Natural Resources Director

SWCA Environmental Consultants' Northeast subregion is seeking a Natural Resources Director to lead a team of ecologists, botanists, wildlife experts, restoration ecologists, and wetland specialists, within our greater Massachusetts business, with offices in Amherst and Boston, MA, and projects extending into neighboring states.

This position requires excellent leadership skills and behaviors to successfully manage the execution of project work, cultivate our business development processes, deliver for our clients, and continue to build an exceptional team. The Natural Resources Director - Massachusetts will report to the Senior Office Director.

This is a regular, full-time, salaried position with compensation based on individual qualifications and experience. The position is based out of our Amherst or Boston office and will supervise and coordinate staff in both offices. Highly qualified, remote candidates in nearby geographies will also be considered. Travel requirements to engage clients, office leaders and supervise and mentor staff will depend upon the candidate's location.

The Massachusetts natural resources business is a hub of excellence within our market that is 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 our market by offering a work environment that promotes employee engagement and development. The successful candidate will coordinate closely with their peers across New England, SWCA's Midwest/Northeast sub-region, and throughout the company. This position offers a great opportunity for team leadership as well as business and professional development in this expanding market. Collaboration with other SWCA disciplines (e.g., cultural resources, engineering) will also be important.

Candidates must submit a brief letter of interest with their application that describes their qualifications and interest for this 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 June 22nd, 2025.

The Natural Resource Director role leads people and manages operations in ways that benefit local operations, the subregion, and the SWCA organization. Responsible for fostering an environment of collaboration among the Natural Resource team in Amherst, Boston, and potentially remote locations, while working with other technical groups to expand our expertise and client base.

People Accountabilities

• Promote a culture of leadership, teamwork, mentoring engagement, high-quality service, and client satisfaction for Natural Resources throughout Massachusetts and nearby areas that engages and provides cohesion between employees in Amherst, Boston, and at remote locations throughout the country.
• Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain talent within Massachusetts. 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.
• 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.
• Serve as an ambassador for SWCA's Safety Culture and implementation.

Planning and Problem Solving

• Lead SWCA's Natural Resources Unit in Massachusetts collaboratively, as an integral member of the leadership team.
• 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.

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.
• Serve as an ambassador for SWCA's Safety Culture and implementation.
• Coordinate with peers and project managers to efficiently allocate company resources, including personnel, vehicles, supplies, and equipment.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor' degree in biology, botany, ecology, wildlife biology, restoration ecology, environmental sciences or a closely related field.
• Ten (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.
• Five (5) years of experience in increasing levels of responsibility in management, including supervising and mentoring of professional staff.
• Working knowledge of the Massachusetts and nearby markets and natural resources/ecosystems.
• Demonstrated expertise working within multiple business lines to develop business and successfully complete projects to the satisfaction of clients.
• Experience applying federal, state, and local regulations to natural resources in Massachusetts and/or nearby areas, particularly NEPA, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species act.
• 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.
• Applicants must have valid driver's license and be able to meet SWCA's driver requirements.

Preferred qualifications:

• Graduate degree in biology, botany, ecology, wildlife biology, restoration ecology, environmental sciences or a closely related field.
• Proven natural resource project experience in the MA or New England area.

Why Work at SWCA:

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 need assistance accessing SWCA's website, completing the online application, or require accommodations 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.

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 MA-based position can expect an annual salary of $136,282.00 - $177,653.00. 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.