Manager, Restoration Ecology & Forest Resilience

Job Title

Manager, Restoration Ecology & Forest Resilience

Northern Arizona University (NAU)

• This position is an on‑site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility, with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.
• This position is subject to the availability of funding. The incumbent is not eligible for Service Professional non‑renewal notice, or Classified Staff layoff or recall status.
• This position is posted as Manager, Restoration Ecology & Forest Resilience, which is a working title. The NAU system title for this position is Manager, Research Project.
• Driving a vehicle on behalf of the university is anticipated to be a regular part of this position. Arizona Administrative Code Fleet Safety Policy requires all employees who drive on university business to be authorized by submitting Driver's license information for driving record monitoring and completing training appropriate to the level of driving performed. The law applies to all faculty, staff, and students who drive personal or university‑owned motorized vehicles for any business purpose.
  
  More information on the NAU Authorized Driver Policy can be found on the NAU website.

The Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) Restoration Ecology & Forest Resilience Program Manager leads the day‑to‑day management, coordination, and delivery of ERI's Restoration Ecology & Forest Resilience portfolio in support of ERI and SWERI goals. The position applies subject‑matter expertise in restoration ecology, forest and fire ecology, and wildfire risk reduction to advance proactive, landscape‑scale restoration, fuels management, and conservation in frequent‑fire forests and woodlands of the Intermountain West.

The Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) Restoration Ecology & Forest Resilience Program Manager leads the day‑to‑day management, coordination, and delivery of ERI's Restoration Ecology & Forest Resilience portfolio in support of ERI and SWERI goals. The position oversees a portfolio of externally funded projects and associated staff that design and implement field‑based studies, evaluate restoration treatments and fuels management strategies, and develop science‑based decision support for managers and decision‑makers.

Work integrates field, inventory, and monitoring data with modeling and analytical approaches (e.g., wildfire behavior, fuels, and landscape or vegetation dynamics models) to inform treatment planning, adaptive management, and long‑term resilience strategies.

Responsibilities include maintaining program work plans, timelines, and budgets; supervising and mentoring professional staff and students; monitoring progress and compliance requirements; and supporting reporting and deliverables across multiple grants and agreements. The Program Manager collaborates closely with ERI program leadership and external partners and represents ERI as a subject‑matter expert in collaborative forums, while supporting program growth through synthesis, identification of emerging needs, and development of new initiatives aligned with ERI and SWERI priorities.

• 35 % Program Management and Strategic Planning
  :
  Lead planning, implementation, and evaluation of ERI's Forest Health & Resilience Program in alignment with ERI and SWERI priorities. Develop and manage multi‑year projects and work plans focused on forest stand and landscape conditions, fuels and treatment needs, restoration prescriptions, and wildfire mitigation strategies. Coordinate project scopes, timelines, deliverables, and staffing across multiple grants and agreements related to forest health, fuels, and pre‑disturbance resilience.
  
  Track progress toward milestones and adjust plans to meet deadlines and partner needs. Work with ERI leadership and other program managers to identify emerging needs in forest restoration, hazardous fuels management, and disturbance mitigation, and translate them into projects and externally‑funded proposals. Contribute to development and refinement of program‑level metrics to evaluate the impact of ERI's proactive forest health and resilience work.
  
  (Essential)
• 35 % Research, Analysis, and Technical Leadership
  :
  Provide subject‑matter expertise in forest and fire ecology, ecological restoration, hazardous fuels management, and/or ecological resilience in frequent fire forests and woodlands of the Intermountain West. Lead or co‑lead design and implementation of field‑based studies and monitoring that characterize forest structure, species composition, fuels, and treatment effects at stand and lands.