SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Natural Resources Director - Colorado Front Range to ensure that the natural resources team of wildlife biologists, botanists, and natural resources specialists within our Colorado Front Range offices (Broomfield and Fort Collins, CO) provides best-in-class environmental consulting services to our clients throughout Colorado and Wyoming. This position requires excellent leadership skills and behaviors to develop and implement the strategic direction of the program, successfully manage the execution of project work and program financial performance, cultivate our business development processes, deliver for our clients, and continue to build an exceptional team. The Natural Resources Director will report to the Senior Front Range Office Director. This is a regular, full-time, salaried position with compensation based on individual qualifications and experience. The position is open to highly qualified candidates willing to work out of one of our Front Ranges offices (Broomfield or Fort Collins, CO) regularly. Regular travel to both offices would be expected.

When it comes to SWCA's natural resources practice, the Colorado Front Range is an area of excellence renowned for the quality of our work, commitment to our clients, and unparalleled team of professionals. We continuously strive to be the premier environmental consultancy in this market by offering a work environment that promotes employee engagement and development.

Candidates must submit a brief letter of interest with their application.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing, 1,650+ staff, employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (Our 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.

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.

As the Natural Resources Director, you will have the following responsibilities:

People Leadership (35% of workload)

• Lead SWCA's Front Range Natural Resources team collaboratively, as an integral member of the leadership team.
• Promote a culture of leadership, teamwork, engagement, high-quality service, and client satisfaction.
• Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain talent within the Front Range. Lead strategic hiring efforts and focused retention efforts.
• Directly manage principal and lead-level staff.
• 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.
• Engage field biologists, botanists, and natural resource specialists by occasional participation in field surveys.
• 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.
• Work with leadership to determine compensation and bonus allocation.
• Connect with staff, peers, and senior management by leading regular staff meetings and contributing to regular regional and national leadership meetings. Ensure that the team's work is well-coordinated across the business.
• Participate in setting business goals for the office.
• Cascade objectives through the organization to ensure alignment between local efforts and regional/national goals.
• Manage resource allocation and coordinate across SWCA to enable successful project delivery.
  

Technical Leadership (30% of workload)

• Take responsibility for adherence to SWCA Quality Control Procedures within the RMP Natural Resources Program. Ensure that the program meets its commitments to quality and create an environment of accountability for meeting agreed-upon expectations through the use of tools and controls, such as quality audits.
• Support the execution of work by overseeing management of projects and contracts, as well as providing senior-level technical support.
• Leverage experts effectively, engaging the right talent to meet client needs.
• Stay current on relevant regulations and communicate changes and trends to staff and clients.
• 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.
• Coordinate with the nationwide Natural Resources Technical Directors, Practice Group Champions, and the Practice Group in general to advance local and nationwide technical needs and initiatives.
• Ensure that the work within streamlined regulatory environments (e.g., renewables, electric transmission and distribution, etc.), is executed in complementary and coordinated ways.
• Establish systems and programs to produce consistent results.

Client and Market Leadership (25% of workload)

• Contribute to the growth and maintenance of client relationships, both locally and regionally.
• Maintain awareness of market and industry trends, particularly the latest regulatory changes or technical advances, that impact the business through news sources, event attendance, and using your professional network. Build SWCA's brand as a thought leader in the science of environmental consulting.
• Identify new technically focused opportunities to diversify the business, contribute to go/no-go analyses and lead teams (or act as leading technical contributor) in their pursuit. Provide senior review of proposals.
• Collaborate with business development specialists across SWCA to align operational abilities and needs with the pursuit of opportunities.

Financial Leadership (10% of workload)

• 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 for team and redirect efforts as needed (e.g., productivity/utilization, multipliers, overruns, sales, etc.).
• Work with Project Controls to conduct quality 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.

• Bachelor's degree in Biology, Ecology, Watershed Management, Environmental Studies, Environmental Management, or a field related to SWCA's services. Graduate degree or commensurate work experience is preferred.
• 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 10 years of experience in increasing levels of responsibility in management, including supervising and mentoring of professional staff.
• Deep working knowledge of the Front Range market and deep familiarity with its resources is preferred.
• Expert-level understanding of federal, state, and local regulations relevant to NEPA and environmental permitting in the Front Range/Colorado.
• Demonstrated success leading staff, including 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 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 or call 480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All 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 Denver or Ft. Collins, CO based position can expect an annual salary of $122,304/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 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.

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.

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