State of Maryland

A Resource Conservation District Supervisor is the first level of supervisory work assisting in the development and implementation of local and State resource conservation district programs.  Employees in this classification supervise State employees as well as other staff in the local resource conservation district offices.  Employees in this classification may give guidance and direction to local district employees, who are not State employees, with respect to their roles in State programs or projects.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a Resource Conservation Regional Coordinator or other designated administrator.  Employees also receive guidance and direction from the local District Board of Supervisors which sets policy guidelines for the local soil conservation districts.  The work requires travel within the assigned district and work during evening hours.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Resource Conservation District Supervisor is differentiated from a Resource Conservation Regional Coordinator in that the Resource Conservation District Supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the local district office and for carrying out the policy guidelines of the local District Board of Supervisors, while the Resource Conservation Regional Coordinator is responsible for a designated geographic region of several resource conservation district offices.

Guides and assists the local Board of Supervisors in the implementation of federal, State and local programs administered by the local district;

Evaluates, under the direction of the Board of Supervisors, the needs of the district in preparation of the budget and funding requests in order to receive conservation funds from the Maryland State Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture and local government;

Plans the agenda and coordinates the meetings of the local Board of Supervisors of the resource conservation district;

Develops and implements the annual plan of work and goals for the district to implement programs of conservation;

Supervises the work of State employees who staff a local resource conservation district office by assigning and reviewing work, approving leave, preparing performance evaluations and signing time cards;

Represents the local district at meetings, hearings and conferences with officials and representatives of local conservation groups, other resource conservation districts, U.S. Department of Agriculture, federal, State, county and municipal agencies, the agriculture community and the general public in order to promote and coordinate efforts in resource conservation water quality protection and related resource enhancement programs;

Promotes the use of the non-structural shorelines erosion control program and compiles the administrative detail required for project implementation;

Provides technical expertise to lower level staff in the preparation of various soil conservation projects in order to comply with local, State or federal regulations;

Coordinates program implementation with the District Conservationists of the U.S.D.A Soil Conservation Service by assigning work tasks to staff members after consultation with District Conservationists regarding priority workload demands;

Determines water quality violations which create environmental pollution problems, in cooperation with inspectors from the Maryland Department of the Environment, in order to advise property owners in correcting the cited violation;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of soil and water conservative programs;

Knowledge of the organization and function of local conservation districts;

Knowledge of Department of Agriculture resource conservation programs, procedures and practices;

Knowledge of federal, state and local programs related to soil and water conservation;

Knowledge of federal, state and local laws and ordinances concerning sediment and erosion control;

Skill in communications;

Ability to supervise and evaluate the performance of subordinate personnel;

Ability to interpret laws, rules and regulations concerning resource conservation; 

Ability to assess personnel and budgetary needs;

Ability to assess programs of local resource conservation districts.

Education:   A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Experience: Four years of experience in soil conservation, water quality protection or related agriculture or natural resource programs.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute additional administrative or supervisory experience in a soil conservation, water quality protection or related agriculture or natural resource program on a year-for-year basis for the required education.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in soil conservation classifications or soil conservation specialty codes in the soil conservation field of work on a year-for- year basis for the required experience and education. 

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.