Initial Posting Date:
06/17/2026
Application Deadline:
07/08/2026
Agency:
Water Resources Department
Salary Range:
$6,834 - $10,569
Position Type:
Employee
Position Title:
Water Rights Development Section Manager (Natural Resource Protection & Sustainability Manager 1)
Job Description:
The Water Right Services Division is excited to recruit for a Water Rights Development Section Manager. This position will manage a team processing water right transactions that evaluate how much water was developed within a specific timeframe under a water right permit and how much remains to be developed. The position will also provide the day-to-day supervisory oversight for positions that enhance operational efficiency and program development for the entire division. If you are an interdisciplinary leader who has experience providing oversight to staff who administer regulatory programs that intersect with natural resource policy and law guided transactions, we encourage you to apply!
Working Title: Water Rights Development Section Manager
Classification: Natural Resource Protection and Sustainability Manager 1
Position Type: Full Time; Permanent
Representation: Management Service Supervisory
FLSA Status: Exempt, ineligible for overtime or compensatory time.
Monthly Compensation: The monthly salary range before PERS* will be $6,834.00-$10,569.00 and after PERS* will be $7,306.00-$11,304.00.
Work Location: North Mall Office Building, 725 Summer St. NE Suite A, Salem Oregon 97301.
Relocation Expense: This position may be eligible for relocation assistance for the successful candidate. The final amount offered will vary based on the location of the candidate.
Hybrid/Remote Work: Hybrid (in the office and remote work) is generally a standard offering for this position, though subject to supervisor approval.Due to the nature of stakeholder engagement for this position, full time remote work is not possible as the position must be available to attend meetings in Salem, Oregon and around the state. This position is expected to work from the office once or twice a week, or more frequently as needed to meet with staff and fulfill other business needs. The in-office expectation includes serving as Manager on Duty an average of twice a month, working regular business hours at the North Mall Office Building.
About the Oregon Water Resources Department
The Oregon Water Resources Department is committed to creating a workplace culture that understands and appreciates differences among people and is welcoming and inclusive to all. By fostering fairness and equity in its work culture, the Department strives to improve services for all Oregonians. We acknowledge that not all people have experienced equitable opportunities or fair treatment. We are committed to increasing our awareness and understanding of historic injustices and building a foundation for meaningful change. We value a wide range of professional and lived experiences, and people of underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Our Vision
The vision of the Oregon Water Resources Department is to assure sufficient and sustainable water supplies are available to meet current and future needs.
Our Mission
The Department's mission is to serve the public by practicing and promoting responsible water management through two key goals:
- To directly address Oregon's water supply needs
- To restore and protect streamflows and watersheds in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of Oregon's ecosystems, economy, and quality of life
Core Values
- Integrity - We are accountable for all that we do. We act with honesty and promote transparency.
- Service - We are dedicated to providing outstanding service and treating everyone equitably in our management and stewardship of state resources.
- Technical Excellence - We base our resource decisions on law, science, and expertise.
- Teamwork - We are united in our mission, relying on one another and working together with the communities we serve.
- Forward-Looking - We seek innovative and practical solutions to the water challenges of today and tomorrow.
The Oregon Water Resources Department's strategic priorities currently are to:
- Modernize our management of Oregon's surface water and groundwater resources to meet instream and out-of-stream uses
- Work to secure Oregon's instream and out-of-stream water future in the face of increasing water scarcity
- Foster a forward-looking team dedicated to serving Oregonians with integrity and excellence.
About our Team
The Water Right Services Division is responsible for the evaluation of all water right, transfer, extension of time (for both permits and transfers), instream lease, allocation of conserved water and limited license applications. In addition, the Division administers the following water right-related programs: water right certification; permit cancellation; adjudication of pre-1909 vested water rights; water management and conservation planning; hydroelectric licensing; water right information and customer service; and water right program and policy development. The Division also shares administration of the Deschutes Basin Groundwater Mitigation Program. The Division is responsible for public notice of applications and for responding to public-interest inquiries and concerns. The Division receives and evaluates comments and protests concerning proposed water uses. The Division must ensure coordination with local governments and other state and federal agencies concerning proposed water allocations. Final determination of water right applications involve a legal property right and may involve litigation in Oregon or federal court.
About the Position
The position manages the newly formed Water Rights Development Section within the Water Right Services Division.
Obtaining a water right is a multi-step process. First, an applicant submits a water right application. If the application is approved, the permit specifies a timeframe during which the permit holder must develop their water right consistent with permit conditions. If they need additional time, they may file for an extension. The user has one year from making full beneficial use of water to submit a report to the Department. The Department reviews this claim of beneficial use, and if the user has successfully proved up on their water use, the Department issues a water right certificate. Municipalities may incrementally develop their municipal water use permits and are required in many cases to submit a Water Management and Conservation Plan (WMCP). Approval of a WMCP may result in access to another increment of water that the municipal water use permit holder may develop. Some water rights are determined through an adjudication (judicial proceeding) that determines how much water was developed prior to adoption of the 1909 surface water code and 1955 Groundwater Act.
What each of these post-permit processes have in common is that they evaluate how much water was developed within a specific timeframe, in accordance with applicable requirements, and how much remains to be developed. These processes comprise the Extensions, Certificates, WMCP, and Adjudications programs that collectively make up the Water Rights Development Section. This position supervises the staff working in these programs and is directly responsible for those water right transactions.
In addition, the position provides the day-to-day supervisory administrative functions for the Protest program and the Water Rights Advisor position. The Protest program resolves disputes resulting from agency decisions before they reach court. The Water Rights Advisor supports the Protest program, either directly or by improving the defensibility of documents before they reach the protest period. The Water Rights Advisor also provides Division-wide support by helping each section with evaluation of complex proposals brought forth either internally or externally and by participating in rulemaking, bill review, and the fee workgroup. Some policy and workload decisions for the Protest program and the Water Rights Advisor are not made by this position and are instead made by the Division Administrator or Director's Office. One of the WMCP positions overseen by this position is also a modernization position that serves the entire Division; therefore, this position directs the employee to work throughout the Division to identify and implement process/modernization improvements to create greater consistencies and efficiencies in water right transaction processing.
To manage transactions in accordance with Oregon's water law, the position must successfully synthesize disparate information from different fields of expertise (e.g., scientific, geographic, geologic, hydrologic, legal). The position supervises staff who interact with customers of the Department, and the position also regularly engages directly with agency customers.
This position, jointly with the Water Rights Section Manager and the Transfer and Conservation Section Manager, assumes the role of Division Administrator when the Administrator is absent. The position fosters and promotes to employees the importance of a diverse and discrimination and harassment free workplace.
Work must be performed with our core values in mind. The person in this position must perform duties in a manner which promotes customer service and harmonious working relationships, including treating all persons courteously and respectfully; engage in effective team participation through a willingness to assist and support co-workers, supervisors, and other work related associations; develop good working relationships with Division and agency staff through active participation in accomplishing the agency mission and resolving problems in a constructive manner; and contribute to a positive, respectful, and productive work environment.
A day in the life:
- Supervise section staff with responsibility for accepting, reviewing, and processing water right transactions,
- Provide oversight and guidance to staff responsible for responding to customer inquiries,
- Develop technical guidance, policy, and procedures; provide training, where needed,
- Facilitate weekly team meetings,
- Develop annual production goals, conduct performance reviews, and implement programmatic improvements,
- Participate in the Department's Management Team, providing briefings and updates,
- Liaise with other internal agency teams, other state agencies, and external interested parties, including supporting the Director's Office as needed,
- Support the agency's legislative session work.
Minimum Qualifications
Five years of lead work, supervision, or progressively related experience; OR two years of related experience and a bachelor's degree.
Related experience: Supervision, management or leading a program, section, unit, or team which may include a) development of program rules and policies, b) development of long- and short-range goals and plans, c) program evaluation, and d) change management.
Preferred Qualifications
- Specialized training or experience in a complicated natural resources-based regulatory program.
- Ability to communicate complicated information to technical staff and the public.
- Ability to quickly become proficient in water right map reading and verify water use calculations.
- Proven ability to facilitate and lead meetings, excel in public speaking, and tactfully handle difficult conversations.
- Experience with process improvement and/or program modernization.
- Knowledge of the principles and practices of budgeting and financial management as it relates to program management.
- Experience with interpreting and applying administrative rules, statutes, and policies.
- Skill in professional writing and general, statistical, and technical analysis.
- Experience in employee relations and leadership with the proven ability to manage a team, including planning, organizing, directing, motivating, monitoring, and decision making.
- Skill in supervising, including planning and assigning work according to the nature of the job to be accomplished, the capabilities of subordinates, and available resources; controlling work through periodic reviews and/or evaluations; determining subordinates' training needs and arranging for such training; motivating subordinates to work effectively; determining the need for disciplinary action and either recommending or initiating disciplinary action.
- Demonstrated attention to detail and quality control.
Note: In addition to your related work experience and education, we will use both the minimum and preferred qualifications above to determine whom to interview. Please make sure all your relevant qualifications are clearly demonstrated in your application materials. Your application materials may be evaluated on spelling, grammar, punctuation, attention to detail, and presentation.
We are most interested in finding the most qualified candidate for the job, and that candidate may not meet every one of our listed preferred qualifications. Paid and unpaid experience may count towards the preferred qualifications. If you are excited about this position, we encourage you to apply. If you are unsure as to whether you meet the preferred qualifications of this position, please contact us to discuss your application.
Working Conditions
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