Senior Watershed Scientist

About America's Watershed Initiative

America's Watershed Initiative (AWI) works to advance collaborative solutions for water challenges across the Mississippi River Basin. Through strategic partnerships and science-based approaches, AWI facilitates collective action to restore and protect watershed health.

Position Overview

The Senior Watershed Scientist will create and begin implementing a strategic roadmap for the Mississippi River Water Action Collaborative (MRWAC). MRWAC connects companies interested in funding water projects with the projects themselves, using the Water Action Hub platform to coordinate investments and track the basin-wide impact of concentrated action. MRWAC measures progress in water quantity, water quality, water access, and acres of stewardship to ensure investments produce meaningful results. All projects are aligned with the Mississippi River Watershed Partnership’s basin-wide goals, ensuring every investment contributes to shared priorities.

This role requires a systems thinker who can synthesize complex data, facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration, and translate strategic priorities into actionable implementation pathways. The position will report to AWI’s Executive Director. The Watershed Scientists will also work closely with Pacific Institute’s Project Management Officer (PMO) and coordinate efforts across NGOs, government agencies, watershed organizations, and private sector partners.

Current funding is for 14 months, however there is the potential for extension or conversion to permanent based on funding.

Key Responsibilities

Phase 1: Data Collection, Mapping, and Priority Setting

Objectives: Build the foundation for roadmaps through data integration and stakeholder coordination.

Key Tasks:

• Compare the goals of Mississippi River Water Action Collaborative with the goals of the Mississippi River Watershed Partnership.
• Identify priority projects areas across the Upper and Lower Mississippi River basins.
• Add to MRWAC’s existing catalog of project implementers across the Upper and Lower Mississippi River basins on the Water Action Hub
• Prioritize target areas for action

Phase 2: Pilot Implementation and Coordination and Develop Subbasin and Basinwide Roadmaps

Objectives: Move from planning to early implementation; strengthen coordination through existing basin organizations and partner networks at subbasin level. Develop actionable roadmaps at subbasin and basin levels.

Key Tasks:

• Create a list of projects aligned with the priority target areas for action
• Facilitate pipeline of collective action projects, begin coordination with “early action” project implementers
• Develop customized subbasin roadmaps that reflect local priorities, contexts, and implementer representation
• Draft a cumulative upper and lower Mississippi River Basin (MRB) Roadmap showing how subbasin pathways contribute to the overall basin goals.
• Meet with the relevant state and federal partners who have existing programs

Phase 3: Scale, Communicate, and Evaluate

Objectives: Consolidate early results, communicate progress, and prepare for expanded rollout.

Key Tasks:

• Develop regional communications and events to enhance project visibility and stakeholder engagement.
• Document lessons learned and progress to inform Year 2 roadmap refinement.
• Produce summary report highlighting progress toward basinwide goals, investments leveraged, and next-year priorities that will be part of the PI annual report.

Cross-Cutting Responsibilities (All Year)

• Regular coordination with the PMO, MRWAC collaborative members and MRWP Partners to ensure roadmap alignment and gather input on priority projects and implementation barriers.
• Ongoing tracking and reporting of roadmap and project implementation progress.
• Continuous partner engagement and communication to ensure alignment and visibility.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in environmental science, natural resource management, watershed management, ecology, or related field
• Minimum 5 years of professional work experience in watershed management, conservation planning, or environmental program management
• Demonstrated experience with GIS and spatial data analysis, including integration of data from multiple sources
• Proven ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder processes and build collaborative partnerships
• Strong project management skills with experience managing complex, multi-phase initiatives
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience producing technical reports and presentations
• Experience working with diverse partners including NGOs, government agencies, and private sector organizations

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Mississippi River Basin conservation priorities and organizational landscape
• Knowledge of watershed restoration practices and implementation approaches
• Background in stakeholder engagement and facilitation
• Understanding of ecological impact assessment and prioritization frameworks

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with GIS software and spatial data analysis
• Experience with data visualization and mapping tools
• Ability to synthesize information from multiple technical sources
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Comfortable with project tracking and reporting systems

Travel Requirements

Position requires occasional travel throughout the Mississippi River Basin for partner meetings, site visits, and regional engagement events (15-20% travel).

monthly benefits stipend