Urban Forestry Operations Supervisor (Supervisor I - E) - Open Until Filled - UPDATED

This recruitment will remain open until filled or until March 31, 2023. Applications will be reviewed approximately every three weeks.

About this position:

Portland Parks & Recreation is seeking Urban Forestry Operations Supervisors. Urban Forestry Operations Supervisors are key leadership positions overseeing the City of Portland’s Tree Emergency Response, comprehensive tree maintenance, tree planting and plant health care activities. These positions are skilled at working with a variety of people, coordinating complex tree maintenance situations, customer service, and innovative program oversight.

About the work:

The Operations Supervisors will demonstrate both strong technical and personnel management skills to create a professional, cohesive, and high-performing arborist team with a service-oriented work ethic. All candidates must have a strong commitment to racial justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The ability to successfully communicate and collaborate in-person and in writing with a broad range of stakeholders, other City bureaus, private community members, and businesses is essential.

As an Operations Supervisor you will:

• Understand and apply urban forest management and arboricultural practices and standards.
• Lead, oversee and assess the successful performance of Operations staff.
• Scope, prioritize, assign and ensure completion of varied tree maintenance requests and projects.
• Recruit, hire, schedule, assign work and supervise staff, including seasonal employees.
• Establish and maintain professional work culture, including standards of safety and effectiveness.
• Create standard practices, policies and procedures for day-to-day operations of the unit.
• Supervise daily implementation of ANSI Safety Standards for Arboricultural Operations.
• Oversee a large specialized vehicle and equipment fleet and maintain inventory of operating supplies.
• Supervise and ensure delivery of the citywide tree emergency response program.
• Deal effectively and communicate with the general public and other public agencies.
• Be skilled in promoting workplace diversity and creating a positive work environment.
• Use various computer systems daily including for communication, documentation, tracking and updating tree condition and work status.
• Work closely with the Operations Manager, City Forester, City property maintenance supervisors and other public agencies to provide all facets of tree maintenance support.

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is committed to the overall Citywide vision that race will have no detrimental effect on people of color, refugee and immigrant communities in accessing our parks and natural areas, or from the benefit of our services. We recognize, understand, and encourage celebration of the differences that surround us. Diversity and equity are vital to PP&R’s ideals and values. The City of Portland, Oregon is a growing and diverse city of 650,000 residents, nearly 20% of whom speak languages other than English at home. PP&R values a diverse workforce and seeks ways to promote equity and inclusion within the organization and with the public. PP&R encourages applications from candidates with knowledge, ability and experience working with a broad range of individuals and communities with diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Although not required, PP&R encourages candidates that can fluently speak another language to include that information in their resume. Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

About Urban Forestry and Portland’s Forest:

Urban Forestry's mission is to manage and ensure Portland’s urban forest infrastructure for current and future generations. Portland’s urban forest is valued at over $6 billion and comprised of over 1.2 million park trees, 218,000 street trees and 2.9 million private property trees. The Urban Forestry team is responsible for the overall management, stewardship and improvement of this essential infrastructure system. Urban Forestry’s work includes delivery of sustainable and equitable forest services to all Portlanders; establishing and enacting best management practices, plans, policies and technical standards for tree care and protection and urban forest expansion; implementing, enforcing and proposing improvements to the City’s tree regulations; providing tree maintenance services including 24/7 response to tree emergencies on City properties and public streets; tree planting and expansion of urban forest services; measurement and assessment of urban forest coverage, health and services; offering community education and stewardship programs; and oversight and support of the City’s volunteer advisory tree board. Portland is a Tree City USA for 44 years, a Tree City of the World and the Urban Forestry program is accredited by the Society of Municipal Arborists

City of Portland Core Values:
Anti-racism | Communication | Collaboration | Equity | Transparency | Fiscal Responsibility

These values guide our actions as we serve the community and engage our workforce. To learn more about the City's core values, please click here.

Why work at the City of Portland?

The City of Portland workforce serves a population of over 650,000. We are culture- and solutions-driven, viewing every challenge as an opportunity to learn, improve, and share our expertise. We are committed to removing systemic barriers to resources, access, and opportunity. The City is a believer in ALL people and continues to actively recruit and retain diverse top talent every day. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, basic life, short- and long-term disability coverage to eligible employees and their families. If you are open-minded, motivated, community-focused, and self-aware, please apply yourself at the City of Portland today.

The City of Portland also participates in the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). For more information on the City of Portland's benefits please click here.

Work Location
Many positions within the City are designated as hybrid and currently the City requires you to work in-person one day per week. Beginning in April 2023, most hybrid employees will be expected to perform at least half of their work in-person.

The City is offering an optional information meeting for this recruitment. Please see the Additional Information section below for details.

Applicants must specifically address and demonstrate in their supplemental question responses and resume how their education, training and/or experience, meets each of the following minimum qualifications:

1. 1. Experience supervising and managing the day to day activities of a multifaceted tree care maintenance team such as the prioritizing and coordination of tree emergency response and multiple projects daily with numerous staff and specialized vehicles and equipment.
   2. Experience applying and training safe working practices, equipment use, job-related skills and ensuring personnel follow city, state, OSHA and ANSI safety standards for tree care operations.
   3. Experience leading and supervising a tree care operations team promoting a safe, diverse, equitable workplace environment and instilling a professional workplace culture, capitalizing on staff strengths and evaluating staff through performance review.
   4. Experience establishing and maintaining successful working relationships that include effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders such as other departments, agencies, nongovernmental and private organizations, and diverse community groups.
   5. Experience in comprehensive arboricultural practices, holistic tree care such as tree planting and establishment, pest and pathogen management, stump grinding, mulching, and various plant health care techniques while navigating the challenges of working in a municipal setting or City rights-of-way.
   6. Experience with the use of various computer systems daily for communications, documentation, tracking and updating tree condition and work status