Position: AWI Stewardship Program Assistant Director

Status: Full-Time, Regular (12 months), Exempt

Department: Adirondack Watershed Institute

Reports to: Aquatic Invasive Species Program Director

Salary: $73,500.00 Annual Salary

Description:

Paul Smith’s College is seeking a Stewardship Program Assistant Director for its flagship Adirondack Watershed Institute. The Stewardship Program Assistant Director oversees operations related to hiring, training, and supervising the seasonal staff of the Adirondack Watershed Institute’s Adirondack Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention Program (Stewardship Program). The program operates at 65+ locations, from May to October, throughout the Adirondack region and is centered around providing education to boaters about aquatic invasive species spread prevention methods, as well as performing watercraft inspections and decontaminations to ensure boats meet the clean, drain, and dry standard. This position provides direction and leadership to both full-time and seasonal AWI staff and will collaborate with other AWI staff to meet the mission of AWI.

The mission of AWI is to protect clean water, conserve habitat and support the health and well-being of people in the Adirondacks through scientific inquiry, stewardship, and real-world experiences for students. AWI has been a program of Paul Smith’s College since its inception in 2002.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Responsible for supervising, coaching, and evaluating the work and performance of the Stewardship Program Manager.
• Coordinate the recruitment and hiring of seasonal staff, including regular collaboration with the Paul Smith’s College People & Culture Office and Payroll Departments.
• Responsible for supervising, coaching, and evaluating regional supervisors.
• Responsible for leading the development, implementation, and evaluation of seasonal staff training in collaboration with the Stewardship team.
• Responsible for seasonal staff schedule and work location assignments.
• Work with Regional Supervisors to mentor and supervise seasonal staff, including handling personnel issues and coverage gaps at contracted work sites.
• Conduct site visits to ensure supervisors and stewards are performing duties and meeting expectations.
• Manage seasonal staff payroll in collaboration with the Stewardship Program Manager and Regional Supervisors.
• Assist the Aquatic Invasive Species Program Director with long-range planning and ensuring the program is structured appropriately to meet its goals.
• Ensure Paul Smith’s College meets the compliance requirements and obligations of its contract with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, in collaboration with AWI and PSC leadership.
• Communicate with NYS DEC, lake associations, municipalities, and other partners as needed.
• Represent AWI at regional and state meetings, conferences, and other events.
• Analyze program information and data in order to conduct adaptive management decisions.
• Assist the Director with contract reporting.
• Perform other tasks as assigned to support AWI’s mission.

Qualifications and Preferences:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a natural resources discipline and a minimum of 2 years of professional experience in natural resource management.
• Demonstrated experience with and knowledge of invasive species issues and/or management.
• Supervisory, leadership, and administrative experience including but not limited to: tasks associated with hiring, training, and performance evaluation, developing reports accurately and in a timely manner, ability to diplomatically and objectively mentor and supervise staff, and ability to work collaboratively with partners and colleagues.
• Ability to work with a broad range of diverse individuals and groups to form a safe and inclusive campus community.
• Experience with and ability to manage multiple tasks at a time.
• Public education and interpretation experience.
• Comfortable with speaking to members of the public.
• Capability to perform duties independently and proactively.
• Ability to work weekends and holidays as needed.
• Driver’s license and driving record acceptable to PSC insurance carrier and AWI, which will enable authorization to drive College-owned vehicles.

Physical Requirements:

Environmental Conditions

• Majority of the work is consistently performed in an indoor office setting with normal temperature ranges for the season.
• Traditional noise of an office setting can be expected.
• During peak summer season routine visits throughout the region to service locations is expected. This would include variability in temperature and noise levels.

Lifting and Carrying

• Frequent lifting and carrying of light to moderate office equipment (laptop or meeting materials) weight items.
• On occasion, may lift up to 35 lbs.

Mobility

• Prolonged sitting majority of the workday to complete responsibilities.
• Ability to bend, stoop, and kneel to pick up items, as necessary.

• Climbing various staircases and walking moderate distances across the campus to engage in meetings and/or presentations.

Dexterity and Hand-Eye Coordination

• Manual dexterity for handling small office-related objects.
• Fine motor skills for work performed on laptop.
• Infrequent need to reach overhead or below shoulder level to perform work duties.

Sensory Requirements

• Good vision, including color vision, with corrective lenses, as necessary.
• Good hearing with assistive devices, as necessary.

Paul Smith’s College is an equal opportunity employer. Position descriptions are created that focus on essential functions, using inclusive language, and avoid unnecessary or discriminatory requirements.