Senior Cultural Resources Project Manager

Position: Senior Cultural Resources Project Manager 1
GAI Consultants, Inc. is seeking an experienced Senior Cultural Resources Project Manager to lead and manage complex cultural resources impact assessments, permitting, and regulatory compliance efforts for projects in a variety of industries/sectors in the greater Southwest US region (Colorado, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas). Responsibilities span project lifecycle management-from siting/routing, California Environmental Quality Act/National Environmental Policy Act (CEQA/NEPA) compliance and documentation to agency/tribal coordination/consultation and construction support-while ensuring adherence to related regulatory requirements.

The position combines the need for technical cultural resources expertise in the Southwest with a passion for business development and the desire for leadership responsibilities. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of obtaining archaeological permits, managing field surveys, authoring and reviewing cultural resources assessments/plans, navigation of Section 106 compliance, Section 404 of Clean Water Act permitting, Native American consultation/coordination, and managing construction compliance monitoring for projects on time and within budget.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead cultural resource management strategy across the full project lifecycle for compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA): preliminary routing/siting, CEQA/NEPA analysis, and construction compliance.
• Serve as the primary client contact and agency liaison focused on advancing a project forward, including proactively engaging and negotiating regulatory compliance pathways under Section 106 of the NHPA, CEQA/NEPA, and agency-specific agreement documents/permits maintained with federal agencies (i.e., the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management [BLM].)
• Prepare, submit, and track archaeological investigations; records reviews, archival research, ethnographic research; manage field surveys testing, and data recoveries/mitigations as well as the associated technical report writing; and conducted agency and Tribal consultations and related to these efforts.
• Experienced with documenting large-scale inventories for multi-year projects, and leading related agency and Tribal coordination associated with local, state and federal regulations.
• Leverage comprehensive understanding of CEQA and NEPA as related to cultural resources and related fields, and Section 106 of the NHPA to identify potential project risks and negotiate complex mitigation strategies with agencies and stakeholders.
• Manage GAI technical personnel and field teams (including subconsultants) related to cultural resources tasks, and the associated budgets, schedules, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control processes to ensure timely and cost-effective project delivery.
• Drive business development: identify opportunities, proposal strategy and writing, participate in interviews, and support account growth across various markets.
• Mentor and train junior and mid-level cultural resources staff.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• Master's or doctorate degree in Archaeology, Anthropology or a closely related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years' experience in cultural resources studies with proven expertise with environmental impacts analysis, siting/routing studies, CEQA/ NEPA documentation, and agency (BLM, US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, etc.)/ Tribal coordination.
• Strong project management skills with a successful track record of overseeing and delivering multiple complex cultural resource projects in various phases of development and geographic locations on time and on budget using both in-house and subconsultant staff.
• Excellent writing skills are required with proven ability to author, manage and review technical reports supporting federal, state, and local regulatory compliance documentation.
• Advanced understanding of multi-discipline characteristics within the cultural resource profession (such as history, archaeology, historic architecture, ethnography, and archives).
• Extensive knowledge and expertise in federal and state cultural resource laws and regulations, including the NHPA and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, CEQA and NEPA.
• Extensive project experience, regulatory knowledge and understanding of archaeological issues and methodologies in the Southwestern US (Colorado, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas).
• Proven success in business development resulting in sales generation and new client relationships within an environmental consulting setting.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills; ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams both in office and remotely by leveraging interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, attention to detail, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of programs (MS Word, Excel,…