Director, Wildland Fire Environment Innovations Program (Part Time) (Remote)

Remote Work Available Within Arizona.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

External Partner Engagement & Strategic Research Capacity Building:

• Initiate, facilitate, and sustain strategic collaborations with external wildland fire agencies and federal sponsors, including the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), state fire organizations, and regional management teams.
• Identify operational priorities and capability gaps in fire weather, climate, fuels, and environmental information to align university research capacity with federal and regional land management needs.
• Coordinate multi-institutional activities across external partners to maximize program relevance, enhance proposal competitiveness for extramural funding, and prevent duplication of research effort.
• Exercise independent judgment and considerable operational latitude in establishing long-term partnership goals, strategic outreach plans, and collaborative frameworks with sponsor leadership.

Applied Interdisciplinary Research & Tool Development:

• Translate deep operational fire management expertise into novel, interdisciplinary research questions, bridging the gap between academic atmospheric/environmental science and operational wildland fire decision-making.
• Lead and co-lead the conceptualization, testing, and iteration of experimental, science-based decision-support tools, datasets, and environmental models tailored for wildland fire managers.
• Actively contribute to scholarly and practical outputs, including co-authoring peer-reviewed journal publications, technical reports, white papers, and sponsor deliverables.
• Evaluate complex, non-precedented environmental challenges in wildland fire management using innovative methods and domain expertise.

Applied Training & Technology Transfer:

• Design, author, and deliver specialized training materials and instructional modules for operational wildland fire managers focused on WFEIP experimental tools and datasets.
• Conduct technical workshops, technology transfer sessions, and consultation services to facilitate practitioner adoption of emerging science-based tools.
• Synthesize user feedback from fire practitioners during training activities to inform continuous tool refinement and guide future university research initiatives.

Stakeholder Representation & Program Leadership:

• Represent WFEIP and the University externally to federal decision-makers, agency leadership, fire managers, and interagency research committees.
• Serve as an internal operational subject matter expert and liaison to faculty, research groups, and campus units whose work intersects with wildland fire management and environmental science.
• Promote program visibility and research impact at national professional conferences, sponsor reviews, and interagency briefings.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated expertise in applied meteorology and climatology, considered a recognized regional or national subject matter expert (SME).
• Demonstrated knowledge of the inter-agency operational environment of US wildland fire management, including the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Coordination System (NCS).
• Demonstrated experience developing and delivering training materials for US wildland fire managers. (NWCG 400-level (national) or higher level, especially with fire environment.
• Demonstrated ability to build, support, & adapt science-based tools for wildland fire management.
• Knowledge of how interagency fire environment science, developed applications, related training & standards, and field practitioner use & experience have historically been interrelated.
• Demonstrated skill of collaborative research.
  
  

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Bachelor of science degree AND a minimum of 20 years of experience working directly with wildland fire managers on delivery of science-based tools and information.