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!
WorkingTitle: WaterRightsDevelopment 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-$10,569.00andafter 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 relocationassistancefor 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) isgenerally astandard 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 morefrequentlyas needed to meet with staff and fulfill other business needs. The in-office expectation includes servingas Manager on Dutyan average of twice a month, working regular business hours at the North Mall Office Building.
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 experiencedequitableopportunities or fair treatment. We are committed toincreasing our awareness and understanding of historic injusticesand 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.
The vision of the Oregon Water Resources Department is to assure sufficient and sustainable water supplies are available to meet current and future needs.
The Department's mission is to serve the public by practicing and promoting responsible water management through two key goals:
The Oregon Water Resources Department’s strategic priorities currently are to:
About our Team
The Water Right Services Divisionis responsible forthe evaluation of all water right, transfer, extension of time (for bothpermitsand 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;permitcancellation; 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 Divisionis responsible forpublic 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 thenewly formedWaterRightsDevelopment Section within the Water Right Services Division.
Obtaining a water right is a multi-step process. First, an applicantsubmitsa water right application. If the application is approved, the permit specifies atimeframeduring which the permit holder must develop their water right consistent with permit conditions. If they needadditionaltime, they may file for an extension. The user has one year from making full beneficial use of water tosubmita 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 arein many cases tosubmita 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 aredeterminedthrough an adjudication (judicial proceeding) thatdetermineshow 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 specifictimeframe,in accordance withapplicable requirements, and how much remains to be developed. These processescomprisethe Extensions, Certificates, WMCP, and Adjudications programs that collectively makeupthe WaterRightsDevelopment Section.This position supervises the staff working in these programsand isdirectly responsiblefor those water right transactions.
In addition, the position provides the day-to-day supervisory administrative functions for the Protest program and theWater Rights Advisorposition. The Protest program resolves disputes resulting from agency decisions before they reach court. TheWater Rights Advisorsupports the Protest program, either directly or by improving the defensibility of documents before they reach the protest period. TheWater Rights Advisoralso provides Division-wide support by helping each section with evaluation of complex proposals brought forth either internally or externally and byparticipatingin rulemaking, bill review, and the fee workgroup. Some policy and workload decisions for the Protest program and theWater Rights Advisorare not made bythis positionand are instead made by the Division Administrator or Director’s Office. One of the WMCP positions overseen bythis positionis also a modernization position that serves the entire Division; therefore,this positiondirects 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 transactionsin accordance withOregon’s water law, the position must successfully synthesize disparate information from different fields ofexpertise(e.g., scientific, geographic, geologic, hydrologic, legal). The position supervises staff who interact with customers of the Department, and the position alsoregularlyengagesdirectlywithagency 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.
Supervise section staff with responsibility for accepting, reviewing, and processing water right transactions,
Develop technical guidance, policy, and procedures; provide training, where needed,
Develop annual production goals, conduct performance reviews, and implement programmatic improvements,
Liaise with other internal agency teams, other state agencies, and externalinterested parties,including supporting the Director's Office as needed,
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
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.
Note: In addition to your related work experience and education, we will use both the minimum andpreferredqualifications 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
This position is located in Salem, with some remote telework flexibility.Regular attendance is an essential function required to meet the demands of this job and to provide necessary services.Workis primarily office-oriented and includes the use of a computer terminalfor long periods of time, including video meetingsandreading, researching, andwriting electronic materials. Periodic travel, including overnight travel, is required. Periodic attendance at Commission meetings and other public forums to present information or answer questions.Ability andauthorizationto drive is essential tobe able to travel for the entire business week once a year to meet withcustomersaround the state.In-office workdays are in a cubicle environment with the option for a drop-in or reserved closed door space for meetings. In-person and electronic communications with members of the public, some of whom may be frustrated.Occasional lifting of up to 30 pounds may be required.
What’s in it for you?
In addition to offering a culture of care and inclusivity and working among a highly skilled team to dive into meaningful work, we also offer acompetitive benefits packagethat includes:
Optional benefits (such as term life insurance, long-term and short-term disability, long-term care, health and dependent care flexible spending accounts, enrollment in theOregon Savings Growth Plan, a deferred compensation program with a wide variety of investment options).
Application Requirements
Please provide a brief (no more than 2 pages) cover letter to the attention of Katie Ratcliffe, indicating why you are interested in and a good candidate for, theWaterRightsDevelopment Section Manager(NaturalResource Protection and Sustainability Manager1) position at the Oregon Water Resources Department.
Provide a brief (no more than 3 pages) resume indicating your experienceand educationpertinent to the minimum and preferred qualifications in this announcement.
Please monitor both your email and Workday account for updates regarding this recruitment. You may be asked to submit additional information after initial application. If you have questions about this job posting, please contact Human Resources atWRD_DL_HR@water.oregon.gov.
Current State of Oregon employees must apply through your employee Workday account. External candidates must create a State of Oregonexternal applicant account.Click here for application resources.
Important Information
The salary listed is the non-PERS qualifying salary range. If the successful candidate is PERS qualifying, the salary range will reflect the additional 6.95%. Review the Classification and Compensation page for more details on the classification. *NON-PERS ELIGIBLE (Includes most new hires to state government. Employees typically gain PERS eligibility after six months of state service.
If you need assistance to participate in the application process, including an accommodation request under the American with Disabilities Act,we invite you to contact the recruiter for accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), application questions or job-specific questions please contact our HR team at wrd_dl_hr@water.oregon.gov.
This applicant pool may be used to fill additional vacancies as they occur over the next three (3) months.
The Oregon Water Resources Department does not offer visa sponsorships. Within three days of hire, all applicants will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States.
If you are an eligible veteran and you meet the qualifications, veterans’ preference points will be added to your score. For more information on veterans’ preference points visitwww.oregonjobs.organd select Veterans resources under Resources. Please do not attach veteran documentation to your initial application, after you have applied you will be sent a task in your Workday account to provide your veteran documentation at that time.
Application Review Process
In addition to your related work experience and education, we will use both the minimum and desired 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.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage
The use of outside resources such as Artificial Intelligence software during the application process (cover letter and resume) and applicant skill assessments, examinations, and/or interviews is prohibited unless otherwise stated by the hiring agency. Unauthorized use of outside resources during the hiring process will result in immediate disqualification.
The State of Oregon does not request or require your age, date of birth, attendance or graduation dates from an educational institution during the application process.
Equal Pay
The information in your application will be used to complete an Equal Pay Analysis to determine salary placement upon hire. Visit the Department of Administrative Services Equal Pay Analysis Webpage for more information.
The Oregon Water Resources Department is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer Committed to Workforce Diversity.
