Contract Opportunity for a Stewardship Coordinator

Request for Qualifications
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Professional Services Contract
Native Plant Stewardship Coordinator

Responses Due: January 22, 2008
Project Completion Date: March 1, 2009
Contract: $18,000 - $21,000

The Washington Native Plant Society is requesting qualifications from interested persons to coordinate its Native Plant Stewardship Program in King County. This is a paid contract position and applications will be accepted through January 22, 2008.

Project Description and Scope of Work
The Native Plant Stewardship Program trains community members to become native plant stewards who, in turn, use their knowledge to restore disturbed ecosystems, urban forests, and provide education to others, as volunteers for the program. In its twelfth year, the 2008 program will focus on the restoration of one acre parcels in selected Seattle Parks in collaboration with the Green Seattle Partnership. WNPS will again fully coordinate the training utilizing a corps of specialists who volunteer their time and expertise.

The Coordinator hired under this contract will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of the spring training and for management and oversight of native plant steward volunteers and their projects, including documentation of their hours through March 1, 2009. The coordinator also will be responsible for the integration and coordination of stewardship projects with the volunteer coordinator for Central Puget Sound Chapter volunteer projects. Curriculum and materials are extensively developed and in place with some flexibility for innovation. The initial phase of the spring Stewardship Training program requires coordination of all program aspects and attendance at all training classes which will be scheduled one day per week for 10 weeks beginning in early April. Field trip arrangements and participation on three weekend days during this time period will also be expected. In addition to the spring training and the volunteer coordination, the contractor will be responsible for the planning and implementation of a one-day workshop which serves as follow-up training for past stewards. Content and timing of this workshop will be determined by the Washington Native Plant Society in consultation with the Stewardship Coordinator.

The Coordinator will be responsible for recruitment, coordination and management of volunteers, coordinating the training of a new class of Native Plant Stewards and providing follow-up training for existing Stewards by coordinating a one day workshop. The Coordinator will also be expected to provide significant oversight and support of Steward Projects identified in Seattle parks. Other tasks include maintaining close personal communication and electronic correspondence with stewards, WNPS and key contacts in the Green Seattle Partnership, assisting and coordinating presenters, correcting tests and helping with training as needed, keeping program and steward records up to date, assisting stewards with their projects and other needs, writing a final program report and other tasks as needed to support the work of the stewardship advisory committee and chair.

Proposals
Interested persons should submit an application packet that includes the following by 5:00 pm on Tuesday January 22, 2008. Materials must be received by this date, this is not a postmark deadline.

Letter of interest, providing specific details about your training, experience, knowledge and abilities related to the scope of work.
Current resume.
Three professional references with current phone numbers.

Compensation
The period of this contract will be approximately from February 19, 2008 through March 1, 2009. Contract will be between $18,000 and $21,000 depending on experience. Additional money may be available for contract extension through 2010.

Criteria
Top candidates must be articulate, reliable and enjoy working with people. Experience using PC-based software including Word, Access and Excel is helpful. Also highly desired are education in and/or experience with western Washington native plants and ecology, botany and plant identification, stewardship and restoration, managing conferences or lecture series, teaching adults, and familiarity with local community restoration and education projects. Candidates will need to have flexible schedules, be self-motivated, and capable of efficiently organizing time and priorities.

Process and Timeline

Responses due:	Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. (Not a postmark deadline.)
Review of Responses:	January 23 and 24, 2008
Interviews Scheduled:	January 30 and 31, 2008
Project Commencement:	February 19, 2008
Project Completion:	March 1, 2009

For more information, call Catherine Hovanic at 206-527-3210 or e-mail wnps@wnps.org.

Application packets should be mailed to:

Washington Native Plant Society
6310 NE 74th Street, Suite 215E
Seattle, WA 98115

or to wnps@wnps.org

Additional information on the Native Plant Stewardship Program at:

http://www.wnps.org/npsp/npsp.htm
http://www.wnps.org/npsp/parks/index.htm