Wildland Fire Risk Scientist

Innovate!, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401K with match

Life Insurance

PTO

Job summary

Innovate! Inc.

seeks a Wildland Fire Risk Scientist to provide advanced scientific and geospatial research support focused on wildfire exposure and risk to buildings, the wildland-urban interface (WUI), and other valued assets. The role will apply remote sensing, GIS, geospatial processing, scripting, statistical analysis, simulation modeling, machine learning, and science communication to support national-scale wildfire risk assessment and mitigation research.

Qualifications

• PhD, advanced degree, or equivalent experience in ecology, landscape ecology, forestry, fire science, or related field.
• Minimum 3–5 years of related work in fire ecology.
• Advanced understanding of fuel types and wildland fire behavior.
• Experience with GIS software and image processing.
• Proficiency in Python and R for analyses and modeling.

Responsibilities

• Advance wildfire exposure and risk research for buildings and WUI at national scales.
• Develop models using simulation, deep learning, and machine learning for exposure and damage.
• Lead journal publications in wildfire risk research.
• Build and maintain datasets on annual building losses due to wildfires.
• Create prototypes and identify data sources for critical assets impacted by wildfires.
• Develop, update, and analyze global and national Wildland Urban Interface datasets.

Skills

Fire ecology

Python & R

GIS analysis

Technical writing

Collaboration

Machine learning

Education

PhD or equivalent experience

Tools

ERDAS

ArcGIS/ArcGIS Pro

QGIS

Job description

Wildland Fire Risk Scientist

Location: Remote

Position: Wildland Fire Risk Scientist Reports To: FLSA: Exempt Location: Remote, Posted: 9/21/26

Embrace the opportunity to join Innovate! Inc. and become a valued member of our team. We are seeking a driven individual who is passionate about leveraging technology to tackle environmental challenges and drive positive change. If you thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and are eager to contribute your skills and expertise to innovative projects, we invite you to explore this exciting opportunity further. Read on to learn more about how you can be part of our dynamic team.

Innovate is looking for a Wildland Fire Risk Scientist to provide advanced scientific and geospatial research support focused on understanding wildfire exposure and risk to buildings, the wildland-urban interface (WUI), and other valued assets. The role will apply remote sensing, GIS, geospatial processing, scripting, statistical analysis, simulation modeling, machine learning, and science communication to support national-scale wildfire risk assessment and mitigation research.

Location: Candidate can work remotely

Salary range: $90,000-$97,000 annually

Position status: Full Time; with benefits

Benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K with match, Life Insurance, and PTO

Minimum qualifications:

Applicants must have maintained residency in the United States for at least three years and must be able to successfully complete and maintain a National Agency Check and background investigation after hire to obtain required facility access credentials and user accounts.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Advance research in wildfire exposure and risk to buildings, the wildland-urban interface (WUI), and other valued assets to inform wildfire risk assessments and risk mitigation strategies.
• Advance methods to predict wildfire exposure and damage to buildings at national or larger scales using simulation models, deep learning, and machine learning.
• Lead the development and publication of journal articles related to wildfire risk research.
• Develop, maintain, and expand datasets that quantify annual building losses caused by wildfires.
• Develop prototypes and identify data sources for non-building valued assets, including communications, energy, hydrological, and transportation infrastructure impacted by wildfires.
• Develop, update, and analyze global- and national-scale Wildland Urban Interface datasets using building footprints, Census Bureau data, land cover, and fire occurrence data.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• PhD, advanced degree, or equivalent experience in ecology, landscape ecology, forestry, fire science, conservation science, or another relevant field, especially with study of how ecological systems function naturally and after disturbance.
• Minimum 3-5 years of recent and related work experience in fire ecology, including knowledge of plant community dynamics across the landscape.
• Advanced understanding of ground, surface, and canopy fuel types and characteristics and their effects on wildland fire behavior in conjunction with environmental factors.
• Experience with image processing and GIS software such as ERDAS, ArcGIS, ArcGIS Pro, or QGIS.
• Familiarity with raster and vector data processing, spatial analysis, and validation.
• Experience using Python and R, and potentially AI-supported development environments, to develop models, data analyses, and visualizations.
• Experience working with shared code repositories.
• Ability to serve as both lead author and co-author in planning and completing manuscripts for high-impact scientific journals.
• Strong interpersonal communication, technical writing, editing, and presentation skills, with advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office tools for reporting and process documentation.
• Ability to work collaboratively to shape, manage, and execute projects that apply geospatial data and systems to solve complex geospatial problems.

ADDITIONAL PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Ability to contribute to the definition, direction, and implementation of the Wildland Fuels Program at EROS.
• Ability to self-teach in areas of weakness using available on-the-job training resources.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

Innovate! Inc. is a certified woman-owned consulting firm founded in 2002 by Lily Thomas. We provide innovative solutions to management, technology, and program challenges, with a focus on performance, integrity, and building lasting partnerships with our clients. Our team of over 100 experts includes IT and geospatial specialists, program and project management consultants, environmental scientists, and communications and outreach strategists. Our clients include federal, state, tribal, and local governments, private industry, non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and utilities. Recent awards we received for excellent service include the 2022 SAG Team Award and 2022 Esri Partner Conference High Potential Award.

Innovate is a fast-paced, rapidly growing group of entrepreneurs creating a culture of excellence. Rapid advancement within our organization is not only possible but also encouraged. To view our website, visit innovateteam.com .

Innovate is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, marital status, physical or mental disability, status as a Disabled Veteran, Recently Separated Veteran, Active Duty Wartime or Campaign Badge Veteran, Armed Forces Services Medal, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or cannot access or use this online application process and need an alternative method for applying, please contact us at [e-mail] .

• Official Communication: All job offers and communication regarding them will arrive from email addresses ending in @innovateteam.com.
• Secure Information: We prioritize your data safety. We never request bank information via email or text. Instead, we follow a secure process through our dedicated payroll system.

Openings at Innovate!, Inc

Hiring Transparency:

• Official Communication: All job offers and communication regarding them will arrive from email addresses ending in @innovateteam.com.
• Secure Information: We prioritize your data safety. We never request bank information via email or text. Instead, we follow a secure process through our dedicated payroll system.

Remember: If your communication differs from this process, it's not from Innovate.