Southwest Prescribed Fire Manager

The Southwest Prescribed Fire Manager provides fire management leadership in Arizona and New Mexico by directly implementing priority prescribed fire, coordinating and enabling Conservancy fire capacity across programs and Business Units, and focusing prescribed and beneficial fire where it can most effectively advance dry forest restoration objectives. While dry forest landscapes represent a primary area of emphasis, the role also supports prescribed fire in other fire adapted ecosystems where The Nature Conservancy has a defined role, responsibility, or partnership.

This position is jointly supported by the Arizona and New Mexico Business Units and is designed to deliver high impact operational fire leadership while strengthening cooperative burning, workforce capacity, and cross-boundary implementation in support of priority restoration needs. The position works closely with Arizona and New Mexico forest management, forest leadership, and Stewardship Programs, as well as North America Fire, to ensure prescribed fire planning, implementation, and staffing are coordinated, strategically aligned, and focused on priority outcomes. The Fire Manager also coordinates with other TNC Business Unit Fire Managers to share best practices, align standards, and contribute to a cohesive and resilient fire management community within the Conservancy.

The position indirectly supervises the New Mexico Prescribed Fire Specialist and may supervise, advise, or mentor additional fire staff as programs and capacity are developed. The Fire Manager works closely with each Business Unit’s forest management, forest leadership, and Stewardship Programs to align prescribed fire programming with forest stewardship priorities, place-based management needs, conservation planning, and long-term landscape objectives.

A core component of this role is building and sustaining strong partnerships with public agencies, Tribal governments, NGOs, local fire departments, and private landowners to advance durable prescribed fire outcomes. The Fire Manager supports collaborative, codeveloped fire implementation approaches, including engagement with Tribal natural resource and fire programs, and works to respectfully support cultural burning and Indigenous fire stewardship practices where invited and appropriate. All such engagement is grounded in respect for Tribal sovereignty, local leadership, and place-based knowledge systems, with an emphasis on building trust and shared implementation capacity over time.

The Southwest Prescribed Fire Manager leads by doing, serving in operational fire leadership roles and directly implementing prescribed fire across priority dry forest and other fire adapted landscapes in Arizona and New Mexico to maintain qualifications, model best practices, and advance conservation outcomes. The position provides fire management leadership for the Arizona and New Mexico Business Units, overseeing prescribed fire, wildfire response support, fire training, and fire personnel qualifications in accordance with The Nature Conservancy’s Fire Management Manual.

In this role, the Fire Manager reviews and approves fire management plans, prescribed burn plans, and contractor qualifications, mentors and designates Burn Bosses, and provides Ignition Authorizations for Conservancy prescribed burns. As a qualified Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2), the Fire Manager plans, directs, and implements prescribed fire operations, including serving as Burn Boss when needed to meet program objectives and maintain qualifications. Fire operations may involve staff, partners, interns, and volunteers operating across a wide and varied geographic area, consistent with Conservancy and interagency standards.

The Fire Manager provides strategic advisement on the use, timing, scale, and location of prescribed and beneficial fire, integrating applied fire science, fire behavior and effects, landscape context, and conservation objectives to achieve ecological resilience and forest stewardship outcomes. The role participates as a key member of planning and leadership teams for Arizona and New Mexico programs, ensuring prescribed fire implementation is aligned with forest management priorities, conservation planning, and long-term landscape strategies.

The role facilitates Incident Command coordination for wildfire incidents in which The Nature Conservancy has an operational, ownership, or partnership role, working with Stewardship staff, responding agencies, and partners to support clear communication, defined roles, and alignment with safety, operational, and conservation objectives.

The Fire Manager provides strategic leadership for prescribed fire prioritization, working with Arizona and New Mexico leadership to identify priority landscapes, focal geographies, and implementation opportunities where prescribed and beneficial fire can deliver the greatest ecological, social, and organizational benefit. This strategic direction guides operational focus, partner engagement, and deployment of limited fire management capacity to achieve durable, landscape scale outcomes.

To advance this work, the Fire Manager builds and sustains partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, Tribal governments, and other key fire management agencies and collaborative efforts including the Fire Learning Network (FLN) within TNC priority landscapes and implementation areas, ensuring prescribed fire activities are well coordinated, strategically aligned, and integrated into interagency planning and implementation. This includes supporting cooperative burning models, cross-boundary implementation, shared training efforts, and partner-led fire capacity. In collaboration with partners, the Fire Manager respectfully supports Tribal fire programs and Indigenous fire stewardship, including cultural burning practices where invited and appropriate, grounded in respect for Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous knowledge systems, and locally defined objectives.

The Fire Manager ensures compliance with Conservancy fire management requirements, keeps senior leadership informed of program activities, risks, needs, and accomplishments, and may modify or exempt specific fire management guidelines with written justification, as defined in the Fire Management Manual. In accordance with Conservancy Standard Operating Procedures, the Fire Manager coordinates and approves TNC staff training, certification, and participation in prescribed fire activities, including staff working across multiple Business Units and functions. The role ensures that fire qualifications and experience records are accurately maintained in the Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) and that all training, participation, and operational engagement meet Conservancy standards, interagency requirements, and expectations for safety and professionalism.

The position oversees internal fire program reviews and designs and implements fire safety standards for Arizona and New Mexico programs that meet or exceed organizational requirements, and may suspend fire management operations if safety violations, unacceptable risk, or noncompliance are identified. As part of ongoing professional development, the Fire Manager stays current with developments in wildland fire management, prescribed fire science, conservation practice, and Indigenous fire stewardship, and supports training and capacity building efforts with partners as appropriate.

Attendance at a Conservancy Fire Manager’s Workshop is strongly recommended.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE:

• Balances direct prescribed fire implementation, strategic coordination and partnership development, and training and program management responsibilities, adjusting emphasis seasonally to meet operational demands while maintaining steady progress toward priority restoration and risk‑reduction objectives.

• Serves in operational fire leadership roles (including Burn Boss) on prescribed fire projects, as needed to support program implementation, workforce development, partner coordination, and maintenance of required fire qualifications.

• Oversees and supports professional fire staff across Arizona and New Mexico, including responsibility for training, mentorship, qualification advancement, and workforce development planning. This role may not directly supervise all fire staff but provides performance feedback to supervisors and contributes to professional development and succession planning.

• Directly supervises designated fire staff as prescribed fire programs and capacity expand in either state.

• Leads or monitors work groups consisting of staff, interns, volunteers, and partners operating across a wide and varied geographic area, including cross‑boundary and multi‑partner prescribed fire efforts.

• Supports Stewardship Programs and other place‑based staff by coordinating and authorizing qualifying fire training participation where required for TNC‑supported activities, ensuring certification maintenance and readiness consistent with Conservancy and interagency standards.

• Reviews and provides technical guidance or approval, as appropriate, on fuel management and prescribed fire plans associated with TNC‑managed, co‑managed, or partner‑implemented projects, including plans developed through contracted support.

• Supports annual wildfire readiness coordination with Stewardship Programs and other internal teams as it relates to Conservancy priorities, lands, and partnerships, participating in readiness discussions, planning, and learning while operational readiness management remains with place‑based staff.

• Ensures accurate tracking and reporting of fire program activities, including annual maintenance and submission of fire personnel qualification records in IQCS, required reporting to the National Training Office, and internal TNC, grant, and partner reporting, meeting all financial and narrative timelines.

• Provides financial oversight for fire management activities, including budget coordination, contracting support, and alignment of expenditures with program priorities and organizational requirements.

• Works closely with Arizona and New Mexico forest management and forest leadership teams to align prescribed fire implementation with land stewardship priorities, conservation planning, and landscape‑scale objectives.

• Coordinates regularly with other Business Unit Fire Managers to support alignment, shared standards, knowledge exchange, problem‑solving, and professional peer support across TNC fire programs.

• Applies conservation planning and landscape prioritization insights to prescribed fire programs by connecting ecological objectives, forest management goals, and sequencing decisions to fire planning and implementation.

• Builds and sustains strong external partnerships and negotiates complex agreements with the U.S. Forest Service, other public land management agencies, Tribal governments, NGOs, and private landowners to advance cooperative burning, cross‑boundary implementation, and shared capacity for beneficial fire.

• Participates in state prescribed fire councils or other policy-relevant efforts that strengthen enabling conditions for beneficial fire, including certification programs, training pathways and liability provisions.

• Serves as a primary point of contact for The Nature Conservancy on prescribed and wildland fire‑related matters in Arizona and New Mexico, as appropriate to TNC’s role and partnerships.

• Represents The Nature Conservancy in interagency and partner coordination forums related to fire management, forest stewardship, and conservation implementation, as appropriate.

• Makes independent decisions based on professional analysis, experience, and judgment, particularly in situations involving fire operations, safety considerations, partner coordination, and programmatic or risk‑management trade‑offs.

• Works in physically demanding and operational environments, including variable weather, remote locations, difficult terrain, and hazardous conditions associated with prescribed fire preparation, implementation, training, and wildfire response support.

In all cases, the Fire Manager advances prescribed and beneficial fire as it relates to The Nature Conservancy’s role, authorities, and partnerships, without assuming responsibility beyond defined agreements or organizational scope.

• Bachelor’s degree and at least four years of experience in fire management, natural resource management, or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Must meet National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) qualifications for Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2), including required coursework and experience, or be able to achieve this qualification within the first 12 months of hire, consistent with the TNC Fire Management Manual.

• Experience developing and applying strategic thinking to fire management, conservation priorities, or natural resource programs.

• Experience reviewing prescribed burn unit plans and site fire management plans, including evaluation of readiness, risk, objectives, and compliance with organizational and interagency standards.

• Experience supporting fire training, qualification pathways, and professional development, including curriculum development or instructional support.

• Experience engaging in or supporting conservation planning and landscape prioritization, and applying those insights to fire program planning, implementation strategies, or partnership development.

• Experience working collaboratively with partners, including public land management agencies, Tribes, private landowners, and NGOs, to advance shared land stewardship or conservation objectives.

• Supervisory or leadership experience, including responsibility for training, mentoring, evaluation, or oversight of staff or work groups.

• Demonstrated ability to lead effectively in high‑stress or operational environments, exercising sound judgment, situational awareness, and calm decision‑making.

• Experience using standard business applicati