Water Resource Manager

Closing Date: January 19, 2026
$45.34 to $59.70 DOQ

Position Objective

Performs difficult work administering, coordinating, and implementing the activities and staff engaged in supporting Chisago County interests within the Lower St. Croix Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (LSCCWMP – i.e. “Water Plan”), coordinating and staffing the County Water Plan Policy Team, coordinating the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) prevention aid program and annual Children’s Water Festival, administering the seasonal AIS inspector hiring process, and developing and monitoring related program budgets, maintaining files and records, collecting field data, and preparing reports and related work. Work is performed under the general direction of the Director of Environmental Services.

Supervision is exercised over all division personnel including the County AIS Specialist and Seasonal Watercraft Inspectors.

Essential Functions

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Provide leadership and staff support for the Water Plan Policy Team and seasonal Aquatic Invasive Species program and staff.
• Responsible for funding pursuits and implementation of Chisago County elements of the Lower St. Croix Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan and Chisago County Appendix D action items.
• Provide leadership for the progress of updating and amending the Lower St. Croix Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan, i.e. County Water Plan as required by the State Statute or the County’s need and present amendments and adoption proceeding reports and recommendations.
• Develop and carry out water resources related public education and outreach work plans including promotion and visibility through local community festivals, fairs, and event engagement.
• Staff, develop, and utilize the Water Plan Policy Team to provide effective input into county water planning process and policy proposals to the County Board.
• Coordinate with local government units, agencies, and partners to further the goals of the Lower St. Croix Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan.
• Coordinate and plan the annual Children’s Water Festival and foster and enlist the collaborative involvement of partner agencies, volunteers, school districts, attendees and presenters.
• Conduct water quality monitoring and field work data collection and reporting activities.
• Seek and manage grants, reporting, and funding which may be available to implement water plan action items, AIS programming, Water Festival, and other water resources efforts.
• Liaison with the State Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) with water resources and affiliated Environmental Services Department grant and program reporting.
• Provide the Water Plan Policy Team, Department Director, and County Board with written progress reports and Requests for Board Action.
• Attend seminars, training and meetings relative to this position’s function.
• Represent the county water planning efforts and water resources programming on appropriate steering committees and task forces at the local, regional and state levels.
• Coordinate and disseminate information to the public both oral and written.
• Monitor and maintain records, analytics, and financial status reports and budgets.
• Develop annual work plans and prioritize and develop budget proposals for consideration by the Department Director and County Board.
• Review, process, and submit bills for approval and payment.
• General Environmental Services Department aid and assistance or other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well with the public.
• Good organizational skills and detail oriented.
• Knowledge of different state and local agencies and their relationships to each other.
• Working knowledge of strategic planning process and requirements.
• Ability to draw diverse people together in a team effort to achieve common goals.
• Ability to prepare and deliver speeches and oral presentations to the public.

Desired Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and considerable experience, or a combination of equivalent education and experience in water resources, natural resource management, planning, environmental studies or an equivalent.

Special Qualifications

Valid driver’s license in the State of Minnesota.

Ability to operate a motorboat and collect and conduct lake monitoring and water sampling and measurement.

Tools and Equipment Used

Car, truck, trailer, motorboat, AIS decontamination tools, computer, telephone, calculator, copy machine, M.S. Office Suite programs, Outlook & Teams Technology.

Working Conditions

The characteristics listed below are representative of the physical demands, physical agility, sensory requirements, and environmental exposures required by an individual to successfully perform the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• This classification regularly involves physical agility requirements such as climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, pushing, pulling, repetitive motions and manual dexterity.
• Sensory requirements include close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus, depth perception, color perception, night vision and peripheral vision; vocal communication is required for expressing ideas by means of the spoken word; and hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in an office setting, or small group meetings, driving or traveling and occasional public hearings or meeting. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet in the office.

Applicants for appointment to this position will be required to submit a formal application and may be subject to rating of education and experience, oral interview and/or reference check, background investigation, criminal history check, drug testing. Job related tests may be required of any applicant.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee as is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.