Senior Fire Project Manager-California

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a highly experienced, collaborative, and self-driven Senior Fire Project Manager-California to join our growing team in the dynamic and increasingly vital field of wildfire and forest management. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead complex projects while serving as a technical expert in fire behavior, fire ecology, and wildfire management. The position is remote within California but will be affiliated with one of our California offices. Therefore, the successful candidate must be based in California.

As a Senior Fire Project Manager, you will bring deep expertise in forestry and silviculture, wildfire management planning, vegetation and fuels treatment, and fire behavior modeling and analysis. A strong working knowledge of wildfire policies, regulations, codes, and current fire science research is essential. Experience working with California ecosystems is required, along with familiarity in collaborating with state and federal land management agencies, fire prevention organizations, and local fire safe councils.

The ideal candidate excels in managing multifaceted projects, maintaining budget and timeline expectations, ensuring quality assurance and control, and demonstrating exceptional communication and writing skills. You will contribute to a diverse portfolio of projects, including both established and emerging areas in wildfire science and mitigation.

Project types may include:

• CEQA wildfire compliance for new developments

• Vegetation and fuels management plans for state and local agencies

• NEPA documentation for pre- and post-fire restoration and land management

• Wildfire mitigation planning for utility companies

• Biofuels and biomass utilization projects

• Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs)

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

• Serve as a technical specialist in forestry and wildfire sciences.
• Serve as project manager or subject matter expert on a variety of complex projects such as CEQA wildfire compliance for developments; vegetation and fuels management plans for state and local governments; NEPA documents for pre- and post-fire restoration and land management activities; wildfire mitigation plans for utility companies; biofuels development projects; and community wildfire protection plans.
• Stay abreast of current and relevant forestry and wildfire research and applications in the face of climate change and increased impacts.
• Work closely with project teams and clients.
• Take initiative and resolve issues to ensure client needs are met effectively.
• Lead and advise on the development of specific planning strategies and technical approaches. Solve problems in a dynamic environment.
• Provide QA/QC of deliverables.
• Mentor and provide technical support to junior staff and other projects.
• Manage various project sizes, including maintaining budgets, schedules, and quality of service.
• Work with the Corporate accounting department to review invoices, expenditures, and project audits for projects/tasks.
• Work closely with SWCA’s resource scientists and environmental planners, managers and directors in both natural and cultural resources throughout the company to promote SWCA’s business interests in adherence to its mission, vision, and values.
• Implement and administer SWCA’s safety procedures and standards of scientific and professional ethics.
• Take responsibility for team safety, develop safety plans (when applicable), and anticipate potential safety hazards.

Experience and qualifications for success

• Minimum bachelor's degree in forestry, fire science, environmental science, or another related field.
• A minimum of 10 years of project management experience combined in forestry, wildfire operations and CEQA planning. 
• Working knowledge of federal and state laws (e.g., NEPA, CEQA) as it relates to forestry, wildfire and land management and major western ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience with federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Forest Service (USFS) and state agencies such as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and other state natural resources departments.
• Experience with project team supervision.
• Experience and ability to manage multiple projects with changing requirements.
• Experience working in a fast-paced work environment and desire to work in a highly collaborative team atmosphere.

HIGHLY DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A working knowledge of forest and fire modeling applications such as Flammap, Behave Plus, Inter-agency fuel treatment decision support tool (IFTDSS), state wildfire risk assessments and quantitative wildfire risk assessments (QWRA), Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) and/or Field Sampled Vegetation (FSVeg).
• Experience carrying out common stand exams or similar forest inventory protocols in a range of forest types.
• Experience developing forest stand prescriptions and fuel treatments.

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 need assistance accessing SWCA’s website, completing the online application, or require accommodation at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.

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 California based position can expect an annual salary of $107,897-$140,142/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, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

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 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 experience 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.

#LI-KB1