Natural Resources Specialist II Grade 24

Montgomery Parks is currently seeking a dedicated, organized, and skilled natural resource professional to assist in project review and environmental restoration. If you have a passion for environmental work and thrive in a dynamic work environment, then Montgomery Parks is the place you want to be!

The Natural Resource Specialist II will work in the Environmental Review and Restoration Unit of the Park Planning and Stewardship Division at Montgomery Parks. The position involves conducting Concept Review of projects that may impact the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of the Parks Department. They will work with engineers, planners, natural resource staff, consultants, and design teams to ensure that the project is beneficial and feasible;

environmental impacts are avoided where possible; and if necessary, develop an appropriate mitigation plan. The successful candidate will assist in preparing presentations outlining Parks’ recommendations to the Montgomery County Planning Board through the Mandatory Referral Process, attend public meetings, and respond to citizen questions regarding the project.

The position also involves supporting environmental restoration projects from design to construction, which includes natural resource assessments, GIS analysis, and construction oversight. The successful candidate will have experience in reviewing design plans, collecting environmental field data, and construction oversight.

Qualified applicants will exhibit strong communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrate an ability to work effectively with a wide variety of agencies, special interest groups, Parks staff, consultants, contractors, and the general public. The successful candidate will have experience in the review of stream restoration, stormwater management creation and retrofit, wetland creation, transportation, utility, and/or other development projects – specifically for natural resource impacts.

They will also have extensive knowledge in one or more of the following fields: freshwater ecology, natural resource management, environmental engineering, wetland delineation, forest ecology, land use planning, and/or GIS.

The Resource Analysis Section serves as Montgomery Parks' primary steward of aquatic resources, overseeing more than 600 miles of streams and their associated floodplains and wetlands across the park system. Through science based management, environmental restoration, regulatory compliance, and long-term monitoring, the section works to protect and enhance water quality, aquatic habitat, and watershed health for current and future generations.

The section is comprised of three specialized branches. The NPDES Permit Program works to regulate, reduce, and eliminate sources of stormwater pollution through a variety of best management practices and minimum control measures. The program administers the Department’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, including the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit and Industrial Stormwater permits, helping ensure compliance with federal and state water quality regulations.

The Environmental Review and Restoration Unit identifies and helps implement projects that improve water quality and riparian habitat across parkland. The unit advances environmental restoration initiatives such as riparian forest restoration, stormwater outfall repair, stream restoration, and habitat creation. It also reviews proposed external development and infrastructure projects to ensure protection of park natural, cultural, and recreational resources. The Biological Monitoring Program evaluates the health of Montgomery Parks' streams and watersheds.

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