Now Hiring: Executive Director

About Colorado River Board

The Colorado River Board represents the State of California and its Members in discussions and negotiations with the Colorado River Basin States, federal, state and local government agencies, and Mexico regarding the management of the Colorado River. For nearly 90 years the Colorado River Board of California’s mission has been to protect the interests and rights of the State of California, its agencies and citizens, in the water and power resources of the Colorado River System.

Board duties include:

• Protecting and advocating for California’s Colorado River water rights and resources.
• Representing California in discussions among the Colorado River Basin States, Indian Tribes, the federal government and others in implementing joint cooperative programs to protect California’s use of Colorado River water and to address environmental and endangered species issues.
• Addressing issues relating to the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty through cooperative efforts with the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission and other states.

MORE INFORMATION

Executive Director Duty Statement

Under the general direction of the Colorado River Board pursuant to Water Code § 12500, et seq., and in coordination with California’s Colorado River Board Chairperson, the Executive Director plans, organizes and develops policy recommendations and executes programs and procedures to protect California’s interest and rights to the water, power, and other resources of the Colorado River system.

The activities to be performed and other tasks to be accomplished include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Plan, organize, direct, and coordinate the work of the Colorado River Board of California staff related to the study, operation, and management of the River system.
• Prepare reports, briefs, presentations, and testimony related to such purposes as hearings before congressional, legislative, judicial, and other public entities on water, power, environmental, and other matters pertaining to the Colorado River Basin.
• Review and analyze Federal, and State rules, regulations, legislation, judicial rulings, or other technical and policy-related reports and make recommendations thereon as related to projects for control, conservation, and utilization of Colorado River resources.
• Prepare plans, proposals, and recommendations for the review, guidance, and concurrence of the Colorado River Board, California’s Colorado River Commissioner, and contractors to develop consensus-based policy positions.
• Represent, support, staunchly defend, and effectively advocate for Colorado River Board positions, state interests, and contractor water rights and perspectives in meetings, discussions, and negotiations with representatives of the other six Colorado River Basin states, the United States government and its agencies, Native American Tribes, agencies of the states and other interested agencies and stakeholders regarding the Colorado River and related issues.
• Participate in the oversight and coordination of binational discussions, programs, and projects involving the Colorado River Basin and Mexico that may impact California’s rights and interests in water, power, environmental, and other resources of the Colorado River.
• Carry out delegated responsibilities to maintain the continuity of technical and administrative authority in all Colorado River Board matters.

Executive Director Desirable Requirements

• Superior communication and writing skills.
• Excellent facilitation and organization skills.
• Good interpersonal and supervisory skills.
• Demonstrate communication and negotiation skills and experience presenting issues before a wide range of audiences, including a board of similar body.
• Strong leadership and management team experience demonstrating an ability to create a clear vision and set goals and expectations.
• Use of sound judgment in managing complex and varied programs.

General Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Engineering, Environmental Science, or other related field, and 8 years of relevant experience such as, but not limited to water resource management and water policy development; of which 4 years must have been in a management or supervisory position.
• Possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and ability to work cooperatively with others.

Special Requirements

• Must have valid driver’s license.
• Must be able to travel on consecutive days.
• Must be able to speak in front of large audiences.
• Must be able to obtain valid U.S. Passport upon appointment.

Salary and Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $201,468 – $207,528.
• The Colorado River Board of California provides an outstanding benefit package including; medical, dental and vision coverage for employees and their dependents. Please see the CalHR Benefits Summary page for detailed benefit information HERE. The Colorado River Board of California employees participate in Social Security and the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS).

Travel

Frequent travel is required for this position. Incumbent will often need to travel to different locations (in state and out of state) to attend various meetings related to Colorado River matters.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free workplace. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

If you have any questions or need reasonable accommodations regarding the application and hiring interview process, you may reach out to the contact listed on this job posting.

Disclosure Requirements

This position is designated under the Conflict of Interest Code. The position is responsible for making or participating in the making of governmental decisions that may potentially have a material effect on personal financial interests. The incumbent is required to complete the Statement of Economic Interest (Form 700) within 30 days of assuming the office and once per year.

[download a pdf copy of this recruitment]