Compliance Specialist 3 - New Appropriations Program Specialist

Help shape how Montana administers water rights. Bring your analytical skills, natural resource experience, and collaborative approach to work that supports consistent, well-informed decisions across the state.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is seeking a collaborative New Appropriations Program Specialist to join the Water Rights Bureau. In this role, you will help staff navigate complex water rights issues, translate laws and policies into practical guidance, and strengthen the processes used to administer new water rights and changes to existing rights.

Your Impact
Montana’s New Appropriations Program administers permitting for new water rights, changes to existing water rights, water reservations, and other water use matters. This position connects statewide program priorities with the day-to-day work of DNRC’s eight regional offices, helping ensure that requirements are applied accurately and consistently.
You will work with program leadership, regional staff, legal counsel, hydrologists, and other technical experts to research challenging questions, develop solutions, and improve program implementation. This is an opportunity to influence statewide practices through technical expertise, sound judgment, and strong working relationships.

What you’ll do
Your primary focus will be supporting consistent statewide program implementation and providing technical guidance. Key responsibilities:

• Support regional offices by interpreting water rights laws, administrative rules, policies, and procedures and helping resolve complex program questions.

• Review technical reports, decision documents, and other work products for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with program requirements.

• Research scientific and legal information, evaluate recurring issues, and recommend practical improvements to policies, procedures, and program tools.

• Develop and deliver training that helps staff apply new and existing requirements with confidence.

• Improve forms, manuals, checklists, and public information materials to make program processes clearer and more effective.

• Provide guidance on water rights databases, data entry requirements, and opportunities to improve database processes.

• Support specialized water rights work, including water reservations, compact reporting, and review of objections to permit and change applications.

What you bring
You enjoy working through complex questions and turning technical information into clear, useful guidance. You can balance statewide consistency with regional needs, explain your reasoning, and build productive relationships with people who bring different perspectives and areas of expertise.

Core Values of DNRC’s Water Resources Division

• Valuing People

• Stewardship

• Service

• Credibility

• Engagement