Description

The Idaho Department of Lands is recruiting for one Lands Resource Specialist (LRS) - Range and Minerals position located in our Jerome Field Office in Jerome, Idaho.

This position is Grade K, additional information can be found:
State Employee Compensation | Division of Human Resources (idaho.gov)

Minimum filling rate is $22.73. The final salary rate is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

The Lands Resource Specialist position is used for recruitment and training purposes for the Lands Resource Specialist, Senior. Through various types of on-the-job training, the employee will learn to carry out the duties of a Lands Resource Specialist, Senior including learning state laws and department policies and procedures.

After successful completion of the Lands Resource Specialist training plan (this will take between six (6) months and five (5) years, depending on experience) the employee will be a a Lands Resource Specialist, Senior. This advancement may include a pay increase.

Starting rate of pay will be determined using the employees' experience and educational levels as answered in the supplemental questionnaire.

Example of Duties

The primary responsibilities of the Lands Resource Specialist will be related to the preparation and administration of grazing leases on state endowment trust lands in the Eastern Idaho Supervisory Area. In addition, the land specialist will be expected to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to administer a variety of leasing and permitting programs including Idaho’s Surface Mining Act (SMA), Abandoned Mine Lands Program (AML), endowment trust land mineral leasing, as well as the Public Trust/Lake Protection Act (LPA). for which the Supervisory Area is responsible.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

Contract Administration:

• Assist potential applicants and existing lessees with the application process for instruments including leases, easements, and land use permits.
• Conduct market research and negotiate lease and land use permit terms and rates. Interpret land survey legal descriptions, ownership plats, aerial photos, and topographic maps.
• Develop management plans that address applicant’s objectives, resource constraints and maximize revenue potential.
• Prepare and participate in the auctioning of lease contracts.
• Communicate both verbally and in writing with lessees to ensure instrument compliance and complete changes such as assignments, adjustments, and lease cancelations.
• Review, analyze and prepare lease documents for expiration process
• Conduct compliance inspections and implement corrective action as necessary.

Land and Resource Management:

• Inventory and evaluate rangelands using knowledge of soils, ecology, plant identification and plant physiology.
• Prepare and evaluate plans, develop necessary permitting requirements, and inspect the construction of range improvement projects.
• Complete Resource Assessments and Site-specific monitoring using knowledge of soils, ecology, plant identification and plant physiology.

Regulatory

• Review and Process Lake Protection Act encroachment applications.
• Conduct inspections to verify compliance with (LPA).
• Identify unpermitted encroachments.
• Work with applicants to develop submerged land easements, leases, and process disclaimers of interest.
• Review and process applications for reclamation plans related to the (SMA).
• Conduct periodic inspections to ensure compliance with existing reclamation plans.

Inter-Agency Coordination:

• Participate in area weed management program.
• Coordinate and collaborate with peers in other federal, state, and local agencies on projects and plans that may impact state endowment trust lands, including:
  • Federal grazing permit renewals.
  • Federal travel management plans.
  • Interagency coordinating committees.
  • Local working groups.

Other Duties:

• Participate in, the implementation and administration of other IDL programs including, but not limited to:
  • Crop production.
  • Commercial energy.
  • Communication sites.
  • Recreation.
  • Fire suppression and prescribed burns.
• Respond to public inquiries and communicate IDL policies, relevant rules, and statutes.
• Additional duties may be assigned within the responsibilities of this job classification.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications Notice:

You must possess all the minimum qualifications listed below to pass the exam for this position. These qualifications are mandatory requirements.

Failure to do this may result in not passing the exam and disqualify you from being considered for this position.

Minimum Qualifications:
Experience:

• Communicating effectively both verbally and in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience through technical reports, business correspondence, and oral presentations.
• Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce maps and analyze spatial data.

Some Knowledge of:

• State and federal laws, rules and regulations in relation to natural resource management activities.
• Methods used to evaluate projects and/or data, analyzing alternatives, and making recommendations.
• Public land survey legal descriptions, aerial photos and topographic and property ownership maps.
• Financial analysis methods used to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions or proposals to choose the most appropriate one.

Specialty Minimum Qualifications for Rangeland Management:
Some knowledge of:

• Livestock production and grazing management principles.
• Rangeland ecology principles.
• Range inventory and monitoring techniques.
• Range plant identification.
• Weed management.
• Soils.
• Riparian area management.

Other:

• Possession of a valid driver's license.

Supplemental Information

Desired Experience:

• 
  Lease administration preparation that includes implementation and evaluation of contracts as well as field inspection, compliance, reporting requirement, and terms and conditions.
• Writing a variety of technical documents including board memos, lease inspections, resource assessments, internal and external documents, and project reports.
• Developing and negotiating terms and rates for land asset leases and contracts.
• Oral presentations to Department committees and various public entities.

Some Knowledge of:

• Crop production systems and farm management.
• Land use planning and zoning.
• Processes used for issuing permits, leases, and/or easements.

Possession of:

• Degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management or a related natural resource degree.

Equal Employment Opportunity:
The State of Idaho is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, political affiliation or belief, sex, national origin, genetics, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

The State of Idaho is committed to access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request. If you require an accommodation at any step in our recruitment process, you are encouraged to contact (208) 334-2263 (TTY/TTD: 711), or email ada.coordinator@dhr.idaho.gov.

Veterans' Preference:
Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.

Supplemental Questions Instructions:
Per IDAPA 15.04.01, (Download PDF reader)only the top 25 applicants will be provided to the hiring manager.
The top 25 will be determined by the answers applicants provide in the supplemental questions.

Work experience must include: positions held, dates of employment, and responsibilities/duties performed. Education and/or training must include: field of course work, degree title, and additional applicable coursework.

Please contact the IDL careers at careers@idl.idaho.gov for questions regarding the application process.

Overtime/Vacation Accrual/FLSA:
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) code for this position is Administrative (A) Based on the FLSA code for this position, compensatory time will accrue at a rate of 1 hour for every 1 hour of overtime worked. Vacation accrual is based on the FLSA code and accrual rates can be found at: https://dhr.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/Section2Vacation-1.pdf (Download PDF reader). Employees engaged in Fire Suppression activities for which overtime hours are earned will be paid at the rate of 1.5 times the hourly rate for each one hour of overtime worked. Payment will be made on the regular pay date corresponding to the pay period in which the overtime work occurred.)

About IDL:
Become part of an organization where you will work with dedicated people who are committed and skilled in managing and protecting Idaho's natural resources.

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) believes in its employees and values stewardship, service, accountability and cohesiveness. Our goals emphasize our people and processes, financial stewardship, and customer focus. We strive for a culture in which leadership equips, entrusts and expects employees to make decisions in fulfillment of our mission. View our Strategic Plan here (Download PDF reader). (Download PDF reader)

Under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners, IDL manages more than 2.4 million acres of state endowment trust land under a constitutional mandate to produce maximum long-term financial returns for public schools and several other State of Idaho institutions. Leases and other contracts are used to authorize revenue generating activities such as timber harvest, grazing, farming, mining, commercial use, residential use, and conservation in a prudent and sustainable manner.

Managing endowment trust lands is only part of our story. We also protect public resources such as water quality, fish, wildlife habitat, and recreation on navigable waters, and ensure the protection of water quality and other resources by overseeing forestry and mining practices across all ownerships in the state. We also work to reclaim abandoned mines in Idaho. One of our most important resource protection responsibilities is fire prevention and suppression. We also provide assistance to landowners to manage their forest lands, work with communities to plant trees in urban settings, help keep working forests working through the Forest Legacy Program, and work with many partners to promote healthy forests on a landscape level. IDL also is the administrative arm of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.