Job Type: Full time
Location: Forest Stewards Guild - Santa Fe, NM
Pay: $34.35/hour plus benefits
Location is flexible within the 2-3-2 Partnership region, preference is for Santa Fe, NM.
Description:
The Forest Stewards Guild is hiring an organized and adaptive professional to serve as the Forest and Fire Science Manager for our Southwest Region. This position plays a key role in translating fire and forest science, and monitoring data into practical strategies and communications that inform adaptive land management, support collaborative planning, and engage forest dependent communities. The Manager will lead multiparty monitoring related to the Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project (CFLRP). The Manager will guide the monitoring program, facilitate collaborative input, and coordinate with other Guild staff, US Forest Service leadership, and the Mountain Studies Institute to advance multiparty monitoring efforts. The Manager will facilitate the 2-3-2 Monitoring Committee, prepare formal reports, oversee agreements with partner organizations that collect and analyze monitoring data, and develop creative means to communicate monitoring results. The Manager will also lead a Joint Fire Science Program-funded project, Accelerating Science to Action Partnerships (ASAP) in the 2-3-2 Partnership landscape. The Manager will convene researchers and managers to incorporate climate resilience into on-the-ground projects. This requires a blend of collaborative coordination and technical expertise to identify shared challenges, determine what existing climate and resilience planning tools exist, and co-develop on-the-ground solutions. In addition to these two main projects, the Forest and Fire Science Manager will support our Southwest team with science questions. In 2027, the Manager will collaborate with the Guild team to identify new opportunities and projects. As the Manager grows in their position, they will be able to focus proposals and partnership on their areas of interest within the Guild’s focus on forest stewardship. This position is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of applied science, collaboration, and project communication, and is excited to help accelerate science into action across diverse, fire-adapted landscapes. An entrepreneurial attitude will be essential for long term success.
The Forest Stewards Guild, a national organization of foresters and allied natural resource professionals, is dedicated to practicing and promoting responsible forestry as a means of sustaining the integrity of forest ecosystems and the people dependent upon them. We use innovative, science-based solutions to meet the challenges of forest conservation and management. The Guild has over 700 members in the United States and Canada. The Guild maintains regional offices in New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, North 2 Carolina, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Wisconsin. The Southwest office has a history of working alongside place-based communities and Tribes for 30 years, including some longstanding programs related to youth education and workforce development, fire adapted communities, and collaborative forestry.
The successful candidate will have an advanced degree in forestry, fire ecology, natural resource management, social science, science communication, or five years equivalent experience of professional work leading collaborative knowledge sharing efforts. This individual will have excellent organizational, communication, and written skills, and a desire to support ecological forestry and forest dependent communities in the Southwest. The Guild has been expanding in the Southwest, and the ideal candidate will possess the desire and leadership skills to sustain and strengthen the Guild’s regional presence and impact. Previous experience understanding forest resilience and collaboration with diverse partners in the Southwest, coupled with project management experience, is highly desirable. The SW Forest and Fire Science Manager will work closely with directors and staff based out of the Santa Fe, NM office.
The successful individual will:
Lead Multiparty Monitoring for the 2-3-2 Partnership and Rio Chama CFLRP
Build and maintain relationships with land managers, academic researchers, community members, and other forest and watershed practitioners interested in shared learning.
Facilitate the 2-3-2 Monitoring Committee through regular meetings, and convene an annual Monitoring Workshop with 2-3-2 Partners to review data outcomes and support adaptive management.
Co-lead, in partnership with Guild Manager and Partners, the revision and publication of the second edition of the 2-3-2 Multiparty Monitoring Plan.
Coordinate Rio Chama CFLRP monitoring, including socioeconomic and ecological data collection, analysis, and science communication.
Oversee agreements, including deliverable tracking and invoice processing, with partner organizations supporting Guild monitoring efforts.
Collaborate with US Forest Service and Partner organizations to maintain transparent, reliable, and up-to-date data management systems and prepare annual monitoring reports.
Align monitoring analysis with the ASAP Project and other regional priorities.
Lead the Accelerating Science to Action Partnerships in the 2-3-2 Partnership landscape
Oversee project administration including budget, match, contractor agreements, and biannual reports.
Coordinate project operations, partnerships, and timelines to ensure deliverables are met.
Integrate existing modeling tools and climate-fire-ecosystem science into partner decision-making.
Support vulnerability assessments, scenario planning, Indigenous knowledge integration, and meaningful partner engagement.
Develop communication products to make complex data and findings accessible to land managers and community leaders.
Present on project outcomes, challenges, and findings at public meetings, academic conferences, and during monthly JFSP coordination calls.
Identify and pursue additional funding opportunities to extend the longevity and impact of the project.
Support Forest Stewards Guild work in the region
Summarize, prepare, and write an annual Southwest Fire Season Overview in partnership with the Southwest Fire Science Consortium.
Conduct literature reviews, as requested, to support Guild fire resilience work.
Supervise assigned Guild staff working in the Southwest Region.
Independently manage own project workflow and collaborate with a team using software such as Asana and Microsoft Teams.
Coordinate with funders, partners, and collaborators; contribute to grant writing and reporting.
Maintain and grow partnerships for Southwest programs.
As needed and desired, support Guild prescribed fire operations.
Required Qualifications:
Advanced degree (Master’s preferred) in forestry, fire ecology, natural resource management, social science, science communication or related field.
Strong data interpretation skills with experience synthesizing complex scientific information for non-technical audiences
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially in communicating science to practitioners and community partners.
Experience in project management, including budget oversight and staff supervision.
Commitment to collaboration, inclusion, and respectfully and appropriately integrating Indigenous and community knowledge into collaborative processes
Project coordination experience working with multiple contracts and deliverables at one time.
Proficiency in tracking deliverables and report writing.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
Effective knowledge of common software applications.
Valid driver’s license.
Additional Desired Qualifications:
Experience working in the Southwest U.S. fire-adapted ecosystems and with collaborative conservation partnerships.
Experience in group facilitation, planning and leading large meetings and field gatherings.
Experience working with federal, state, tribal, and NGO partners.
Familiarity with climate adaptation and scenario planning tools (e.g.,FireCLIME, LANDIS-II, FireBGC, and/or others).
Experience using partnerships to leverage resources and funding to accomplish cross boundary projects.
Certificate or professional experience with Geographic Information Systems, including database creation and maintenance, data analysis, and creation of online interactive maps.
To Apply:
Applicants should review the full position description on and email a one-page cover letter, resume, one page writing sample, three professional references, and earliest available start date to by 8AM on June 29th, 2026 to Cody Dems at cody@forestguild.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
