Wildfire Science and Innovation Team Lead

Forsite Consultants Ltd•Moscow, ID

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Forsite is actively looking for a Wildfire Science and Innovation Team Lead to join our Forsite Fire Team. We are a company built on safety, trust, and the resolve to get things done — where teamwork is second nature, innovation is expected, and the work we do has real impact on people and landscapes across North America. Forsite is a geospatial intelligence company operating across Canada and the United States. Formed through the unification of six established organizations — Barr Air Patrol, Barr GeoSpatial Solutions, Airborne Imaging Inc., Northwest Management Inc., Forcorp, and Forsite Consultants Ltd. — we bring together more than 85 years of aerial heritage, North America's largest independent aerial LiDAR library, and decades of on-the-ground forestry and wildfire expertise into a single integrated platform. We bring together aerial LiDAR acquisition, pipeline patrol and inspection, forest management, wildfire risk science, and environmental analytics under one roof — giving utilities, energy operators, land managers, government agencies, and insurers a single partner for the complete intelligence picture their operations depend on.

Requirements

Qualification as FBAN and/or LTAN, or equivalent demonstrated experience in fire behavior analysis
Significant experience in wildfire science, fire behavior modeling, or a closely related discipline
Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring a technical team in an applied or operational environment
Strong working knowledge of wildfire decision-support tools (e.g., FlamMap, Prometheus, or equivalent)
Experience working with or for government fire agencies, electrical utilities, or land management organizations
Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical findings to non-specialist audiences
Knowledge of funding sources at the state and federal levels
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a dynamic, client-driven environment

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree (M.Sc. or Ph.D.) in forestry, fire ecology, atmospheric science, geography, or a related field
Experience in wildfire risk mitigation or fuels management
Proficiency in geospatial analysis tools (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS)
Familiarity with fire weather data interpretation and fire weather index systems
Experience working in US wildfire environments
Background in consulting, advisory services, and business development
Publication record or contributions to applied wildfire science

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and grow a team of wildfire scientists, analysts, and specialists across the US
Set the scientific direction and quality standards for fire behavior analysis, long-term fire modeling, and decision-support outputs
Foster a culture of rigorous, applied science and continuous learning within the team
Oversee peer review and quality assurance of technical deliverables
Identify and develop emerging talent within the wildfire science team
Engage in business development to expand services throughout the US
Lead or oversee fire behavior analysis using tools such as Behave, WRF, FlamMap, and related platforms
Develop and refine methodologies for long-term fire assessment (LTAN) and fire behavior analysis (FBAN) across diverse ecosystems to support RiskView implementation
Provide expert guidance on fire weather interpretation, fuels assessment, and risk-based fire management
Translate complex fire science outputs into accessible, actionable intelligence for operational fire managers, utilities, and agency clients
Guide the team’s fuels mapping, vegetation management, and geospatial analysis capabilities
Ensure integration of remote sensing products and spatial analysis tools into science workflows
Develop or oversee models and datasets that support wildfire risk assessment for infrastructure and land management clients
Serve as a senior technical point of contact for key clients including government agencies, electrical utilities, and land management organizations
Lead or contribute to proposals, capability presentations, and client scoping discussions
Represent Forsite Fire at industry forums, technical workshops, and scientific conferences
Monitor and integrate advances in wildfire science, fire weather research, and decision-support technology into Forsite’s capabilities
Pursue or support applied research partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, and industry
Contribute to or lead the development of novel analytical approaches, tools, or data products that strengthen Forsite Fire’s competitive position