Associate Project Manager

SWCA Environmental Consultants•Pasadena, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an Associate Project Manager – Cultural Resources to join its Southern California Cultural Resources team. The position assists with managing cultural resources aspects of renewable energy, transmission, and other industrial projects in the Southern California/Pacific Island sub-region. It is a regular, benefits-eligible, full-time, hourly/non-exempt position based out of the Pasadena, California office. Fieldwork and overnight travel are required. The position is hybrid-eligible from either office location; highly qualified distributed (remote) candidates located outside Pasadena may also be considered. The role leads and/or assists with a portfolio of projects from start to finish, implementing company project management, quality, and safety programs. It develops and organizes proposals, goals, scopes, plans, schedules, KPIs, invoices, and budgets; coordinates project teams and resources; monitors progress, risks, quality, safety, and performance; and revises project scope, schedule, or budget when needed. The Associate Project Manager communicates project status and details effectively within teams and maintains consultative relationships with clients, regulators, and other stakeholders. Specific cultural resources work includes conducting archaeological background research and records searches, preparing research and field logistics, coordinating technical report production, maintaining scientific integrity and quality assurance, developing project-specific safety plans, serving as a liaison between field crews and senior leadership, assessing field skills and providing developmental feedback, and participating in workforce planning. The role follows applicable federal, Tribal, state, local, industry, contractual, and company requirements. The expected pay range for this Pasadena-based position is $36.03 to $46.07 per hour. Actual pay may vary based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other factors permitted by law. Eligible employees may also receive performance-based bonuses. The application deadline is November 9, 2026.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or a related field, or equivalent education, training, experience, and/or performance.
Three years of relevant, progressively responsible experience, including one year managing projects.
Three years of archaeology experience in the western United States, including at least one year of Cultural Resources Management experience and one year leading archaeology crews on a variety of project types, sizes, regions, and agencies.
Two years performing cultural desktop reviews for California utilities.
Experience applying standard archaeological survey and excavation techniques.
Ability to meet fieldwork and overnight travel requirements.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or a related field.
Five years of archaeology experience in the western United States, including at least two years leading archaeology crews and demonstrated Cultural Resources Management experience across a variety of project types, sizes, regions, and agencies.
Knowledge of federal and state preservation laws and regulations, including NEPA, NAGPRA, Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.
Current understanding of Tribal politics, culture, law, governance rules and structure, and how relationships and values shape Native American views, values, and perspectives.
Ability to be listed as a project archaeologist or field director on state and federal permits in California.
Technical report authorship and experience providing quality control review of field documents and archaeological data.
Experience with computer-based programs such as Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, and Smartsheet.
Experience collecting field data using mobile technology, including iPads and Esri software.
Five years of related experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and/or assist with a portfolio of projects from start to finish.
Implement SWCA Project Management, Quality, and Safety program requirements.
Develop and organize project proposals, goals, scopes, plans, schedules, KPIs, invoices, and budgets.
Manage and coordinate project teams and resources to meet quality standards and project milestones for regulatory compliance, scope, schedule, and budget.
Communicate project status, schedules, task delegation, scope changes, budget allocation, goals, and other project details effectively within the team.
Monitor project progress and assess risks to project success, safety, quality, and performance; analyze and implement problem-solving strategies.
Revise project scope, schedule, and/or budget as necessary to meet project requirements.
Establish and maintain consultative relationships with clients, regulators, and other external stakeholders; communicate project status, updates, KPIs, issues, and risks.
Follow applicable federal, Tribal, state, local, industry, contractual, and company regulations, standards, and specifications.
Conduct archaeological background research, including files and records searches through applicable State Historic Preservation Offices.
Organize and verify preliminary research, field logistics, equipment, staffing, and other resources before field mobilization.
Organize technical report production and coordinate report-writing with Project Managers and Team Leads, especially for cultural desktop reviews of California utilities.
Maintain scientific integrity and quality assurance standards while identifying and resolving technical and process issues.
Develop project-specific safety plans when applicable and identify and mitigate field safety hazards.
Serve as the primary field liaison between deployed crews and senior leadership, escalating issues and facilitating communication.
Complete field skills assessments and provide developmental feedback to support employee growth and field performance.
Participate in workforce planning, including staffing allocation, employee development, retention planning, and work assignment discussions.
Perform related work as assigned.