Director, Wildland Fire Environment Innovations Program (Part Time) (Remote)

University of Arizona; Arizona; Remote; USD 87,000 - 113,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

Tuition reduction for employee and qff

Paid vacation, sick leave, holidays

Job summary

University of Arizona seeks a Director for the Wildland Fire Environment Innovations Program (WFEIP). This senior leader will guide applied research, training, and external collaborations focused on fire weather, climate, fuels, and data to support wildland fire management.

The role emphasizes strategic partnerships, tool development, and knowledge transfer with federal, state, and tribal agencies, with remote work option within Arizona. Part-time (20 hrs/wk) in a dynamic academic environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Responsibilities

• Initiate and sustain strategic collaborations with external wildland fire agencies and sponsors.
• Identify operational priorities and capability gaps in fire weather, climate, fuels, and environmental data.
• Coordinate multi-institutional activities with partners to enhance proposal competitiveness.
• Establish long-term partnership goals and outreach plans with sponsor leadership.
• Translate operational fire management needs into interdisciplinary research questions.
• Lead development and testing of decision-support tools and environmental models.
• Co-author sponsor-delivered reports and publications.
• Design training materials for operational wildland fire managers.
• Deliver technical workshops and support tool adoption.
• Represent the program to federal agencies and interagency groups.

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

BS in science + 20+ years experience

Job description

Director, Wildland Fire Environment Innovations Program (Part Time) (Remote)

Director, Wildland Fire Environment Innovations Program (Part Time) (Remote)

Posting Number req27333

Department Environmental Science-Res

Department Website Link https://envs.arizona.edu/

Location To Be Determined

Address AZ USA

Position Highlights This Director of the Wildland Fire Environment Innovations Program (WFEIP) will lead a collaborative, applied research and outreach effort focused on improving the use of fire weather, climate, fuels, and environmental information in wildland fire management. The Director will build partnerships with fire practitioners, researchers, trainers, and tool developers to identify operational needs, evaluate and improve decision-support tools and training, and translate practitioner experience into research priorities and innovation.

Remote Work Available Within Arizona.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please .

Duties & Responsibilities

External Partner Engagement & Strategic Research Capacity Building:

• Initiate, facilitate, and sustain strategic collaborations with external wildland fire agencies and federal sponsors, including the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), state fire organizations, and regional management teams.
• Identify operational priorities and capability gaps in fire weather, climate, fuels, and environmental information to align university research capacity with federal and regional land management needs.
• Coordinate multi-institutional activities across external partners to maximize program relevance, enhance proposal competitiveness for extramural funding, and prevent duplication of research effort.
• Exercise independent judgment and considerable operational latitude in establishing long-term partnership goals, strategic outreach plans, and collaborative frameworks with sponsor leadership.

Applied Interdisciplinary Research & Tool Development:

• Translate deep operational fire management expertise into novel, interdisciplinary research questions, bridging the gap between academic atmospheric/environmental science and operational wildland fire decision-making.
• Lead and co-lead the conceptualization, testing, and iteration of experimental, science-based decision-support tools, datasets, and environmental models tailored for wildland fire managers.
• Actively contribute to scholarly and practical outputs, including co-authoring peer-reviewed journal publications, technical reports, white papers, and sponsor deliverables.
• Evaluate complex, non-precedented environmental challenges in wildland fire management using innovative methods and domain expertise.

Applied Training & Technology Transfer:

• Design, author, and deliver specialized training materials and instructional modules for operational wildland fire managers focused on WFEIP experimental tools and datasets.
• Conduct technical workshops, technology transfer sessions, and consultation services to facilitate practitioner adoption of emerging science-based tools.
• Synthesize user feedback from fire practitioners during training activities to inform continuous tool refinement and guide future university research initiatives.

Stakeholder Representation & Program Leadership:

• Represent WFEIP and the University externally to federal decision-makers, agency leadership, fire managers, and interagency research committees.
• Serve as an internal operational subject matter expert and liaison to faculty, research groups, and campus units whose work intersects with wildland fire management and environmental science.
• Promote program visibility and research impact at national professional conferences, sponsor reviews, and interagency briefings.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated expertise in applied meteorology and climatology, considered a recognized regional or national subject matter expert (SME).
• Demonstrated knowledge of the inter-agency operational environment of US wildland fire management, including the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Coordination System (NCS).
• Demonstrated experience developing and delivering training materials for US wildland fire managers. (NWCG 400-level (national) or higher level, especially with fire environment.
• Demonstrated ability to build, support, & adapt science-based tools for wildland fire management.
• Knowledge of how interagency fire environment science, developed applications, related training & standards, and field practitioner use & experience have historically been interrelated.
• Demonstrated skill of collaborative research.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor of science degree AND a minimum of 20 years of experience working directly with wildland fire managers on delivery of science-based tools and information.

FLSA

Exempt

Full Time/Part Time

Part Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week

20

Job FTE

.50

Work Calendar

Fiscal

Job Category

Research

Benefits Eligible

Yes - Full Benefits

Rate of Pay

$86,870 - $112,932

Compensation Type

salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Grade

11

Compensation Guidance

The Rate of Pay Field represents the University of Arizona’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. The University considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity.
The Grade Range represent a full range of career compensation growth over time. The university offers compensation growth opportunities within its career architecture. To learn more about compensation, please review our Applicant Compensation Guide and our Total Rewards Calculator .

Career Stream and Level

PC4

Job Family

Research Development

Job Function

Research

Type of criminal background check required:

Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies

1

Contact Information for Candidates

Mike Crimmins:
[e-mail]
Dan Ferguson:
[e-mail]

Open Date

10/12/2026

Open Until Filled

Yes

Documents Needed to Apply

Resume and Cover Letter

Notice of Availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act), each year the University of Arizona releases an Annual Security Report (ASR) for each of the University’s campuses.Thesereports disclose information including Clery crime statistics for the previous three calendar years and policies, procedures, and programs the University uses to keep students and employees safe, including how to report crimes or other emergencies and resources for crime victims. As a campus with residential housing facilities, the Main Campus ASR also includes a combined Annual Fire Safety report with information on fire statistics and fire safety systems, policies, and procedures.
Paper copies of the Reports can be obtained by contacting the University Compliance Office at [e-mail].