Associate Project Manager

SWCA Environmental Consultants•Pasadena, CA

6d•$36 - $46•Hybrid

About The Position

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an Associate Project Manager – Cultural Resources to join its Southern California Cultural Resources team. The role 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, full-time, hourly/non-exempt position based out of the Pasadena, California office. The position is hybrid-eligible from either office location, and highly qualified remote candidates outside Pasadena may also be considered. Fieldwork and overnight travel are required. The Associate Project Manager leads and/or assists with a portfolio of projects from start to finish, applying SWCA’s Project Management, Quality, and Safety programs. The role develops and organizes proposals, goals, scopes, plans, schedules, KPIs, invoices, and budgets; coordinates project teams and resources; monitors risks and progress; and communicates with clients, regulators, and other external stakeholders. The position also supports archaeological research and field mobilization, coordinates technical report production, maintains scientific and quality standards, and contributes to field safety and workforce development. SWCA Environmental Consultants is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm providing environmental services across the United States. The company describes its goal as being a great place to work and a sustainability leader, and emphasizes collaboration, learning, continuous improvement, and community service.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or a related field, or equivalent knowledge obtained through education, training, and experience.
Three years of relevant, progressively responsible experience, including at least one year managing projects.
Three years of archaeology experience in the western United States, including at least one year of cultural resources management (CRM) experience and one year leading archaeology crews.
Experience leading archaeology crews on a variety of project types, sizes, regions, and agency settings.
Two years performing cultural desktop reviews for California utilities.
Experience applying standard archaeological survey and excavation techniques.
Ability to conduct required fieldwork and overnight travel.
Follow applicable regulatory, contractual, and company requirements.

Nice To Haves

Five years of related experience.
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 CRM experience across varied 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 and perspectives.
Ability to be listed as a project archaeologist or field director on state and federal permits in California.
Technical report authorship experience and experience providing quality control review of field documents and archaeological data.
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Smartsheet, and other computer-based programs.
Experience collecting field data using mobile technology, including iPads and Esri software.

Responsibilities

Lead and/or assist with a portfolio of successful projects from start to finish.
Implement SWCA Project Management, Quality, and Safety program requirements, promoting collaboration and strong project delivery, safety, quality, and client service.
Develop and organize project proposals, goals, scopes, plans, schedules, KPIs, invoices, and budgets.
Manage and coordinate project teams and resources to uphold quality standards and meet regulatory, scope, schedule, and budget milestones.
Communicate project status, schedules, task assignments, scope changes, budget allocations, and other project details effectively within teams.
Continuously monitor project progress, assess risks to project success, safety, quality, and performance, and revise scope, schedules, or budgets when needed.
Build and maintain consultative relationships with clients, regulators, and other external stakeholders, and communicate project 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, particularly for cultural desktop reviews of California utilities.
Maintain scientific integrity and quality assurance standards and identify and resolve technical or 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 program-level workforce planning, including staffing allocation, employee development, retention planning, and work assignment discussions.
Perform related work as assigned.