[Hiring] Watershed Restoration & Partnerships Manager @World Resources Institute

Role Description

This is a remote position that must be based in Utah's Greater Salt Lake region (e.g., Salt Lake City, Ogden, Logan, Park City, Heber City, or Provo).

The Utah Watershed Restoration Manager will help advance watershed restoration, partnerships, and resilience projects across Utah, with an initial emphasis on the Jordan River watershed and its forested source watersheds. This position is focused on developing a pipeline of restoration projects from planning to implementation by:

• Coordinating partners
• Advancing policy priorities
• Supporting funding acquisition
• Helping deliver on-the-ground restoration outcomes at scale

Working closely with the Utah Watershed Resilience Manager, Research & Project Development Manager, Cities4Forests' senior leadership, and a diverse network of local partners, the Manager will:

• Build and maintain relationships with municipalities, water providers, conservation districts, state and federal agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders
• Identify restoration opportunities
• Remove implementation barriers
• Navigate policy and permitting processes
• Secure project funding
• Support successful project delivery

The successful candidate brings a strong understanding of Utah's water, watershed, forest, and wildfire landscape, an established network of relationships within the Greater Salt Lake region, and experience coordinating complex environmental or infrastructure projects. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys working directly with communities and partners to turn plans into action and create measurable benefits for watersheds, communities, and ecosystems.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in natural resources, environmental policy, water resources, forestry, planning, public administration, or a related field (Work experience can be substituted in lieu of a degree)
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience
• Demonstrated experience implementing natural resource, watershed, water, forestry, wildfire, or environmental restoration projects
• Experience working with local governments, utilities, conservation organizations, state agencies, federal agencies, or watershed partnerships
• Established professional network within Utah, particularly along the Wasatch Front and Greater Salt Lake region
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively across diverse stakeholder groups
• Willingness to travel frequently throughout Utah

Requirements

• Experience navigating public processes, permitting, grants, policy development, or interagency coordination
• Experience working in or with the Jordan River watershed, Great Salt Lake Basin, or adjacent source watersheds
• Familiarity with Utah water policy, watershed planning, forest management, wildfire mitigation, or environmental permitting processes
• Existing relationships with Utah municipalities, utilities, conservation districts, state agencies, federal agencies, or watershed organizations
• Experience with watershed restoration, forest management, wildfire resilience, and water resource issues in Utah

Benefits

• Potential Salary: $96,000–$120,000, commensurate with experience, qualifications, and location

How to Apply

Please submit a resume with a cover letter by November 23, 2026. Internal applicants should submit their application through the Jobs Hub portal in Workday. External applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. We may close for applications sooner if we receive a high volume of applications from qualified candidates.