Resilient Communities and Forests Program Director

  • Full-time

Company Description

The Ember Alliance is a national organization of fire practitioners, researchers, analysts, and instructors dedicated to increasing the pace and scale of prescribed fire and planning. The Ember Alliance is dedicated to supporting fire as a natural process in fire-adapted ecosystems on a landscape scale to improve ecosystem function and health and increase wildfire resilience. 

Job Description

The successful candidate will have strong leadership and organization skills, planning document generation experience, entrepreneurial attitude and aptitude, and a desire to support ecological forestry and fire practices. This position is not a primary fire position. Previous wildland fire operational experience is not required, but a desire to participate in prescribed fire is supported. They will:

  • Provide oversight to a dynamic team of professionals dedicated to supporting fire adapted communities.
  • Manage, support, and/or lead planning document generation, including community wildfire protection plans, research products, and other similar projects.
  • Work with partners to identify new opportunities for engagement.
  • Manage work assignments with minimal direction from supervisors.
  • Provide project management and planning support for other Ember Alliance projects.
  • ·Coordinate with project partners to ensure planning and personnel needs are met.
  • Manage project invoices and contracts in coordination with the Director of Business Operations.
  • Manage project budgets and project timetables.
  • Respond to RFPs, develop project proposals, and write grant requests.
  • As needed and desired, may support Ember Alliance prescribed fire and wildfire operations.
  • Represent the Ember Alliance at local and regional meetings.
  • Work in variable weather conditions, in remote locations, and on difficult or hazardous terrain and / or in other physically demanding environments.

The Ember Alliance provides an open, transparent, and just organization and workplace. We strive for clear, open, and kind communication and are committed to centering, recruiting, hiring, mentoring, and supporting individuals from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities. We are dedicated to building a better way to do fire management, one that recognizes the inherent value of our employees, that supports work / life balance, and provides an environment that supports growth.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Proven track record of managing complex projects and budgets
  • Excellent partner management skills
  • Clear verbal and written communication skills.
  • Supervisory experience and/or team leadership experience
  • Solid technical writing skills
  • Self-direction
  • Fire and forest ecology and management knowledge.
  • Bachelor’s or Masters in fire ecology, forestry, or other natural resources.
  • Effective knowledge of common software applications.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Knowledge of fire management organizations
  • Emergency management knowledge and experience
  • Grant writing experience
  • Prescribed fire and/or wildfire suppression experience
  • GIS experience
  • NEPA experience
  • Knowledge of fire behavior modeling

We encourage any individual that meets 75% or more of requirements to apply.

Additional Information

Most work will be conducted in the home office until COVID-19 restrictions allow for returning to in-person office work. Due to our commitment to firefighter and public safety, proof of a COVID-19 vaccination is a condition of employment.

Field operations work schedule: The average work week is 40 hours, but the schedule may vary and will be weather dependent. 10-12 hour days may be required. Projects may require working during weekends and/or up to 14 days continuously, travel for extended periods of time, stay overnight near project locations, and work outside of normal business hours.

Duty Location: Loveland, CO. Project work will require travel to other locations.

Hourly wage: $28 per hour.

Health Insurance Benefits: Employees are eligible for employer sponsored health coverage, covering up to 80% of the monthly premium (where employee pays 20% of the monthly premium). Insurance becomes effective the 1st of the month after initial hire. In addition to health insurance the Ember Alliance is happy to offer a $50,000 life insurance policy, dental insurance, and vision insurance.

Accrued personal leave: Hours of accrued leave are dependent upon hours worked in a month. Ten hours are accrued at the end of each month if working full time (at 87.5% or more capacity), 7.5 hours are accrued if working 62.5 – 87.4%, and so forth as detailed in the Employee Handbook.

Sick Days: Each employee gets six paid sick days per year.

Holidays: 10 paid holidays per year, following the Federal holiday model.

Contact Us

Interested applicants should submit a one-page cover letter, a professional writing sample, three professional references, and resume to Daniel Godwin (daniel at emberalliance.org) by 2022-04-15. Please specify your earliest available start date.