Lead Geospatial Scientist

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Lead Geospatial Scientist to join our Rocky Mountain Plains (RMP) team. In this role, you will provide technical leadership, project management, and GIS expertise for client-specific oil and gas projects across the Rocky Mountain Plains region and throughout SWCA.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a collaborative and dynamic team while advancing the use of GIS, geospatial technologies, and data-driven solutions to support complex environmental and natural resource projects.

The ideal candidate combines advanced GIS and geospatial analysis expertise with experience leading technical teams, managing projects, and delivering high-quality client solutions. This position offers the opportunity to collaborate with multidisciplinary project teams, drive innovative geospatial solutions, and support a variety of client-focused projects.

This is a full-time, regular (with benefits), salaried/exempt position that may distributed (=remote) within the United States; however, highly qualified candidates located elsewhere will be seriously considered.

Application Deadline : Applications will be accepted through November 18 at 5:00 PM MST .

What you will accomplish

- Strategic Project Leadership: Strategically consults on and leads complex projects in pursuit of client objectives, overseeing the technical approach and ensuring quality assurance and quality control.

- Exemplary Leadership: Leads by example in both technical and soft skills, navigating client and team priorities to deliver projects that meet professional and oversight agency standards.

- Technical Expertise & Innovation: Innovates standards and practices to enhance the quality and efficiency of client projects and outcomes, ensuring alignment with industry and regulatory standards. Serves as a go-to technical expert and consultant, providing novel project strategies and applying technical excellence that considers client needs to meet project requirements.

- Project Accountability: Continuously guides projects, executing accountability for the performance of projects or delegated tasks and ensuring that project milestones are met and outcomes align with SWCA’s values and client expectations. Assesses risks and implements strategies for problem-solving. Revises or suggests revisions to project scopes, schedules, and budgets as necessary to meet evolving project requirements and ensure successful outcomes.

- Business Growth & Innovation: Drives business growth and client success through technical excellence, innovation, and development of new methods and standards that advance SWCA's technical reputation. Contributes to SWCA's strategic planning.

- Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Champions cross-disciplinary collaboration, working closely with specialists to provide comprehensive technical support for projects.

- Mentorship & Team Development: Mentors staff for impactful influence, coaching others in technical excellence, leadership, and strategy, and also develops specialized programs and protocols. Fosters team development and cross-training, modeling and promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration among team members to enhance project outcomes, as well as team depth and redundancy.

- Relationship Management: Establishes and grows effective consultative relationships with external and internal clients and/or agency regulators and industry partners (if applicable) to support successful projects.

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

- Performs related work as assigned.

Additional Job-Specific Responsibilities

- Serve as the primary GIS technical lead for designated oil and gas projects, ensuring consistency and quality across project deliverables.

- Coordinate geospatial support across multiple project teams within the Rocky Mountain Plains region and other SWCA regions as needed.

- Partner with GIS leadership and project management teams to develop and implement client-specific GIS standards, workflows, and quality expectations.

- Lead complex geospatial database design, management, and data governance efforts supporting energy and infrastructure projects.

- Design and develop advanced GIS applications, tools, scripts, and technical solutions to address complex business and project needs.

- Serve as a geospatial liaison across offices, disciplines, and project teams, providing technical guidance and coordination on GIS-related initiatives.

- Provide senior-level technical review of GIS deliverables to ensure adherence to client requirements and SWCA quality standards.

- Support companywide GIS programs by sharing expertise, advancing technical standards, and providing guidance to GIS teams across the organization.

Minimum Qualifications

Knowledge normally obtained through a bachelor's degree; master's degree preferred. Six years of relevant, progressively responsible experience, including some experience managing others. Eight 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 Geography, GIS, Environmental Science, Biology, Planning, Computer Science, or a related field; GIS certificate or GIS emphasis preferred within the degree program.

- Six (6) years of progressively responsible GIS experience, including senior-level technical leadership, project coordination, or lead GIS responsibilities.

- Experience designing, developing, implementing, and administering GIS systems, databases, and workflows.

- Experience working with complex spatial datasets and enterprise GIS environments, including ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise.

- Demonstrated experience managing GIS project tasks through the full project lifecycle, including scope development, budgeting support, data collection planning, spatial analysis, deliverable production, and technical documentation.

- Experience creating and maintaining geospatial databases, schemas, domains, and data management standards.

- Demonstrated experience interacting directly with clients and project teams to define requirements, communicate technical recommendations, and deliver GIS solutions.

- Demonstrated ability to communicate technical concepts through maps, reports, presentations, metadata, or documented workflows

- Experience supporting oil and gas development, infrastructure, permitting, environmental compliance, or related energy-sector projects.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Master's degree in Geography, GIS, Cartography, Environmental Science, Biology, or a related field.

- Eight (8) years of progressively responsible GIS experience.

- GISP or other relevant professional geospatial certification.

- Knowledge of oil and gas workflows, spatial datasets, regulatory processes, and permitting requirements.

- Experience developing GIS applications, analytical models, scripts, or automation tools.

- Experience with Python and GIS automation tools.

- Experience using Esri Survey123 and Field Maps.

- Experience supporting multidisciplinary environmental consulting projects involving natural resources, cultural resources, permitting, or regulatory compliance.

- Working knowledge of federal land management and regulatory agencies and associated spatial datasets, including BLM, USFS, USACE, USFWS, BOR, DOE, DOT, FERC, or NRCS.

Other Job Conditions

Drives compliance of safety policies and reporting requirements to ensure overall team safety.

Pay Range

SWCA is committed to salary equity and transparency. The expected pay range for this Rocky Mountain Plains based position is $80,038.40 to $106,753.92 per year . 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] or call 1 480 581 5378. 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.

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