Local recruitment: Flood Plain Mapping Program Coordinator

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Iowa, USA 🇺🇸

Salary: $63,481.60 – $98,196.80 Annually

Location: State of Iowa – See Job Description, IA

Job Type: Full-time

Agency: 542 Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Job Number: 23-02894

Closing: 3/10/2023 11:59 PM Central

LinkedIn Tag: #LI-POST

Point of Contact: Kathryne Clark, kathryne.clark@dnr.iowa.gov, 515-657-1074

Job Description

Only applicants who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and meet all selective requirements (listed below) will be placed on the eligible list.   

Join The Team! 
The mission of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is to conserve and enhance our natural resources in cooperation with individuals and organizations to improve the quality of life in Iowa and ensure a legacy for future generations. The Iowa DNR’s Floodplain Mapping Program seeks a floodplain mapping team leader to manage the creation of products to assess flood risk and promote flood mitigation for the citizens of Iowa.  
 
The DNR promotes a culture of meaningful and satisfying work. Join us in our endeavor to become a role model for public service nationwide!
 
What We’re Looking for in You:
The individual in this role will contribute experience and knowledge toward fulfilling our mission through behaviors and actions demonstrating the DNR’s Guiding Principles of Accountability, Collaboration, Continuous Improvement, Customer Focus, Data-Based Decisions, Empowerment, Integrity, Long-Term Thinking, Mutual Respect, Results/Outcome Orientation, and Valuing Employees.
 
Applicants are encouraged to attach a resume and cover letter to best describe their experience and education.
Please include how you demonstrate the Guiding Principles & Critical Job Competencies, can perform the Essential Functions and have education/experience transferable to the Job Description.
 
Duties & Responsibilities:
Provides program coordination and technical oversight for the Flood Plain Mapping Program. Manages projects including project layout, design, and implementation, budget and workload forecasting and tracking, goal and milestone management, quality assurance and quality control procedures, and regular project reporting. Acts as the main point of contact between the DNR and FEMA in the Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) relationship and participate in other national workgroups to both inform Iowa DNR staff of upcoming changes and to promote Iowa DNR’s approaches to various flood risk initiatives in order to align our goals with FEMA’s overall goals for risk awareness.  Represents the DNR and the State of Iowa in a professional manner at various internal and external meetings, and makes formal presentations to stakeholders and members of the public.
 
Provides administrative oversight and technical support in the acquisition of two-dimensional base-level engineering (2D BLE) models for informing Iowans of their flood risk. This includes working with floodplain mapping consultants, stakeholders and communities to acquire ancillary data for the production of 2D BLE models. Oversee the development of 2D BLE portals for data acquisition, processing, analysis, data dissemination and outreach. Develops outreach strategies that promote access to, and understanding of, 2D BLE products.  Works with FEMA Region 7 partners to coordinate approaches to 2D BLE in order to have seamless data for the region that can be used by other Region 7 states when appropriate. Understands and is able to discuss floodplain maps and 2D BLE models with stakeholders and members of the public as necessary to promote understanding of the processes and results.
 
Coordinates with floodplain mapping contractors and FEMA. Serves as the intermediary between communities, contractors and FEMA on projects undertaken, being reviewed or adjusted. This includes extensive project review and recommendations to consultants on project tasks to ensure compliance with FEMA standards and time frames as well as scheduling meetings to address issues as they arise due to project delays or questions from FEMA or communities. Works with floodplain mapping contractors or other floodplain mapping program staff to schedule outreach events and other follow-up communications.
 
Ensures that floodplain mapping staff are trained in the methods and processes necessary for preparing data for hydrologic/hydraulic modeling needed for flood plain mapping, including establishing and monitoring effective production rates and quality standards. Informs GIS supervisor when issues pertaining to project status, staff performance, or other concerns arise. Identifies and suggests possible solutions to improve the performance of other floodplain mapping staff. Provides guidance as necessary to the GIS technical staff to develop and implement methods for preparing Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) elevation data for use by vendors for the purposes of floodplain mapping and flood risk products, and for use by DNR staff.
 
Writes technical and programmatic scopes of work and budgets for floodplain mapping contracts, task order requests (TORs), task orders (TOs) and change orders (COs) for various floodplain mapping products and program management.
 
Responsible for the preparation and submission of grant applications, reports and close-outs to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Work closely with DNR flood plain mapping engineer and other technicians to oversee all technical aspects of grants and attendant reports.
 
Essential Functions
Understand and comply with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain mapping requirements as described in the DNR’s Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) relationship with FEMA.
 
Interpret Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) to interested individuals, agencies, and communities.
 
Effectively communicate floodplain mapping priorities, project details, mitigation strategies and potential impacts to DNR leadership, DNR program staff, other state agencies and Iowa community officials.
 
Coordinate with floodplain mapping contractors to ensure compliance with FEMA requirements, and the delivery of floodplain mapping products and/or flood mitigation strategies to communities.
 
Provide guidance to other floodplain mapping staff as necessary.
 
FEMA grant application writing and management. Coordination with DNR grant management staff.
 
Contributing technical expertise in writing floodplain mapping contracts, and task orders in coordination with the GIS Section Supervisor and Land Quality Bureau Executive Officer.
 
Oversee, and if necessary, perform high-level GIS analysis, data development and data distribution.

Critical Job Competencies
Accountability, Common Sense, Communication Skills, Customer Focus, High Productivity, Integrity, Interpersonal Skills, Team Player, and Technical Competency:  Advanced GIS Skills and Natural Resource knowledge; knowledge of FEMA floodplain mapping program requirements.
 
What You Get From Us:
 

  • Rewarding work in a professional work environment
  • A competitive pay plan
  • Insurance benefits that start the first of the month following 30 days of employment

     (Premiums can start as low as $56/month for single and $187/month for family coverage)

  • Separate vacation and sick leave accruals that start on the first day and can roll over annually
  • Nine paid holidays/year
  • Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) retirement package with employer match
  • Optional deferred compensation (457/401A) plan with employer match
  • Professional training opportunities
  • Flexible schedules and opportunities for hybrid telework (when approved by supervisor)
  • Employee Discount Programs for vision, cellular, fitness, recreation, travel, counseling, legal and financial
  • For a list of additional benefits, please visit the DAS website for more information.

The starting salary for new state (Executive Branch) employees is expected to be at the base of the pay range. Additional salary increases may occur after the first six months, and then annually (if applicable). 

The State of Iowa is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

The Department of Natural Resources encourages all applicants to upload a current resume and cover letter to their DAS online application.   

Iowa DNR Mission:
To conserve and enhance our natural resources in cooperation with individuals and organizations to improve the quality of life in Iowa and ensure a legacy for future generations.Selectives

230 Geographic Information Systems (Department of Natural Resources) 

  • 18 semester hours of education or 1 year of experience that demonstrates the applicant has competencies in the following areas: 
  • Ability to create, edit, import, export, project, and georeference GIS data.
  • Demonstrated proficiency with the major ESRI software products. These products include ArcView, ArcInfo, ArcGIS.
  • Utilize user-developed and/or ESRI scripts and extensions for incorporation and utilization in projects.
  • Ability to conduct spatial analyses and queries in order to answer complex questions relating to spatial data.
  • Ability to produce cartographic documents which clearly present outputs from spatial analyses. Document formats should at a minimum include hardcopy as well as the following digital formats .pdf, .tif, and .jpg.
  • Ability to work with, or train, others to use GIS to attain a common goal

Applicant must provide specific work examples to demonstrate each of the competencies. The examples should include a thorough explanation of the project goal, the process utilized and the result of the process.

AND

450 Natural Resources 
6 months’ experience, 12 semester hours, or a combination of both in one or in a combination of more than one of the following:

  • Ecology 
  • Environmental planning
  • Soil conservation
  • Biological sciences
  • Waste water treatment
  • Forestry
  • Engineering related to natural resource areas (dams, sanitary engineers, etc.)
  • Outdoor recreation planning
  • Physical sciences
  • River basin planning
  • Geography
  • Wildlife management

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification: 

1) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in any field, and experience equal to four years of full-time professional-level work in program administration, program development, program operations, or management. 

2) A total of eight years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in number one), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience. 

3) All of the following (a, b, and c): a. Two years of full-time professional-level work experience in program administration, program development, program operations, or management; and b. A total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and c. A total of two years of graduate-level education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university course work in a public-service-related area (e.g., public or business administration, social work, public health, law, education, engineering) equals one year of full-time experience. Graduation from the Iowa Certified Public Manager Program is also equivalent to one year of full-time experience or education. 

4) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes twelve months of full-time work as an Executive Officer 1 or comparable specific management-level position.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description (Download PDF reader).

Agency: State of Iowa
Agency: 542 Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Address: Wallace State Office Building, 502 E 9th St, 4th Floor, Des Moines, Iowa, 50319
Website: http://www.iowadnr.gov/


POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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