College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Watershed Forester Environmental Programs

Hiring Organization: Grand Valley Metro Council
Employment type: Full-Time
Job Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Application Due Date: August 11, 2025

Description

The Grand Valley Metro Council (GVMC) is an alliance of governmental units in the West Michigan area focused on growth and development planning, quality of life improvements, and governmental services coordination. The Environmental Programs (EP) Department works with municipalities on stormwater management and development rules, community groups and schools on broad environmental education activities, and subwatershed groups on building capacity to improve local waterways. The Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW) is an agency of GVMC with a mission to “Understand, protect, and improve the natural resources of the Lower Grand River Watershed for all to enjoy.” In coordination with regional partners, EP staff facilitates LGROW’s work.

This position will be under the supervision of the Director of Environmental Programs. This position will assist EP’s staff with their work. Primary duties will focus on activities associated with meeting the goals of the Lower Grand River Watershed Management Plan and execution of local, state, and federal grant funded projects. Other tasks across GVMC will be assigned as needed.

Essential Job Functions:

An employee in this position may be called upon to perform any or all the following essential functions. These examples do not include all the duties the employee may be expected to perform. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily.

• Forestry Grant Management
  • Project manage existing grants from USDA Forest Service, Michigan DNR, and US EPA, and make sure project deliverables are met in a timely fashion. Current grants are focused on native tree planting in priority subwatersheds, and urban community forestry initiatives.
  • Assist with preparing grant applications for future projects and preparing and submitting reports to meet existing grant requirements.
  • Convene and coordinate project partners to meet grant deliverables.
• Urban Waters Federal Partnership
  • Manage the Grand Rapids/Grand River Urban Waters Federal Partnership. Assist in accelerating and coordinating projects that are critical to improving water quality and public health, restoring forest resources, and fostering community stewardship in urban watersheds. Responsible for connecting federal agencies, local government, scientific/technical expertise, and financial and other resources with the needs of local communities; working with these interests to identify priorities for watershed revitalization and environmental justice; and supporting planning and data collection to achieve those priorities. Will build upon the existing local Urban Waters network, and regularly convene stakeholders.
• Environmental Education & Student Programs
  • Help design and implement hands-on watershed education experiences for students of all ages, aligned with state and national standards. Contribute to curriculum development, activity facilitation, and logistics for place-based and classroom experiences.
• Committee Coordination
  • Support GVMC/LGROW-led committees by developing meeting agendas, preparing presentations, drafting summary notes, and managing communications for meetings.
• Field Work
  • Assist with a range of field-based activities such as site assessments, tree planting, tree maintenance activities, water quality sampling, and watershed inventories.
• Communications & Outreach
  • Support the development and implementation of communications strategies, including writing content for print materials, social media, website, newsletters, and blogs. Take photos, help maintain content calendars, and coordinate with partners and internal staff.
• Event Support
  • Help organize and staff GVMC/LGROW’s presence at community events, including occasional evenings and weekends. Duties include setting up displays, coordinating volunteers, planning event-specific activities, and assisting event organizers as needed.
• Community Science & Stewardship
  • Coordinate community initiatives (ex: tree planting events) by scheduling volunteer groups, distributing toolkits, and tracking participation data.
• Administrative & Office Support
  • Help maintain digital and physical documentation related to the urban community forestry program and other GVMC/LGROW initiatives. This may include organizing files, developing templates, and updating internal tracking systems.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Minimum Qualifications:

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and minimum qualifications necessary to perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the job.

Requirements include the following:

• A bachelor’s degree in environmental science, forestry, education, or related field.
• Recent college graduate with experience in the environmental field, public sector work, or a related field. 2-5 years of forestry and/or grant management experience preferred. ISA Certified Arborist preferred, but not required.
• A State of Michigan Vehicle Operator’s License.
• Familiarity with running training programs/workshops for community members.
• Be open to new challenges and adaptable to changes in project scope and direction.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office software, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, etc.
• Familiarity with social networking tools to keep up with changing methods of communication.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate effective working relationships within the organization and with external partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently to accomplish tasks and within a team to set larger goals and objectives of program.
• Skill in effectively communicating ideas and making presentations in a public forum.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships and use good judgement, initiative and resourcefulness when dealing with the media, the public, other employees, and governmental units.
• Ability to critically assess situations, solve problems, work effectively under stress, within deadlines, and in public situations.
• Ability to attend meetings as scheduled at times, on occasion, other than regular business hours.
• Or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate with others in person, over email and on the telephone. The employee must compose and read written and computerized documents, plans and maps. The employee is frequently required to travel to locations within and outside of the County. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move items of light weight.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in a business office setting. The employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions during travel or site visits. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.

Additional Information:

Submission of a resume is required.

The position is available to start immediately; prompt application is highly encouraged. Initial review of applications will begin August 11.  The position will remain open until filled; however, recruitment will close without notice when enough qualified applications are received or all hiring decisions have been made.

This is a full-time salaried 40 hours per week position, with competitive benefits offered. Salary range is expected to be $49,260 - $53,632  annually depending upon experience and qualifications. Some evening, weekend, and holiday work may be required to meet operational needs. 

Additional information about the work involved is available at: https://www.gvmc.org/epabout and www.LGROW.org. If interested in this position, please email resume and cover letter to Gayle McCrath, Director of Human Resources, at mccrathg@gvmc.org or 616-776-7613.

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