Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY

Position Title: Recreation/Wilderness Program Manager

Organization: USDA Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest – Jackson Ranger District

Location: Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY

Organization Overview: The employees of the Bridger-Teton National Forest are dedicated to sound natural resource management. Management cares for the land by improving and maintaining healthy forests and rangelands, clean air and water, and diverse habitat for fish and wildlife populations. They serve people by encouraging responsible use of the resources and habitat provide by the forest with professional organization.

Bridger-Teton National Forest strives to be transparent and innovative leaders in natural resource management. Employees work effectively as a team, committed to timely completion of projects to meet resource and public needs. They value public involvement, foster partnerships and are active in communities. Bridger-Teton National Forest employees respect each other and the public that are served. The Bridger-Teton is home to world-class headwaters, wildlife, Wilderness, and wildlands. Providing for year round recreation and sustainable uses, while conserving these values is their legacy.

Position Overview: Bridger-Teton National Forest is advertising a Recreation/Wilderness Program Manager position GS-0301-11. This position covers Jackson Ranger District and campground concession permit management on Jackson and Blackrock Ranger Districts. The duty station is in Jackson, Wyoming. The position is permanent full time.

This position serves as Recreation/Wilderness Program Manager guiding development and implementation of several programs including developed recreation, summer and winter dispersed recreation, travel management, Wilderness/WSA stewardship, river management, trail maintenance/improvement, and recreation special use administration. Much of the work revolves around managing visitor use with a focus on education to promote responsible recreation and engineering/design to facilitate appropriate use of trails, roads, rivers, and camping areas.

This is a challenging yet rewarding position that offers the opportunity to work with dedicated staff and very engaged partners. Applicants should have a passion for advancing the values of protected wildlands for which the Greater Yellowstone is known while also providing a diversity of quality recreation opportunities consistent with the area vision. The program manager is expected to serve on the Forest Recreation team and support other districts where possible, coordinate closely with Forest staff officers and LEOs, and serve as acting district ranger on an as needed basis.

Government Housing may be available.

Duties:

• Program of work- Develop annual program of work and set priorities for the recreation and wilderness program in line with Forest and District Ranger priorities. Hold year-end evaluations, notably around dispersed recreation. Prepare proposals and grant applications to fund priority projects and build program capacity.
• Employee Supervision- Provide guidance and supervision for 4 employees. This includes four GS-9s (special use administrator, trails/wilderness specialist, river manager, and developed recreation manager). These GS-9 leads supervise several GS-7 recreation technicians (dispersed and developed recreation, travel management, river ranger), and one seasonal snow ranger. Provide second-level guidance for additional employees (lead wilderness ranger, lead river ranger, FPO field patrollers)
• Partnerships/Agreements- Maintain and strengthen relationships with non-profit and agency partners. Key relationships include Friends of the Bridger-Teton, Friends of Pathways, Wyoming State Trails, Snake River Fund, JH Nordic Alliance, Teton Backcountry Alliance, JH Wildlife Foundation, Wyoming Wilderness Association, Grand Teton Association, PAWS, AMPL, Teton Freeriders, Teton Conservation District, University of Wyoming, Teton County Travel and Tourism, and Grand Teton National Park. Work closely with G&A specialists and budget staff to draft and execute agreement documents. Prepare progress reports and financial reimbursement requests.
• Planning/NEPA- Work closely with staff and the public to develop recreation proposals that require environmental analysis. Prepare scoping documents and serve as the IDT leader for major projects. Coordinate with resource specialists through the small project process. Prepare response to comments and draft decision documents. Prepare Minimum Requirement Analysis documents as necessary for projects involving prohibited uses in Wilderness.
• Permit administration- Serve as the permit administrator for concession operation of campgrounds and Granite Hot Springs. Meet with permittee annually to review operations, develop fee offset projects, and evaluate performance. Conduct condition surveys and real property inventory as required. Address hazards and maintain rec site infra data. Serve as point of contact for public complaints, inquiries, and compliments. Work with Enterprise staff to finish prospectus process and permit issuance for campground concessionaire (start date is May 1, 2024).
• Budget and reporting- Program grant, congressional program dollars, and FLREA funds for staff, vehicles, agreements, and supplies. Track expenditures and ensure spending does not exceed authorized allocations. Prepare year-end REA reports.
• Technical expertise- Provide technical expertise to guide the execution of recreation, travel management, trails, river, wilderness, and special use programs in accordance with laws, policy, Forest Plan direction and past decisions/assessments. Prepare issue briefings and correspondence as necessary. Serve on the team to advance sustainable recreation. Participate on the proposal review team and provide recreation input for filming proposals.
• Public Information- Work closely with public affairs staff to prepare press releases, update website information, and respond to media inquiries. Prepare informational handouts for patrollers and front-line staff. Produce kiosk signing and interpretive posters.

Salary: $57,118 – $107,680

Application Deadline: November 10

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.