Conservation Director

Summary

BOONE COUNTY CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Position Description 
 
Position Detail:  Executive Director, full-time, Boone County Employee Benefits, this position has been classified as FLSA Exempt
Accountable To:  Boone County Conservation Board, Governed by the Boone County Employee Handbook
 
Position Objectives 
Under general administrative direction of the Conservation Board, this position serves as Chief Executive Officer responsible to plan, coordinate, direct and oversee all aspects of the County Conservation Board program and department. Oversee administration of conservation staff.  Manage all real property in the conservation system, according to Iowa Code 350. This position is responsible for the upkeep of all Conservation equipment and structures, including but not limited to, docks, golf course, campgrounds, land, walking paths, lawn mowers, shed equipment, etc. The Conservation Department is its own financial entity and is responsible for its own balancing of all revenue streams.

Essential Functions and Skills: The points listed here are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive.  Other skills and duties may be required and assigned.

• Possess an operating knowledge of natural resources, cultural history of Iowa and outdoor recreation
• Follow all federal, state, and local legislation and regulations relating to conservation
• Possess a knowledge of basic field identification and natural history of native plants and animals in Iowa
• Demonstrate natural resource management including fisheries, wildlife, forestry, and prairies
• Work alongside organizations and agencies concerned with conservation, natural resource management, education, water quality, etc.
• Oversee the general outdoor recreation and sporting activities (e.g. canoeing, hiking, biking, orienteering, archery, firearms safety, hunting, trapping, boating safety, etc.)
• Operate within Boone County, federal, and state safety regulations, standards, and best practices.
• Apply principles and practices of public management, administration, and employee relations
• Recruit, hire, train, manage, evaluate, discipline, and motivate staff and volunteers in accordance with Boone County Employment Policies listed in the Boone County Employee Handbook.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, Conservation Board members, County Board of Supervisors, other departments, agencies, organizations, and members of the public.
• Coordinate, schedule and delegate responsibility to administer various program components.
• Collect data, keep records, and prepare reports.
• Effectively communicate issues with the Conservation Board in and out of regularly scheduled meetings to ensure the Board is kept informed.
• Be detail-oriented and accurate when working with documents and information.
• Develop, oversee, implement, and evaluate site plans, comprehensive plans, annual plans, and annual reports of accomplishments.
• Develop and evaluate programs appropriate for the County.
• Regularly inspect areas, buildings, vehicles, equipment and related facilities to determine projects and work to be completed.
• Respond to visitor and public complaints, and emergency situations.
• Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, to groups and individuals in formal and informal situations.
• Recommend and implement improvements, enhancements in natural resource and recreational management, including timber stand improvement, prairie and tree planting, invasive species control, and prairie burns.
• Possess knowledge of proper safety and procedures/occupational hazards associated with maintenance/repairs of building and grounds. Work alongside the Safety Coordinator to ensure workplace safety standards for staff are being met.
• Ability to resolve disputes/conflicts with use of diplomacy, tact, and persuasion.

Essential Financial and Accounting Responsibilities: The points listed here are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other responsibilities and duties may be required and assigned.

• Ensure proper procedures are followed to receive and manage payments from customers. Payments can come in the form of cash and credit cards in person, cash or checks in the mail and online credit card payments.
• Oversee daily deposits and ensure and manage daily, weekly, and monthly balancing of deposits and bank account reconciliation. 
• Ensure all revenue streams balance daily, deposits are taken to the bank regularly and checks logged using the appropriate equipment.
• Prepare, discuss, justify and work within a budget.
• Administer budget and financial information by obtaining budget requests from staff and preparing annual budget for presentation to the conservation board; maintain and monitor expenditures and budget activity. 
• Seek grant support that is in accordance with the vision and mission of the department. 

Essential Administration Responsibilities:  The points listed here are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other responsibilities and duties may be required and assigned.

• Set and oversee direction for the conservation department by exercising general supervision over staff, organizing, coordinating and assigning program areas of responsibility to staff, conducting staff meetings to review work plans, progress of assigned work and results. 
• Formulate recommendations to the conservation board on a wide range of issues by researching records, reviewing current mandatory standards, and contacting other agencies. 
• Oversee community outreach/public relations by organizing and facilitating meetings and maintaining public contacts and contacts with organizations and other county departments. 
• Carry out land acquisitions by working to identify potential willing sellers to add to the county conservation board program.
• Supervise emergency preparedness and response to disasters, fire and rescue services.
• Assist the Conservation Board chair in the function and conduct of meetings as requested. 
• Attend work-related meetings and professional development opportunities. 
• Demonstrate the ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Conservation, Natural Resources, or related sciences preferred.
• Experience managing a budget and completing daily balancing tasks required.
• 5 years of progressively responsible experience OR any equivalent combination of experience, training, and education which provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work.
• Supervisory experience required.
• Ability to pass a pre-employment physical, pre-employment drug test, pre-employment background check and must be insurable under Boone County liability coverage.
  1. The pre-employment background check includes criminal history, motor vehicle record check, credit check and more.
• Knowledge of golf course management preferred.

Required Essential Licenses and Certifications
Iowa Driver’s License, CPR and First Aid Certification, trained and certified herbicide, pesticide and fungicide applicator (within one year of employment)

Mental/Visual Demands
Position demands attention in maintaining accurate records. Must possess the ability to work under pressure with interruptions and challenging deadlines. 

Required Essential Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 75 pounds of force. Work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions and requires standing, walking, climbing or balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, reaching with hands and arms, pushing or pulling and lifting. Work has standard vision requirements; vocal communications is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken work; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken work levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating machines and observing general surroundings and activities. Work is generally in a moderately noisy location, occasionally walk on uneven and unstable surfaces such as construction sites, wooded areas and ditch embankments

Environment
Frequently subject to both inside and outside environmental conditions and extreme temperatures, cold and heat.   Position will encounter dusty, windy, wet and Icy work conditions. 

Position Location
Primary location is the Conservation Board Facilities in Boone County Don Williams Recreation Area. Some Traveling is required. Telecommuting is NOT approved for this positon. 

Contacts
Position requires regular daily contact with others such as the public, other county offices and vendors. 

Accountability
Accuracy is important to avoid errors in recording transactions. Be reliable, responsible, and dependable in fulfilling obligations. Reliable work attendance. Maintain a high level of confidentiality and personal high level of integrity. Represent Boone County and perform duties in a professional, responsible and trustworthy manner.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee assigned to this job classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all skills, effort, responsibilities and working conditions required of a person assigned to this job classification.
This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change. All positions with Boone County are at-will and may be terminated at any time, with or without reason or notice by either party.

Essential Functions