Company Description

The Ember Alliance is a national organization of wildland fire practitioners, researchers, analysts, and instructors dedicated to increasing the pace and scale of prescribed fire. The mission of The Ember Alliance is to restore the relationship between communities and fire on the landscape.

The Resilient Communities and Ecosystems Department (RCE) advances fire-adapted communities in collaboration with community members, nonprofit partners, fire protection districts, counties, and other government agencies by (1) leading community wildfire planning efforts, (2) collaboratively enabling wildfire risk mitigation from the local to state level, (3) providing technical assistance and applied research to support fire and forest management, and (4) leading research to answer critical wildfire mitigation implementation questions that inform and improve our Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) work. We are recognized as a leader in CWPP development and have earned a reputation for collaboratively developing holistic and actionable plans.

The Ember Alliance is a just and transparent workplace that strives for clear and kind communication. Our team is committed to centering fire practitioners from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, including those who have not worked in fire before. We are dedicated to a workplace that recognizes the inherent value of our employees, which supports work/life balance, and that supports growth.

Job Description

The Ember Alliance is hiring a permanent, full-time position in the Greater Fort Collins, Colorado area. The prospective employee can work from home but must be able to work from the office when required. The Project Manager position will provide integral project guidance and support to The Ember Alliance’s RCE team. This position focuses on CWPP development. The position is office-based but has a minimal field component including but not limited to performing field assessments across a multi-state region and facilitating in-person community and partner meetings. Candidates should have a passion for collaborative planning to prepare communities for wildfire.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage, support, and/or lead CWPP planning process and document generation and other similar projects, (with oversight from the Program Manager who supervises CWPP project managers within the RCE Department) to ensure that deliverables are met within the project budget and Scope of Work (SOW). This includes time management, budget management, task delegation, and completion of reports & invoices.
• Coordinate with other Ember Alliance personnel and external CWPP project partners and clients to ensure planning and personnel needs are met throughout a project.
• Maintain and report to the RCE Program Manager on project budgets to track progress, keep projects on budget, and coordinate with accounting team to invoice clients.
• Build and maintain relationships with clients, partners, and communities relevant to projects. This includes planning and facilitating partner meetings.
• Coordinate and facilitate CWPP Core Team meetings, partner meetings, and community meetings to meet project objectives and foster holistic and equitable cross-boundary wildfire planning.
• Provide subject matter expertise on CWPP and other related projects, including wildfire risk assessment, social vulnerability assessment, community engagement, project prioritization, recommendation development, postfire preplanning, and document generation/design as needed and available.
• Assist in the development of new CWPP project scopes, approaches, and budgets.
• Responsible for managing two-four projects simultaneously, depending on project complexity.
• Provide project management and planning support for other Ember Alliance projects as needed and available.
• Manage work assignments with minimal direction and supervision from respective RCE Program Manager.
• May be involved in project proposal and/or contracting phases.
• Demonstrate a strong work ethic, including a commitment to principles of Duty, Integrity and Respect.
• Part of this position requires travel and field time in support of CWPPs. May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances.

Breakdown of duties: 85-95% planning and project management, 5-15% travel and field time.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Relevant Experience

• At least six months - one year of basic project management experience.
• At least six months - one year of budget management experience. This includes monitoring project expenses to ensure the project stays within budget.
• Experience working with partners.

Education

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree OR demonstrated sufficiency through performance.

Technical Skills

• Budget management.
• Written and verbal communication skills.
• Competent in using Microsoft Suite products including Excel, Word, etc.
  

Desired Qualifications

• Passion for TEA’s ecological and social missions.
• Clear written and verbal communications skills.
• Strong partner management and meeting facilitation skills.
• Experience adhering to project budgets and timelines and delegating project work amongst a team, ability to problem solve and manage multiple projects.
• Experience in and aptitude for strategic decision-making.
• Willingness to learn and accept feedback from peers/supervisors.
• Effective knowledge of common software applications (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite).
• Master’s degree in natural resource management, forestry, fire ecology, or other related field OR Bachelor’s degree in natural resource management, forestry, fire ecology, or other related field and three years relevant experience.

What Makes You Stand Out

• Qualified Project Manager Certificate.
• Demonstrated commitment to collaboration and partnership building.
• Experience working with partner organizations to develop a CWPP.
• Strong knowledge of analysis, modeling, and planning using ArcGIS, R, or similar platforms.
• Background in wildfire or community planning.

If you think you are a good fit for the job and for The Ember Alliance, we encourage you to apply even if you are unsure that you meet every qualification.

Additional Information

Schedule Requirements

This is an at-will position. The average work week is 40 hours, but the schedule may vary depending on project needs.

Pay and Benefits

Salary: $30.00 per hour salary annualized as $62,400. The Ember Alliance uses an hourly wage for all employees. Overtime will be based on operational needs.

Benefits: The Ember Alliance is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for permanent-full-time employees which includes health and dental insurance coverage with an employer match of 80% for the employee only, an employer sponsored $50,000 life insurance policy, paid time off, paid holidays, bereavement leave, paid sick leave, long-term disability, and benefits coverage for up to two weeks of leave-with-out-pay per year. Additionally, full-time employees with three months of employment are entitled to participate in an immediately vested 401k tax-advantaged retirement savings plan with 4% employer match.

Work Location

Fort Collins, CO Office/work from home

The Ember Alliance is headquartered in Fort Collins, CO. Our team works nationally on planning projects.

Potential employee may work from home with supervisor approval but must be able to work from the office when required, minimally once every two weeks. Preferred location is the greater Fort Collins, CO area.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit a one-page cover letter, a writing sample, three professional references, and a resume. Only applications through SmartRecruiters will be considered. Review of applications will be on-going. Applications for this position will no longer be accepted after October 10, 2025. If the position is not filled from applications within this time frame, a new position opening will be posted. Please specify your earliest available start date.

Required: Must be 18 years of age or older, have a current and valid U.S. driver’s license, and be legally eligible to work in the U.S. Employees are required to complete a Background Check and Motor Vehicle Record Check prior to employment. Employees required to hold a company credit card may be subjected to a credit check. Failure to pass any of these checks does not automatically disqualify you from employment.