Consulting Director, Cultural Heritage

ERM; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 158,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

ERM is seeking a Consulting Director, Cultural Heritage to lead our North America practice within the MAP region. Based in the MAP region, with a focus on Great Basin, California, or Four Corners, you will guide cultural heritage initiatives for major energy and infrastructure projects, while advancing best practices across ERM's North America Cultural Heritage team.

In this leadership role, you will develop client relationships, manage complex NHPA and NEPA compliance projects, and mentor

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Anthropology or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Meet the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Standards for Archaeology for NHPA/NEPA tasks.
• Member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA).
• 8+ years of related experience; 15+ years preferred.
• Strong familiarity with state and federal regulatory processes with a BLM focus.
• Proven technical report writing on Phase I–III projects and associated documentation.
• Ability to lead complex cultural heritage and compliance projects for major capital programs.

Responsibilities

• Program management and leadership for energy-sector clients in the MAP region.
• Oversee literature reviews, fieldwork, and archaeological investigations.
• Ensure technical content and deliverable quality across projects.
• Interact with regulators and collaborate with project teams on regional data.
• Support growth of ERM's archaeology and cultural heritage business.

Skills

Program management

Team leadership

Client relationship building

Technical reporting

Regulatory liaison

Education

Master's degree or higher in Anthropology

Tools

NHPA/NEPA compliance

SHPO/THPO coordination

Job description

Lead the Future of Cultural Heritage Consulting Across North America

ERM is seeking a Consulting Director, Cultural Heritage to serve as a regional leader within our Impact Assessment and Planning (IAP) Practice, supporting projects throughout ERM’s Mountain and Pacific (MAP) region while helping advance best practices across North America.

Based in the MAP region, with a focus on the Great Basin, California, or Four Corners Region, you will play a pivotal role in leading cultural heritage initiatives for key clients while advancing best practices across ERM's North America Cultural Heritage team.

Why This Role Matters

Cultural heritage considerations are increasingly critical to the successful development of energy, infrastructure, and capital projects. As a Consulting Director, you will play a pivotal role in helping clients navigate complex regulatory requirements while protecting cultural resources and advancing responsible development.

In this leadership position, you will guide high-profile projects, build trusted client relationships, contribute to business growth, and strengthen ERM's Cultural Heritage practice nationally. Your expertise will directly influence project outcomes, regulatory compliance, and the long-term success of clients operating across the Gulf region and beyond.

What Your Impact Is

Serve as a regional leader for ERM's North America Cultural Heritage team, sharing best practices and advancing technical excellence.

Provide program management and leadership support for key energy-sector clients throughout the MAP region.

Lead complex Cultural Heritage, NHPA, and NEPA compliance projects for major capital development initiatives.

Drive the growth of ERM's archaeology and cultural heritage services through technical leadership and business development.

Mentor, inspire, and develop multidisciplinary teams while fostering collaboration across ERM practices.

Strengthen and expand client relationships, contributing to significant revenue growth and market presence.

Represent ERM with clients, regulatory agencies, industry stakeholders, and professional organizations.

What You'll Bring

• Required Master's degree or higher in Anthropology or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Standards for Archaeology to perform duties for NHPA Section 106 and NEPA compliance, pertaining especially to undertakings by multiple Federal agencies.
• Member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA).
• 8+ years (15+ years preferred) of related experience.
• Familiarity with state and federal regulatory processes with a strong BLM focus.
• Technical expertise and practical experience with environmental permitting for large-scale capital projects.
• Required familiarity with the NHPA and NEPA.
• Competency advising on SHPOs, THPOs, BLM, FERC, USACE, and other agency involvement.
• Excellent technical report writing skills and demonstrated authorship for Phase I, II, and III projects, including treatment plans, MOU/MOAs, resource reports, and related documentation.
• Ability to advise on artifact analysis and archaeological site NRHP recommendations, including identification of the need for additional studies.
• Demonstrated ability to carry research through to completion.
• Strong attention to detail in documentation and technical deliverables.
• Excellent communication and computer skills.
• Demonstrated business development abilities and the ability to maintain long-term client relationships.
• Ability to manage and work effectively both independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Well-developed team-building and influencing skills, unquestioned integrity, and the experience, confidence, and stature to effectively address client and business challenges.
• Positive outlook, collaborative approach, and commitment to the success of ERM as a global company.
• Flexibility and responsiveness in a dynamic consulting environment where project needs and schedules may evolve.

Driver's License Required

This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area.

Preferred

• Solid grasp of key impact assessment and management issues within the Power/Renewables sector.
• Experience interacting with regulatory agency personnel.
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary consulting teams and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proven track record of expanding client relationships and growing market share within cultural heritage and archaeology consulting.
• Experience collaborating across multiple technical disciplines and geographic regions.

Key Responsibilities

• Program management and leadership in support of key energy-sector clients in the MAP region.
• Conduct research and writing for cultural heritage resource components of NHPA Section 106 and NEPA documents for private-sector projects.
• Oversee teams conducting literature reviews, field reconnaissance, field surveys, and archaeological excavations.
• Be responsible for the technical content and quality of project deliverables.
• Interact with state and federal regulators and collaborate with project teams to analyze information using regional databases.
• Provide technical consulting expertise to support the growth of ERM's archaeology and cultural heritage business.
• Collaborate with other ERM practice areas to share multidisciplinary resources and best practices across the country.
• Represent ERM through communications and meetings with state, federal, and local agencies.
• Communicate regularly with clients through meetings, email, and conference calls.
• Oversee and manage subcontractors.
• Assist with proposal preparation and development to meet client needs.
• Manage multiple projects within scope, budget, and schedule expectations.
• Lead, hire, retain, mentor, inspire, and manage the performance of team members.
• Capitalize on existing ERM client relationships to expand ERM's profile and market share in the IAP Cultural Heritage market through technical excellence and business development.
• Partner with ERM colleagues to deepen existing client relationships and develop new client relationships that drive significant net revenue growth.

Salary and Benefits

For the Consulting Director, Cultural Heritage position, the anticipated annual base pay is $158,000-$197,100 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible).

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off (vacation, sick, and floating holidays), parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k), and other applicable benefits to eligible employees.

Who We Are

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world‑class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our "boots to boardroom" approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.