Lead Visual Resources Consultant

About the opportunity

Do you thrive in the pursuit of ensuring excellence in environmental consulting services for your clients? SWCA Environmental Consultants is expanding our visual resources team and is looking for a dynamic individual interested in following their passion in delivering the highest-quality project work. SWCA Consultants has an opportunity for a full-time, regular, salaried Lead Visual Resources Consultant to join us.

In this role, you will help lead the visual resources team in the development of analytical products related to visual resources and findings for environmental documents for local, state, and federal agencies. This position can be geographically located anywhere within the continental United States either as a remote employee or hybrid role based on proximity to an established SWCA office, though you must be able to travel to project sites as necessary up to 50% of the year or as needed.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

What you will accomplish

• As a Lead Visual Resource Consultant, apply your knowledge working collaboratively with others on the inventory and analysis of visual resources and impacts to visual resources associated with proposed projects following local, state, and federal guidance.
• Prepare and produce visual impact assessment (VIA) technical reports and visual resources sections of permit documents and permit applications for federal, state, local agencies, and jurisdictions.
• Lead and develop proposals, scopes of work and budgets independently and with proposal teams to support company-wide opportunities.
• Lead, mentor and develop team members.
• Travel to project locations to conduct visual resource inventories and assessments.
• Work with Visual Simulation Specialists to develop photographic simulations, visualization graphics and 3D visualizations to support visual resource assessments for permitting documents and public outreach materials.
• Ensure project quality, schedule, and budget objectives are met and adhered to.
• Take initiative, resolve problems, identify improved procedures, and communicate effectively to assure project manager and client needs are met.
• Work closely with resource teams, project managers, and senior leadership throughout the company to promote SWCA’s business interests in adherences to its mission, vision, and values.
• Participation at industry conferences and events to market services.

Experience and qualifications for success

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental planning, environmental science, landscape architecture, or other related field applicable to visual impact assessment.
• Demonstrated organizational development, leadership, and mentoring.
• A minimum of six (6) years of direct experience in environmental planning with emphasis on leading visual impact assessments of large-scale infrastructure projects such as renewable energy, transmission, mining, pipelines, land development and transportation.
• Ability to manage time effectively and work independently as a distributed or hybrid employee.
• Demonstrated innovative and tested approaches to conducting visual analysis through new technologies and/ or methods.
• Practiced understanding of environmental permitting regulations and requirements including National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other state and local siting/permitting regulations.
• Demonstrated experience in technical writing to support the development of environmental permitting documents for NEPA and state and local permitting relate to visual resources.
• Proficiency in orienteering skills using GPS equipment; reading and interpreting aerial imagery, topographical maps, and design drawings to interpret spatial relationships.
• Understanding and proficiency in photography and its application for use in visual simulations.
• Experience interpreting and critiquing visual simulations.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to take a logical approach to tasks.

 Preferred qualifications:

• California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) experience related to aesthetics.
• Night skies impacts analysis application and understanding.
• Training and experience applying Bureau of Land Management Visual Resource Management techniques or other applicable methodologies to projects on federal and private lands.

Why Work at SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services.  Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full spectrum of environmental services. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response. 

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.  At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Flagstaff-office based position can expect an annual salary of $93,226.00-$119,059.00/year. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law.  Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA’s Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive benefits package (https://www.swca.com/careers/benefits-wellness/), forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA’s continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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