The New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute (FWRI), located on the campus of New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM, provides technical assistance and practical knowledge in forest and woodland restoration to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire and restore healthy and sustainable forested ecosystems across New Mexico and the Interior west. The FWRI is one of three Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes (SWERI) and supports a multi-year, national project funded through the bipartisan "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" (IIJA) of 2021 working closely with the other SWERI. The program of work, as specified in the IIJA, includes compiling and managing geospatial data for federally funded fuels treatment projects and wildfires occurring across jurisdictions; coordinating and facilitating use of these data in assessing, planning, and monitoring fuel treatment interactions with wildfires; and reporting fuel treatment effectiveness to Congress and affected entities. The specific language authorizing the SWERI for this project in the IIJA and more information can be viewed here.
FWRI is hiring multiple positions:
Deputy Director
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7685
Through shared leadership, the deputy director will guide multi-faceted programs in GIS, monitoring, collaboration, education, and public information. This new position within FWRI will require experience in forest management and restoration, science communication, public and working lands engagement, and institutional development, administration, and capacity building. Responsibilities will run the gamut from cultivating and strengthening existing and new partnerships, direct engagement with federal and state collaborators and community organizations, representing and advocating for FWRI’s interests, budgets and function, and organizational administration of budgets, reports, and processes.
Collaboration Program Manager
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7711
The Collaboration Program Manager is responsible for coordinating the FWRI’s role in multi-stakeholder collaborative groups; for facilitating collaborative action among partners; for creating and building collaborative capacity in multi-stakeholder groups; for organizing and taking a leadership role in regional networks of collaborative organizations; for supervising FWRI staff working in collaboration; for conducting applied research on collaboration in an adaptive management context; and for compiling and reporting lessons learned from participation and collaboration in natural resources management.
GIS Coordinator
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/8064
This position will be responsible for oversight and administration of the SWERI’s IIJA GIS projects.
Special Programs Specialist
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/8066
This position will support Special Programs Manager in development of geographic information data bases, implementing and managing a field data collection project, and the assessment of vegetation treatment longevity though imagery analysis and field surveys. This position will also assist the Special Programs Manager in the implmentation and continued maintenace of an ArcGIS Hub-based website (or sites) that support post-wildfire response, recovery, and restoration.
Budget and Finance Manager
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7993
Working with the FWRI Director and program managers, the Budget and Finance Manager is primarily responsible for planning, managing, and assessing all aspects of the institute’s budgets in support of the NMFWRI’s mission. Specific responsibilities include identifying costs associated with programs and projects, assessing and tracking expenditures against annual budgets, working closely with campus administrative departments, maintaining contact with external partners, and assisting program managers with all financial and administrative paperwork, ensuring it is accurate and submitted in a timely manner.
Collaboration Technician
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7707
The Collaboration Technician will work closely with the Collaboration Program Manager and other FWRI staff to promote and support collaborative groups and networks in New Mexico and neighboring states. The Collaboration Technician will organize and administer sub-regional networks, on the Connecting for Conservation (C4C) model, and will link place-based collaboratives and sub-regional networks with multi-state networks, such as the Southwest Collaborative Support Network and the Western Collaborative Conservation Network. The job requires working with colleagues in public agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the New Mexico State Forestry Division; with staff at non-profit organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the Forest Stewards Guild; with farmers, ranchers and soil and water conservation districts; with businesses; and with landowners and community members in rural, suburban and urban areas. The Collaboration Technician also will coordinate with partners at other SWERI institutes in Arizona and Colorado, and with partners in the Forest Restoration Triangle (FORT) from New Mexico Highlands University and New Mexico State University.
Monitoring and Data Technician
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7837
The temporary technician will support FWRI's ecological monitoring and restoration activities on public and private lands throughout New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. Projects will require travel across the state. Activities are related to all phases of restoration from research and planning through project implementation and capacity building.
Monitoring Technician Aide (Temp)
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7577 -AND- https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7495
The positions are responsible for working on crews carrying out FWRI’s ecological monitoring and restoration activities on public and private lands throughout New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.
Post-baccalaureate Conservation Fellowship
https://nmhu.peopleadmin.com/postings/7534
This 18-month position is designed as an early career capacity building apprenticeship to prepare young adults for their first position with a state/federal agency, community organization or graduate school. This position combines the development of professional skills andlife skills and serves as a pathway for the next generation of resilient STEM leaders in New Mexico. This is a term position and fellows are expected to leave the organization after 18 months.