Associate Project Manager

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an Associate Project Manager – Cultural Resources to join our Southern California Cultural Resources team. The position will assist with managing cultural resources aspects of renewable energy, transmission, and other industrial projects in the Southern California/Pacific Island sub-region.

This position is a regular (with benefits), full-time, hourly/non-exempt position that will be based out of the Pasadena, CA office. Fieldwork and overnight travel are required. This position is hybrid-eligible from either office location. Highly qualified distributed (=remote) based candidates who are outside of Pasadena, CA may also be considered.

Application Deadline : Applications are due on November 9, 2026.

What you will accomplish

- In collaboration with others, leads and/or assists with a portfolio of successful projects from start to finish.

- Implements requirements of the SWCA Project Management, Quality, and Safety programs, fostering a culture of collaboration and dedication to project delivery, safety, quality, and clients.

- Develops and organizes project proposals, goals, scopes, plans, schedules, KPIs, invoices, and budgets.

- Manages and coordinates project teams and resources to ensure that quality standards are upheld and project milestones are met for regulatory compliance, scope, schedule, and budget.

- Demonstrates strong skills in project planning, internal communication, and human relations, ensuring effective collaboration within the team. Project plans should communicate status, schedules, task delegation, scope changes, budget allocation, and other project details (including goals, purpose, and/or reasoning).

- Monitors project progress continuously, assessing risks to project success, safety, quality, and performance standards and analyzing strategies for problem solving. When necessary, revises the scope, schedule, and/or budget to ensure that project requirements can be met.

- Establishes and maintains effective consultative relationships with clients, regulators, and other relevant external stakeholders, proactively communicating and reporting project status, updates, KPIs, issues, and risks.

- Follows applicable federal, Tribal, state, local, industry, contractual, and company regulations, standards, and specifications.

- Performs related work as assigned.

Additional Job-Specific Responsibilities

- Conduct background research for archaeological studies, including files and records searches through applicable State Historic Preservation Offices.

- Organize and verify completion of preliminary research, field logistics, equipment, staffing, and other resources required before field mobilization.

- Organize technical report production and coordinate report-writing efforts in collaboration with Project Managers and Team Leads, especially for cultural desktop reviews of California utilities.

- Maintain scientific integrity and quality assurance standards while identifying and resolving technical issues and process challenges.

- Develop project-specific safety plans when applicable and proactively identify and mitigate field safety hazards.

- Serve as the primary field liaison between deployed crews and senior leadership, escalating issues and facilitating communication as needed.

- Complete field skills assessments and provide developmental feedback to support employee growth and field performance.

- Participate in program-level workforce planning activities, including staffing allocation, employee development, retention planning, and work assignment discussions.

Minimum Qualifications

Knowledge normally obtained through a bachelor's degree. Three years of relevant, progressively responsible experience, including 1 year of managing projects. Five years of related experience is preferred; or any equivalent combination of experience, performance, training, and/or education.

Experience and qualifications for success

- Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or a related field.

- Three (3) years of archaeology experience in the western United States, including at least one (1) year of cultural resources management (CRM) experience and one (1) year leading archaeology crews on a variety of project types, sizes, regions, and agencies.

- Two (2) years performing cultural desktop reviews for California utilities.

- Experience with the application of standard archaeological survey and excavation techniques.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Master’s degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or a related field.

- Five (5) years of archaeology experience in the western United States, including at least two (2) years leading archaeology crews and demonstrated CRM experience across a variety of project types, sizes, regions, and agencies.

- Knowledge of federal and state preservation laws and regulations including, but not limited to the National Environmental Policy Act, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.

- Current understanding of tribal politics, culture, law, governance rules and structure, and the role of how relationships and values shape Native American views, values, and perspectives.

- Ability to be listed as a project archaeologist or field director on state and federal permits in California.

- Technical report authorship and experience providing quality control review of field documents and archaeological data.

- Experience with computer-based programs such as Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Smartsheet, and others.

- Experience collecting field data using mobile technology; iPads and Esri software.

Pay Range

SWCA is committed to salary equity and transparency. The expected pay range for this Pasadena, CA-based position is $36.03 to $46.07 per hour. Actual pay may vary based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other factors permitted by law. Eligible employees may also receive performance-based bonuses.

As a 100% employee-owned company, we invest in your future. Our Total Rewards package includes an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, 401(k) with profit sharing, medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, wellness programs, and professional development opportunities.

Closing

If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact [email protected].

If you require assistance with the application process, please contact [email protected].

Use of Technology in Hiring

SWCA may use approved technology, including AI-assisted tools, to support parts of the application and recruiting process. All selection and hiring decisions are made by SWCA employees, and candidates are not selected or rejected by automated systems. We are committed to a fair, transparent, and human-centered hiring experience.

Candidate Use of AI

Candidates may use AI tools to help prepare application materials and interviews. However, all application materials, assessments, and interview responses must accurately reflect their own experience, skills, and qualifications. AI must not be used to fabricate experience, complete assessments on their behalf, or otherwise misrepresent their background or abilities.

Equal Opportunity Employer

SWCA Environmental Consultants is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employees can thrive.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA’s continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.