Director of Natural Resources - Pacific NW - SWCA Environmental Consultants
Portland, OR 97209
About the Job
For over four decades, SWCA Environmental Consultants has provided comprehensive environmental planning, regulatory compliance, and natural and cultural resource management services to businesses and government clients across the United States. SWCA is an employee-owned firm of scientists, planners, and technical experts. We combine scientific expertise with sound technical skills to provide solutions to a full spectrum of environmental projects. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, SWCA has 30+ offices and over 1,700 employees throughout the United States to serve clients from primary business lines, including energy generation & transmission, oil and gas, mining, federal land management, transmission, and transportation.
SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a talented Director of Natural Resources to join our Pacific Northwest subregion operation that includes offices in Portland, OR; Corvallis, OR and Whitefish, MT. The Director is responsible for leading and growing our team of natural resources and planning professionals. The successful candidate will oversee strategic direction, financial performance, business and client development, and staff management, and will maintain high-quality scientific and technical work to ensure alignment with SWCA goals and objectives.
The position will be based out of one of our Pacific Northwest offices and candidates local to the subregion are strongly preferred. Flexibility to work in a hybrid capacity from a home office with travel to one of the subregion offices at least once a quarter to work directly with their staff and colleagues will be considered.
Our company purpose is to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today. You are invited to be a part of our success story.
Candidates must submit a brief letter of interest with their application that describes their vision for this position.
The position will close on January 10, 2025.
What you will accomplish:People Accountabilities
- Promote a culture of teamwork, engagement, high quality service, safety, and customer satisfaction.
- Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain talent with the subregion. Lead strategic hiring efforts and focused retention efforts.
- Lead organizational development and succession planning by creating and modifying team structure to support team growth and diversification.
- Drive engagement of the team by recognizing high performance and implementing approaches that build and sustain high levels of motivation.
- Support career mobility and growth within SWCA through active coaching and mentorship of team members.
- Direct all performance-related activities, including performance reviews and any disciplinary recommendations.
- Directly provide and lead others in providing environmental services related to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and other natural resources and environmental planning services, contributing to or managing key projects.
- Ensure professional and technical excellence/high quality through project staffing, QA/QC assignments and following SWCA best practices for project management and Quality Control procedures.
- Work with leadership to determine compensation and bonus allocation.
Financial Accountabilities
- Contribute to the development and management of the operational budget and ensure that budget objectives are achieved throughout the year through tracking and sound financial decision making, ensuring the ultimate profitability of your group.
- Ensure appropriate level of review and approval of proposals, contracts, budgets, and expenditures through mastery of and adherence to the SWCA approvals matrix.
- Monitor financial KPIs and redirect efforts as needed (e.g., productivity/utilization, multipliers, overruns, sales, etc.).
- Conduct regular audits of projects within area of responsibility to ensure that projects are on track, risks are mitigated, and issues are escalated and resolved.
- Facilitate communication between project managers, project controls, and accounts receivable.
Client and Market Accountabilities
- Contribute to the growth and maintenance of client relationships, both locally and regionally.
- Maintain awareness of market and industry trends that impact the business through news sources, event attendance, and using your professional network.
- Identify new opportunities to diversify the business and lead teams in their pursuit.
- Lead go/no-go analyses and provide senior review of proposals.
- Collaborate with business development specialists across SWCA to align operational abilities and needs with the pursuit of opportunities.
Technical Accountabilities
- Support the execution of work by managing projects and contracts, as well as providing senior-level technical support.
- Leverage experts effectively, engaging the right talent to meet client needs.
- Implement and refine SWCA Quality Control Procedures.
- Ensure company safety program is effectively implemented for your area of responsibility.
- Coordinate with peers and project managers to efficiently allocate company resources, including personnel, vehicles, supplies, and equipment.
- Bachelor’ degree in biology, wildlife biology, botany, environmental science, environmental planning, or a related field. Graduate degree helpful.
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in natural resources management, planning, and science. Experience should include overseeing fieldwork, office work, and report completion, as well as scheduling and budgeting of projects.
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in increasing levels of responsibility in management, including supervising and mentoring of professional staff.
- Working knowledge of environmental services and/or environmental planning markets in the Pacific Northwest strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated expertise working within multiple business lines to develop business and successfully complete projects to the satisfaction of clients.
- Demonstrated expertise in federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to the management of environmental resources in the Pacific NW, particularly NEPA, CWA, and the Endangered Species Act.
- Demonstrated success leading staff, including team building, recruiting, mentoring, developing, and coaching.
- Strong understanding of financial metrics common to our industry.
- Extensive experience building and maintaining strong partnerships, both internal and external.
- Strong client-facing skills (e.g., communication, relationship building, problem solving).
- Proven record of developing new business and leading major proposal efforts.
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 are seeking an opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled and diverse professionals who embrace sound science and creative solutions, then SWCA will be a great fit for you! If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please email accomodations@swca.com or call 480-581-5378. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges on all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.
An employee in this Pacific Northwest - based position can expect a pay rate of $116,480/year to $159,432/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 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.
#LI-EF1