Natural Resources Director

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Natural Resources Director – Central California to lead a team of ecologists, botanists, wildlife experts, and wetland specialists, within Central California. 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 – Central California will report to the Northern and Central California Vice President. This is a regular, full-time, salaried position with compensation based on individual qualifications and experience. The position is based out of our San Luis Obispo office but is open to highly qualified candidates who prefer to work from a home office and are willing to travel to the San Luis Obispo offices on a regular basis to work directly with their staff and colleagues. The Natural Resources Director – Central California will supervise and coordinate staff in the San Luis Obispo office including local office, hybrid and remote staff.

The Central California subregion is a hub of excellence within our market that is renowned for the quality of our work, commitment to our clients, and an 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 California, the West Region, and throughout the company. This position offers a great opportunity for team leadership and business and professional development in this expanding market. 

Candidates must submit a brief letter of interest with their application that describes their qualifications and interest for this position. We are accepting applications in February and anticipate holding interviews in early March.

Our Vision (the North Star), Core Values, and Purpose:  Help drive SWCA to be 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 are #OneSWCA and collaborate across all our offices, programs, and disciplines. We are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle and we #GiveBack. We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. It is imperative for the successful candidate to fit SWCA’s unique culture. Do you appreciate sustainability and environmental awareness? Is giving back to your community a priority? SWCA is a team of scientists, planners, technical experts, and corporate services professionals who are committed to our culture. 

Our company’s 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.

What you will accomplish

The Central California Natural Resource Director role leads people and manages operations in ways that benefit local operations, the Central California subregion, and the SWCA organization. Responsible for fostering an environment of collaboration among the Natural Resource team in San Luis Obispo and remote locations, while working with Planning, Cultural Resources, Ecological Restoration, and 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 Central California that engages and provides cohesion between employees throughout our Northern and Central California subregion and remote locations throughout the country.
• Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain talent within Central California. 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.

Planning and Problem Solving

• Lead SWCA’s Natural Resources Unit in Central California collaboratively, as an integral member of the local office leadership team.
• Work with Northern California Natural Resources and Ecological Restoration Directors to align programs and allocate company resources.
• Ensure that the team’s work is well-coordinated across the business. ​
• Participate in setting business goals for the local office.
• Cascade objectives through the organization to ensure alignment between local efforts, subregional, 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 and providing senior-level technical support.
• Take responsibility for adherence to SWCA Quality Control Procedures within the Central California Natural Resources Program. Ensure that the program meets its commitments to quality and create an environment of accountability for meeting agreed-upon expectations.
• Ensure that the organization has the means to systematically gather and apply lessons learned.
• Leverage experts effectively, engaging the right talent to meet client needs.​
• Implement and refine SWCA Quality Control Procedures.
• Ensure SWCA’s 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.

Experience and qualifications for success

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, botany, ecology, wildlife biology, environmental sciences or a closely related field. Graduate degree preferred.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in natural resources management, planning, and science. Experience should include overseeing fieldwork, office work, report completion, and scheduling and budgeting projects.
• Minimum of 5 years of private sector consulting experience required; 10 years preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience in increasing management responsibility, including supervising and mentoring professional staff.
• Working knowledge of Central California 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 California, particularly CEQA, NEPA, the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, California Endangered Species Act, and others.
• 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 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 California-based position can expect a salary of $131,040.00 – $170,820.00/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.