Fire Monitoring Program Coordinator

About the position:

One position will be available to support wildfire monitoring by the Fire Behavior Assessment Team (FBAT) in collaboration with the USFS Northern Research Station and National Forest System Region 5.  FBAT has been working with National Forest staff and incident command teams to build a dataset of pre-, active-, and post-fire information on wildfires since 2003.  FBAT teams are composed on-call members, drawn from federal land management agencies and academia. The Program Coordinator will work with the FBAT Program Lead, advisory committee, and others to oversee the FBAT on a day-to-day basis.  Monitoring will be focused on forests in the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Mountains of California during the 2026 fire season.  The work will be a mix of office work and field-based monitoring on wildfires. The position will be based either at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Bozeman, MT (preferred), or at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID, with occasional travel to Redding, CA where the FBAT gear is located, and occasional travel for FBAT wildfire details. Funding for a part-time position is available for 2 years and possibly longer based on satisfactory performance and availability of additional funding, however, full-time versus part-time status is negotiable.

Required qualifications:

• MSc (preferred) in ecology, environmental science, soils, hydrology, zoology, wildlife, resource management, wildland fire, forestry, etc., with a field research component, or a BSc plus two years of additional experience in one of these fields.
• Experience in wildfire and/or prescribed fire operations and with wildland fire qualifications that are either current or can be readily renewed.
• Demonstrated excellence in oral, written, or audio-visual communication skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Demonstrated leadership experience.
• Current US Driver’s license and ability to operate 4WD vehicles on unimproved roads.
• Ability to pass a criminal background check.

Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate facility with running and developing programs in R; using and building electronic surveys using ESRI’s Survey123; experience using Federal datasets and applications such as FACTs, FTEM, FVS, WFDSS, ArcGIS, and RMA dashboard; and facility with electronics and fixing things.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain FBAT equipment and ensure readiness for monitoring campaigns
• Assemble on-call teams in collaboration with the FBAT Program Lead
• Lead and deliver a report from each FBAT fire assignment in collaboration with the on-call team
• Maintain and improve the FBAT dataset
• Develop products (e.g., refereed papers, videos, outreach materials) using the information collected on fires in collaboration with the FBAT Program Lead and Advisory Board
• Participate in local, regional, and national team meetings
• Participate in outreach events with project stakeholders

About the University of Idaho:

The University of Idaho College of Natural Resources is committed to disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs that integrate ecological, social and natural resource science and management systems. Our research, education and outreach sustain people and the land through innovative science, technology and leadership. More information about the University, employee benefits, and resources for applicants is available at https://uidaho.peopleadmin.com/. 

How to express interest and to be notified when the position is open:

Contact Dr. Jessica Miesel by email at jmiesel@uidaho.edu to express interest in the position and to be notified when the position is open for applications.

Once applications can be submitted, they will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We expect the position will be open for applications in February 2026. The position will start as soon as possible.

For more information:

Contact Drs. Jessica Miesel (jmiesel@uidaho.edu) and Matt Dickinson (matthew.b.dickinson@usda.gov ) for questions about the position.

The University of Idaho (U of I) is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, U of I does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, genetic information or status as any protected veteran or military status in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions and educational programs.