Cultural Resources Team Lead

About the opportunity:

SWCA Environmental Consultants has an exciting opportunity for a Cultural Resources Team Lead for our Arizona (Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff) Team. The Senior Cultural Resources Team Lead is responsible for providing highly effective, dynamic management and leadership within the Arizona Cultural Resources Program by managing staff, projects, and clients. The successful candidate will possess a proven track record of developing new business, managing large-scale projects, meeting financial goals, and mentoring others to do the same.

The Cultural Resources Team Lead reports to the Arizona Cultural Resources Director and will work closely with other Arizona Team Leads, the Senior Office Director, the Southwest Vice President, and other regional leadership as appropriate.

The Arizona offices offer a collaborative and supportive work environment, and specialize in natural, cultural, and paleontological resource management, environmental planning, permitting, and regulatory compliance. We have an excellent reputation in Arizona for delivering high-quality resource work, with a strong commitment to sound science. Our team is dedicated to supporting our clients in making informed decisions while fostering meaningful relationships. We offer career growth opportunities, a flexible work environment, and competitive benefits!

This is a full-time, salaried position based in our Phoenix, Flagstaff, or Tucson, AZ offices. The role is hybrid, requiring the employee to commute at least one in-office day per month. We are also open to candidates interested in relocating to Arizona.

Please provide a cover letter and a resume with professional references to be considered .

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.

What you will accomplish:

The Cultural Resources Team Lead will develop business opportunities within Arizona and work with professional staff throughout the southwest region to further our team and regional goals by contributing to the following:

Organizational leadership

• Provide highly effective, dynamic management and leadership to SWCA’s cultural resources program and staff. Help align employees to their annual career development goals and build teams to support program and individual employee development.
• Supervise and mentor cultural resources project managers, technical staff, and field personnel, while promoting a culture of teamwork, engagement, quality service, and customer satisfaction.
• Work closely with the Directors to hire Cultural Resources staff. Take the leading role in identifying staffing needs, screening job candidates, conducting interviews, and making hiring recommendations to the Director.
• Proactively monitor the productivity and development of your Cultural Resources Team, set clear expectations, and foster an environment of teamwork.
• Provide general support to the team relating to subject matter resources, training opportunities, regulatory and research updates.
• Drive compliance of safety policies and reporting requirements to ensure overall team safety.

Technical leadership

• Ensure the delivery of high-quality technical work throughout the cultural resources program, including project and data management, data analysis, and reporting.
• Provide quality assurance/quality control reviews of deliverables prepared by other team members.
• Maintain SWCA’s high standard of quality control and take initiative to resolve problems and create improved procedures.
• Participate in SWCA’s Innovation initiative by considering new technology or other methods to improve efficiency and improve our company’s competitive advantage.
• Ability to adapt rapidly to changes in project needs, agency requests, etc. and be able to work independently and collaborate with a variety of colleagues, clients, and agency representatives.

Client leadership

• Develop strong relationships with existing clients while executing strategic analysis, marketing, and sales for new clients.
• Manage the performance of individual projects, and effectively coordinate with clients and agencies, to produce technically excellent work that is on time and on budget.
• Engage with the office business development team to evaluate changing market conditions and strategic sales opportunities at a regional and sub-regional level (new clients and geographies).
• Lead proposal efforts and internal business development groups, drive accountability for participation in business development and help mentor seller-doer mentality in all employees.
• Take lead role in the go/no go decisions in concert with the office Directors and drive accountability for efficient proposal and marketing pursuits.
• Develop strong and productive relationships within industry organizations and with agency staff to expand the regional client base in line with the region’s strategic goals.

Experience and qualifications for success:

• Master’s degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, History or closely related field.
• Eight (8) years of progressively more responsible experience in cultural resources fieldwork, consulting, and project management, including developing and implementing budgets, schedules, and scopes of work from pre-field tasks to final report preparation.
• At least four (4) years of Arizona specific project experience.
• Previous experience with federal, state, and local environmental la ws and regulations in Arizona, inc luding Section 106 of the NHPA, ARPA, and NEPA, as well as the SHPA and AAA.
• Permitted as a Project Director on the AAA permit
• Demonstrated experience in supervising, mentoring, and providing leadership for other professionals.
• Demonstrated business development success and consulting acumen, including established credibility with federal and state reviewing agencies and clients, as well as success in proposal writing.
• Applicants must have valid driver’s license and be able to meet SWCA’s driver requirements.

Preferred qualifications :

• Meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards in archaeology, anthropology, or historic preservation or related field.
• Experience in archae ology across Arizona.
• Excellent technical writing skills with a record of completing technical reports and projects in a timely fashion. 
• Permitted as a Principal investigator on the AAA permit

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, 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 [email protected] 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 Arizona-based position can expect an annual salary of $77,662.00 - $101,228.40. 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.

#LI-KB1