Conservation Futures Program Planner

Come Join Our Team:
Are you passionate about protecting open space and interested in helping administer one of Washington State's largest and most stable sources of conservation funding? The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP), Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) is seeking a collaborative, highly organized Conservation Futures Program Planner (Project/Program Manager I)  to support the Conservation Futures Program.

King County's Conservation Futures grant program awards more than $100 million annually to King County programs, cities, and nonprofit organizations to acquire and permanently protect forests, farms, natural lands, trail corridors, urban green spaces, and other valued open spaces. Conservation Futures is the primary funding source supporting King County's Land Conservation Initiative (LCI), which seeks to protect remaining high-conservation-value lands within a generation.

This position offers an opportunity to contribute directly to conservation efforts that support livable and sustainable communities, clean water, healthy habitat, equitable access to open space, and the long-term protection of King County's natural environment.

About the Role:
As the Conservation Futures Program Planner, you will support the Conservation Futures Program Manager and program team in administering all aspects of the Conservation Futures grant program.

No two days will look exactly the same. Your work will include supporting the annual grant round, managing and improving program data and workflows, tracking previously awarded grants, working with grant recipients to monitor conservation acquisitions, preparing and editing reports and program materials, and developing presentations and communications for a variety of audiences.

You will also play an important role in supporting the program's volunteer advisory committee, including coordinating and staffing application review meetings and field trips.

Up to approximately 15% of the position's work may support other programs and projects advancing the Land Conservation Initiative. Depending on program needs, this could include strategic planning, environmental market-based programs, natural asset management, community-driven conservation efforts, the Transfer of Development Rights program, or King County's Open Space Equity Cabinet.

This opportunity may be a strong fit for someone who enjoys detailed, complex work; communicates effectively; builds productive relationships; and is motivated by the opportunity to conserve open space for today's residents and future generations.

About the Team:
The Conservation Futures Program is within the Rural and Regional Services Section (RRS) of the Water and Land Resources Division. Our teams within RRS work to permanently conserve 1,000 acres or more each year in support of the Land Conservation Initiative and King County's broader goals for protecting vital open spaces. In addition to the Conservation Futures Program, the unit conducts real estate transactions and supports environmental market programs. Our team at RRS, provides services to partners throughout the Water and Land Resources Division, Parks and Recreation Division, and external agencies and organizations. 

You will join a fast-paced, high-performing three-person Conservation Futures team where collaboration, communication, attention to detail, continuous learning, and process improvement are important to the team's success.

Commitment to Equity and Social Justice: King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a PPM I, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

What You Will Be Doing:

In this role, you will:

• Support grant administration: Assist the Conservation Futures team with all aspects of administering the annual grant program, including working with applicants and grant recipients and supporting grant-related processes and activities.
• Manage program information: Maintain complex program data and workflows with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail and help identify opportunities to streamline systems and processes.
• Track conservation investments: Work with grant recipients to monitor progress on Conservation Futures-funded acquisitions and previously awarded grants.
• Prepare communications: Draft, edit, proofread, and organize reports, program materials, presentations, and communications for internal and external audiences.
• Support advisory committee activities: Coordinate logistics and provide support for volunteer advisory committee meetings, application reviews, and field trips.
• Build partnerships: Develop effective working relationships with King County staff, cities, nonprofit organizations, grant applicants, recipients, and other conservation partners.
• Advance the Land Conservation Initiative: Support additional conservation projects and programs as capacity and program needs allow.

This recruitment intentionally will require a skills-based approach rather than unnecessary degree or fixed-years-of-experience requirements and recognizes that relevant skills may be developed through hands-on experience, military service, apprenticeships, self-directed learning, certifications, and other pathways.

Qualifications You Bring:

The most competitive candidates may also demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Knowledge of concepts related to conservation of natural resources and how healthy natural assets and natural systems benefit people and ability to apply concepts to operations of a natural resource agency..
• Experience supporting conservation grant administration or other relevant grant-related work, including experience supporting teams in securing, administering, or implementing grants.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills, and a demonstrated ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with a wide variety of partners, stakeholders, audiences, or constituencies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including strong attention to detail and ability to proofread and edit others’ work.

Preferred Qualifications:

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel or comparable data-management tools.

• Familiarity with GIS software and experience using GIS to create maps.

• Experience with the conservation or stewardship of open space, including farms, forests, parks, or trails.

We recognize that relevant skills can be developed through many pathways, including professional experience, public service, military service, community-based work, apprenticeships, training, certifications, and other lived or learned experiences. We encourage candidates who can demonstrate the skills needed to successfully perform this work to apply.

Competencies You Bring:

• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

• Communicates Effectively: Develops and delivers communications that reflect an understanding of the needs of different audiences.

• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and challenges with energy, initiative, and enthusiasm.

• Optimizes Work Processes: Identifies effective and efficient ways to accomplish work, with an emphasis on continuous improvement

• Nimble Learning: Learns through experience and experimentation and applies lessons from successes and challenges to new situations.

Onsite Work Details:

• Work Location: Rural and Regional Services Section (RRS) works in a hybrid model, with days in the office, and field, as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a in-home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is represented by Teamsters Local 117.

Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

To apply, submit your completed application materials:

• Complete Online Application (Required)
• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Required)

• Note:  Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening

Discover More About the Water and Land Division by visiting our website.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News. 

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest. 

Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Application Process

If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact William R. Herbert at [email protected].

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.