Natural Resources Team Lead Fulltime

About the opportunity

SWCA is currently seeking one or two Natural Resources Team Leads, to support our Arizona operations. The successful candidate will serve as a leader for the Arizona Natural Resources team by supervising and mentoring staff, supporting team development, managing projects and clients, directing biological and water resources field studies, and pursuing project opportunities. The successful candidate will be able to lead a team with varied experience and expertise in biological resources and water resources, and will ideally have subject matter expertise in one or more natural resources disciplines as well as familiarity with associated regulatory requirements in Arizona. The role involves assisting professional staff and clients with environmental permitting and compliance projects related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and other local, state, and federal biological and water resource regulations.

The Natural Resources Team Lead will report to the Arizona Natural Resources Director.

This is a regular, full-time, salaried position that is eligible for a hybrid work schedule with compensation based on individual qualifications and experience. This position can be based in any SWCA Arizona office (Flagstaff, Phoenix, or Tucson).

Qualified candidates must submit a letter of interest along with a current resume in order to be considered for the position.

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

The Natural Resources Team Lead position will require highly developed critical thinking skills to recognize and solve problems proactively and independently, as well as identify and mitigate risks and impediments through persistence, creative thinking, and a focus on client satisfaction. This will include working with our Directors, other Team Leads, Project Managers, and professional staff in the Arizona offices and surrounding states to further employee development through mentorship, provide technical leadership, and develop strategic team goals. The Natural Resources Team Lead will contribute to the following:
• People leadership
• Provide proactive management and leadership to SWCA’s natural resources program and staff.
• Supervise, instruct, mentor, and facilitate professional growth and development of natural resources personnel. Help align employees to their annual career development goals and build teams to support program and individual employee development.
• Promote a culture of professional integrity, teamwork, engagement, quality service, and customer satisfaction.
• Advise the Arizona Natural Resource Director on staff supervision, advancement, and course correction, as needed.
• Serve as the lead hiring manager for project- and staff-level positions. Take a leading role in identifying staffing needs, screening job candidates, conducting interviews, and making hiring recommendations to the Arizona Natural Resource Director.
• Proactively balance workload and ensure the quality of work and development of your Natural Resources Team, set clear expectations for performance, and foster an environment of teamwork.
• Manage under/over utilization of both field and office staff to maintain productivity while minimizing staff fatigue.
• Provide general support to the team relating to subject matter resources, training opportunities, field safety, and regulatory updates.
• Technical leadership
• Serve as a project manager for a variety of natural resource projects, including land development, renewable energy development, transmission, mining, transportation, etc.
• Oversee biological and water resources field surveys and reports, including biological assessments/evaluations, wetland delineations, stormwater plans and inspections, NEPA-related support, and other natural resources project deliverables to support client compliance with a variety of local, state, and federal regulatory and permitting requirements.
• Provide quality assurance/quality control reviews of deliverables prepared by other team members.
• Develop process improvements and standard operating procedures to support consistency and quality of deliverables across the team.
• Client leadership
• Manage client relationships and conduct business development with new and existing clients.
• Identify and evaluate sales opportunities (prospects and proposals), make recommendations to the Arizona Directors, and lead proposal efforts.
• Develop project approach with consideration to client needs and applicable federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.
• Proactively manage the performance of individual projects (personal and within the team) and effectively coordinate with clients and agencies to produce technically excellent work that is on time and on budget.
• Develop strong and productive relationships within industry organizations and with agency staff to expand the regional client base in line with the region’s strategic goals for natural resources services.

Experience and qualifications for success
• A minimum of a Bachelor’s (B.A. or B.S.) degree in Natural Resource Management, Biology, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Science, Ecology, Hydrology, or related field.
• Minimum eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in natural resources consulting, including business development, managing projects, QA/QC, developing and implementing budgets, schedules, and scopes of work from pre-field tasks to final report preparation.
• Previous experience with environmental surveys, permitting, and field implementation on a variety of projects.
• Demonstrated experience with federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations applicable in Arizona.
• Demonstrated experience or desire to supervise, mentor, and provide leadership for other natural resources professionals.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to pass a motor vehicle screening.

Preferred
• Three (3) years of people management experience.
• Demonstrated experience in supervising, mentoring, and providing leadership for other professionals.
• Demonstrated business development success and consulting acumen, including established credibility with federal and state agencies and clients, as well as success in proposal writing.

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.

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 Arizona-based position can expect an annual salary of $81,900 – $107,016.00. 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.

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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