Fire Manager (Location Flexible In Northern New Mexico)

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Santa Fe, NM, USA (Office location may be flexible within northern New Mexico)

The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One of TNC’s primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and you’ll stay for the people.”

The Manager will assist partners and the Conservancy to support and grow prescribed fire efforts in New Mexico; the Manager will develop trust, serve as a reliable and valuable burn cooperator for partners and lead the delivery of the New Mexico Business Unit’s fire management strategy. The Manager will provide technical leadership and support to a new ‘Living with Fire’ initiative within The Nature Conservancy’s Forest Program and the Western Dry Forest and Fire Initiative within the Western US and Canada Division. This position will support strategic action and drive implementation of forest management practices on state, private, Indigenous, and federal lands within New Mexico. The Manager will direct prescribed fire operations and develops and reviews Prescribed Burn Unit Plans and Site Fire Management Plans, within the allowable scope of their NWCG qualifications. The Manager will supervise seasonal staff and volunteers in completion of restoration and management activities to protect and restore fire-dependent native plant communities. They will implement strategic plans, coordinate community support, manage contracts, and implement Forest Program strategies.

The Manager will be responsible for safe and effective fire operations, administers physical fitness testing, managing logistics for burn crews, leading burn crews in the field, conducts annual refresher training, and maintains documentation files for staff member training and qualifications. As part of the incumbent’s ongoing professional development, the Manager will be responsible for keeping abreast of new burn techniques and equipment to enhance skills and maintain/grow professional fire certification credentials. In addition, they shall work to build and maintain relationships in the professional fire community and with many partners including government agencies, Indigenous communities, and private organizations. This may include participation in wildland fire suppression activities in partnership with many of these partners, either as a TNC employee, or as a volunteer or short-term employee of the partner entity (such as an Administratively Determined, short term federal employee).

Depending on qualifications, the Manager may train, mentor and evaluate wildland fire practitioners; evaluate personnel using Position Task Books and ICS-225, conducts or assists with prescribed fire training at local and national levels, and ensures that TNC’s fire guidelines and requirements are met or exceeded for personnel and safety. The Manager will participate in preparing fire lines, maintaining equipment, post-burn monitoring and other tasks. They may perform other stewardship and land management duties when conditions are not conducive to prescribed fire.

Planning and implementing prescribed burns and managing wildland fires for the benefit of people and nature is one of the forest health strategies the New Mexico Business Unit of The Nature Conservancy invests in. Wildland fire is an essential ecosystem function for many of the natural areas in New Mexico including the charismatic and ponderosa pine forests, culturally significant pinon and juniper woodlands, and vast prairie grasslands.

The Fire Manager (hereafter, Manager) will work closely with multiple internal TNC teams to coordinate strategy implementation, and will engage with a broad set of state, federal, Indigenous, and local partners to advance on-the-ground implementation of a fire and fuels management initiative to improve forest conditions. The Manager will engage with a diverse suite of partners and the public in facilitating a vision for increased use of prescribed burning as a tool for ecological restoration.

The Manager will oversee the local mobilization (5-25 personnel) for prescribed burns and wildland fire training for a team of volunteers, partners and paid staff who collectively make up a portion of a Burn Team. While the Burn Team is mobilized, the Manager will serve as the Chief of Party and work as directed by a Burn Boss, or other command position.

The Manager will manage the day-to-day implementation of multiple grant funded restoration projects concurrently and in collaboration with multiple project partners. A priority focus will be supporting prescribed fire training and cooperative burning opportunities with Indigenous communities.

This position is full-time and located in northern New Mexico. Extensive travel within the State and occasional travel outside the State is expected. This position requires a valid driver’s license and compliance with the Conservancy’s Auto Safety Program.

• Must meet National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) qualifications for FFT1, including coursework and experience requirements or can obtain required qualifications soon after employment. See the Conservancy’s Fire Management Manual for a full explanation of qualification requirements: https://www.tncfiremanual.org/SquadBoss.htm
• Experience making independent decisions based on analysis and judgment.
• Oral and written communication skills experience.
• May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Bachelor’s degree and at least 4 years’ experience in fire management or natural resource management or similar field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• May lead or monitor work groups consisting of staff, interns and volunteers covering a wide geographic area.
• Experience using Microsoft Office suite of applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Teams).
• Ensures that fire personnel qualification records are maintained; collects annual updates of information for IQCS and submits to National training office.
• Experience training and supervising staff and burn crew members or volunteers.
• Must have valid driver’s license and good driving record.
• Relationship-building experience - will need to build relations with external parties and negotiate complex agreements to accomplish program goals.
• Experience leading effectively in stressful situations.
• Experience conducting prescribed fire operations.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Squad.
• Excellent communication skills via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
• Project management workspaces such as Podio, Trello, Mural, Smartsheets and/or Google Suite.
• Familiarity with fire effects and fire behavior in local fuel types.
• Experience with cloud-based storage systems such as Google Drive or Box. Familiarity with cloud-based collaborative platforms and
• Conservation and fire management objectives.
• Completing tasks independently and with respect to timeline(s).
• Multi-lingual skills and multicultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Ability and willingness to apply science to decision-making and guide activities.
• Knowledge of Conservancy fire management Standard Operating Procedure, requirements and guidelines.
• NWCG qualifications for FEMO, SRB, RXB3, or RXB2.
• Modes.
• Ability and willingness to communicate and work closely with burn bosses, land managers and scientists to develop strategies and meet
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in fire management, conservation, land management and natural resource preservation.
• Strong interpersonal skills that facilitate working independently as well as with small and large teams and with an array of team styles and
• Master’s degree in a natural resource management-related field.
• Ability to evaluate inputs in a rapidly changing work environment and make decisions that affect the safety and work of firefighters within
• Knowledge of ecological land management principles.

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!

TNC offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports of the health and well-being of the people we employ.

This position requires a valid driver's license and compliance with TNC’s Auto Safety Program. Employees may not drive Conservancy-owned/leased vehicles, rental cars, or personal vehicles on behalf of the Conservancy if considered "high risk drivers." To learn more about the Auto Safety Program, visit https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/careers/recruitment/ under the FAQ section.
Employment in this position will be contingent upon completion of a Vehicle Use Agreement, which may include a review of the prospective employee's motor vehicle record.

Hiring Range: $58,500 - $66,500

We are seeking diverse applicants for this position, if you are interested in this role and could see yourself doing a great job, please apply even if you are unsure whether you meet all of the qualifications.

To apply for job ID 53495, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact [email protected].

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.

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TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to [email protected] with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we’re registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we’re unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.