broader hunter/angler conservation community, and develops and implements strategies to influence policy and funding for fish and wildlife conservation at the national level.
  • In close coordination with Government Relations staff, s/he is responsible for advocating for TRCP’s water policy agenda on Capitol Hill and within the administration.
  • The Counsel/Director works closely with foundations and corporate interests with a focus on water resources and provides expert policy analysis, writes grant proposals and reports, and supports donor cultivation with a focus on financial sustainability for the Center for Water Resources.

Qualifications

A successful candidate will possess:

  • A Juris Doctorate (JD), with at least 7+ years of practice, including:
    • work on western water management, instream flow water rights & water project permitting; and
    • participation in agency rulemaking proceedings, both federal notice and comment processes and state rulemakings, especially related to water quality.
  • Strong working knowledge of the National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act with a special emphasis on the scope of NEPA and CWA Sections 303, 401 and 404;
  • Expertise on Colorado River water management issues and decision-makers;
  • Experience in government/legislative affairs, grassroots advocacy, issue campaigning or employment with sportsmen or conservation non-governmental organizations and/or government water resources or natural resource management agencies;
  • Proven leadership and ability to think strategically and build consensus on complicated policy initiatives;
  • Experience coordinating coalitions and collaborating with diverse interests to accomplish shared goals;
  • Experience writing, negotiating, and getting federal and state legislation passed, either as a Congressional, agency or non-profit or industry association staffer;
  • Experience collaborating with and advocating for policies and positions to federal and state agency staff and political appointees;
  • Experience with federal budgeting and an understanding of the perspectives of agencies and Congressional authorizers and appropriators;
  • Ability to work with the TRCP team, including program, communications, government relations, and development staff, and in coalition with partners and allies, including unconventional allies;
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience writing and giving testimony, writing grant applications, comments, legal briefs, blog posts, and media releases;
  • Superior writing, editing, and research skills including compiling information from divergent sources;
  • Strong organizational skills and careful attention to details;
  • Interest in being part of a fun and nimble policy team; and
  • A passion for hunting, fishing, and natural resource conservation.

Salary starts at $125,000 and is commensurate with experience; excellent health care and vacation benefits are included. The TRCP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and diverse candidates are encouraged to apply. Travel (post-COVID) is required, in Colorado and the Colorado River Basin as well as to Washington, DC. Strong preference for the candidate to work out of the TRCP’s Denver, CO office.

Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation vision, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) aims to guarantee all Americans access to quality places to hunt and fish. Founded in 2002, the TRCP is the largest coalition of conservation organizations in the country, uniting and amplifying the voices of sportsmen and women by convening hunting and fishing groups, conservation organizations, and outdoor businesses to a common purpose. The organization now includes 60 partner groups, scores of businesses, and more than 115,000 individuals united around America’s conservation legacy. The TRCP has earned a strong reputation for providing nonpartisan policy advocacy—in Washington D.C. and across the nation—to strengthen broad-based conservation efforts, protect wildlife and fish habitat, and ensure public access to natural resources.

To apply for this position, email a cover letter and resume to careers@trcp.org with the subject line "Senior Counsel & Director of Water Resources." A full Position Description is available on the TRCP website at www.trcp.org/employment. The position will remain open until filled.

How To Apply

To apply for this position, email a cover letter and resume to careers@trcp.org with the subject line "Senior Counsel & Director of Water Resources." A full Position Description is available on the TRCP website at www.trcp.org/employment. The position will remain open until filled.