Urban Forestry Policy Advisor

The Department

The Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) develops and implements citywide environmental policies and programs that propel our city toward a sustainable, equitable, and carbon neutral future.

The Job

The Urban Forestry Policy Advisor works with other departments to develop, implement and track progress in the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP), which provides a framework for policy and action that guides city government decision-making to help Seattle maintain, preserve, enhance and restore its urban forest. In this role, you will develop new strategic approaches in alignment with the City’s environmental and climate justice priorities, lead and coordinate the City’s interdepartmental urban forestry teams, and serve as staff liaison to the Urban Forestry Commission.

What You Will Do

• Drive innovation from inside government to align and shift goals and investments, coordinating across multiple departments
• Lift up and build community leadership, working to find ways to address health, livability, and other community priorities through nature-based approaches
• Deliver results in a political environment
• Lead with focus on environmental justice to grow and sustain urban trees and natural areas and reach Seattle’s canopy cover and forest health and resilience goals.
• Distill complex information into digestible formats, frame issues to facilitate decision-making, and identify strategic pathways forward
• Collaborate with diverse stakeholders – Urban Forestry Commission, community-based organizations, nonprofits, foundations, academia, and other government agencies

Job Responsibilities

To be successful in this job, you are committed to:

• Centering racial equity, environmental and climate justice in your interactions and work products
• Increasing and building resilience of Seattle’s urban forest, especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities
• Working collaboratively, aligning goals, creating strategies and plans with internal and external stakeholders
• Staying current on innovations and best practices in urban forestry

To Be Effective In This Job, You Have

• Successfully prepared for and facilitated small and large groups with competing agendas and priorities to identify common issues and create shared work plans to address them
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• An understanding of the complexities of managing the urban forest and the multiple roles of government in doing so
• Experience navigating politically nuanced situations and quickly assessing both large overarching issues and subtleties before determining how to proceed
• Drawn on research, analysis, and collaboration to define problems, options, and solutions
• Created and shared strategic communications and dialogue that reinforce the important connection between trees/nature and community, health, equity, and resilience
• Sought grants and partnerships to continually expand scope and capabilities
• Developed a variety of modes of communication to engage and inform diverse audiences
• Served as a key advisor and liaison to leadership and staff on urban forestry issues

Qualifications

This Career Orientation Should Be Complemented By Demonstrated Technical Knowledge And Expertise In The Following Areas

A successful applicant will have a professional career that reflects a commitment to building collaborative, productive, and respectful relationships among Internal and external stakeholders.

• Advancing change
• Racial equity, environmental and climate justice
• Urban forestry
• Collaboration and relationship building
• Facilitating shared goals and priorities and collective action
• Delivering outcomes in a political and fast-paced environment
• Communication, listening, writing, and presentation skills