Project Specialist IV; Program Planning

Job Summary

Snohomish County Surface Water Management (SWM), a Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is hiring one Project Specialist IV to join SWM’s Program Planning team.

SWM is seeking a highly motivated candidate for a Project Specialist IV position to lead the Community Floodplain Solutions Program (CFS). The program works with partners to engage the local floodplain community to understand the dynamics of living in a floodplain and help chart a future of resiliency by implementing actions that support fish, farms, and floods. The position will develop, manage, and lead large complex floodplain reach‑scale planning actions and projects.

This position will serve as SWM’s liaison to the Sustainable Lands Strategy (SLS) Executive Committee. SLS is led by an Executive Committee of local stakeholders representing agricultural, fish habitat restoration, and floodplain management interests.

The CFS program is a collaborative effort aimed at helping lower flood risks for residents and the agricultural community and increasing salmon habitat without transferring flood hazards to neighbors or downstream landowners. This position will use reach‑scale plans as well as other localized and regional planning documents, in coordination with SWM Basin Teams and the interdisciplinary Integration Teams (made up of partners such as the Snohomish Conservation District, Stillaguamish and Tulalip Tribes, Washington Farmland Trust, State Agencies like WDFW and DNR, cities like Everett and Monroe, Adopt‑a‑stream, and Ducks Unlimited), to identify specific project ideas, obtain management approval, and write and submit grant applications to fund these projects.

The CFS program has been awarded 4 awards from the State Floodplains by Design (FbD) grant program for over $33M in funding. This position will serve as the SWM lead for large complex floodplain projects and the project manager for Phases 2‑4 of the FbD grants.

This position’s responsibilities include the following:

• Provide Lead role for Program Planning and Floodplain Services staff working on FbD grant
• Develop work plans and budgets
• Develop and manage consultant contracts and other agreements and sub‑awards
• Ensure all project grant tasks across SWM work groups are on schedule and budget.
• Provide QA/QC for project grant tasks and deliverables.
• Coordinate with other Public Works Department groups and grant partners to ensure grant is implemented on time and under budget.
• Engage stakeholders and floodplain residents in project development and implementation
• Provide oversight of outreach materials, workshops, and grant web site information
• Work with the Prosecutor’s Office on legal aspects of the grant program
• Oversee preparation of future grant proposals, including the upcoming 2021‑23 Floodplains by Design grant round.