Overview: The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council (SBCFSC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to unify public and private organizations in Santa Barbara County to educate, motivate, and coordinate to minimize negative impacts associated with future wildfires. Members of the Board include current and past firefighting professionals, representatives of local government, and citizen representatives from various local communities. The Board holds monthly meetings with the goal to provide relevant information to local citizens and offer a platform for community members to become active participants in the solutions to the challenges fire poses to our wildland urban areas.

The SBCFSC is funded through donations and grants, using these funds to increase wildfire preparedness through education, planning, and mitigation projects. Recent projects have included the Eastern Goleta Valley/San Marcos Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), the Gaviota Coast CWPP, community Firewise program coordination, educational videos, and Wildfire Preparedness Expositions. Currently, the SBCFSC has secured funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help develop a novel Regional Wildfire Mitigation Program(RWMP) along Santa Barbara County’s south coast. Current staff include a RWMP Community Domain Lead, a Community Resilience Associate, and an Administrative Assistant/Communication Coordinator.

All applications should be emailed and addressed to the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, sbfiresafecouncil@gmail.com. Please include your name and “Project Manager” in the subject line.

Position Expectations: SBCFSC seeks two qualified candidates who can head the following positions: Community Chipping Program Project Manager, Community Wildfire Resilience Project Manager:

1. Community Chipping Program Project Manager - Plan, coordinate, and implement a free community chipping program along the south coast of Santa Barbara County (Hollister Ranch to Carpinteria). The Project Manager will be expected to continually develop and refine the Community Chipping Program to meet the objectives outlined in the grant contract. Additionally, this candidate will conduct community outreach to build relationships with community members. There are Board members and staff who have existing relationships throughout the project area and with experience implementing similar programs. SBCFSC Board and staff will be available to assist the project manager throughout the process. The Project Manager will also have the opportunity to lead the development of new education and outreach material, assist with grant writing, and engage the community through Firewise USA.

The selected applicant will have the following duties:

• Become the subject matter expert on the grant
• Continue running a program that accomplishes grant objectives within the identified timeframes
• Establish processes to coordinate with community representatives; outreach, gauge participation, create signage, schedule, and implement the Community Chipping Program
• Prepare and coordinate contracts and operations with contractors such as developing request for proposals, creating project schedules, ensuring safety guidelines are followed, keeping daily logs, completing timesheets, and providing payment
• Manage one part-time SBCFSC contractor assisting on the program
• Communicate with homeowners and community leaders with mailers, emails, and community meetings
• Develop methods to document and report accomplishments of fuel reduction activities
• Provide written documentation of the program including monthly project updates to the SBCFSC Board of Directors, Quarterly Reports to Cal Fire, Cal Fire – Cal Mapper forms with written documentation for Cal Fire payments, as well as the final Cal Fire report
• Collaborate with SBCFSC staff and local organizations to leverage experience and look for opportunities to enhance existing programs
• Build relationships within the community and seek opportunities to increase collaboration between SBCFSC and county residents
• Represent SBCFSC to local and regional stakeholders
• Assist SBCFSC staff in educating community members on the importance of wildfire preparedness and mitigation by creating outreach material and programs

2. Community Wildfire Resilience Project Manager - Coordinate and support the implementation of the Community Domain aspect of the RWMP. The RWMP includes three domains—Community, Built, and Landscape—to simultaneously increase a region’s wildfire resilience. The Community Domain involves mapping vulnerable populations, creating an organizational structure for neighborhoods, identifying community leaders, engaging the groups in Firewise USA®, examining communication/Firewise adoption hurdles, and tracking activity progress. The long-term goal is to establish a network of responsible community level organizations to carry out local wildfire education, preparedness, and hazard mitigation programs with the assistance of the SB FSC and in cooperation with local government agencies. A desired outcome would be to establish a number of communities into the Firewise USA® Recognition Program throughout the project area. The project manager will be coordinating and overseeing these activities, under the direction of the SBCFSC Board of Directors, and with the help of a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) liaison and other organizations involved in the RWMP. Requirements for additional staffing will be determined by the Project Manager in consultation with the SBCFSC Board of Directors.

The selected applicant will have the following duties:

• Manage the RWMP Community Domain projects, organizations, and team members, to meet programmatic needs across the Santa Barbara south coast region.
• Provide scientific and technical leadership for wildfire resilience planning and implementation, drawing on previous experience in demographics, community organization, wildfire risks, and geospatial analyses.
• Liaise with the other RWMP domains—Built and Landscape—to leverage experience and work collaboratively, recognizing the interdependence of these shared systems and domains.
• Support the development of various products related to community resilience including maps of at-risk neighborhoods (i.e. underserved, elderly, vulnerable), community engagement plans, tracking of Firewise USA® education and acceptance by NFPA into the Recognition Program, and documentation of the overall project.
• Seek additional funding to grow and continue RWMP related work through available grant solicitations.
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of local decision making and regional activities for near- and long-term neighborhood organization, community preparedness, and wildfire safety and resilience.
• Continue to run and oversee several SBCFSC community engagement programs: Firewise USA, home evaluations, focus groups with disadvantaged communities, mapping of disadvantaged communities.
• Represent SBCFSC to governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in the region.
• Manage one full-time employee who assists with Community Domain implementation
• Complete bi-annual grant reporting requirements

Qualifications:

• 2+ years combined experience in wildland fire management, community organization, and/or wildfire resilience planning
• Experience with managing a budget
• Current driver license with functioning vehicle – selected candidate will be required to drive their own vehicle; fuel stipend will be provided for project related activities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a positive and respectful attitude
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
• Working knowledge of Esri software (ie. ArcMap, ArcPro, ArcOnline)
• Excellent communication and people skills for shared leadership and coordination across teams and projects, community and stakeholder engagement, and proliferation of progressive resilience planning
• Experience with writing and implementing grants
• Experience in program development and implementation

Desired skills:

• MS in community development, fire science, emergency management, or related field is preferred
• Ability to communicate factors influencing wildland fire behavior and how vegetation treatments impact fire behavior
• Experience with CalFire grants
• Knowledge of California Fire Code, specifically as it relates to local defensible space and home hardening requirements
• Knowledge of local fire history and the different wildfire mitigation projects being implemented throughout the County
• Knowledge of County emergency preparedness programs (i.e. CWPPs, Ready, Set, Go! and ReadySBC)
• Fluent in both English and Spanish

Location: The project locations are in southern Santa Barbara County, California. Work is hybrid, but the selected candidates will need to be within reasonable commuting distance to the project area as there are frequent in-person duties.

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until May 9th, 2023. Any applications turned in after this date will not be reviewed.

Terms of Employment: The ideal start date of both positions is mid-late June. The Chipping Project Manager position is funded by Cal Fire for three years (2023 – 2026) and the Community Wildfire Resilience Project Manager position is funded through 2024. Plans are in place to apply for funding to continue both positions past their completion date.

Salary and Benefits: Non-exempt, $104,000/year, 3 weeks PTO, sick days, and health insurance stipend.

Applications: In a single PDF applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their suitability based on the above position description, a curriculum vitae, and names and contact information for 2 references. In your cover letter please list your preference for the two job descriptions. All applications should be emailed and addressed to the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, sbfiresafecouncil@gmail.com.Please include your name and “Project Manager” in the subject line.

The Santa Barbara Fire Safe Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, or other status are encouraged to apply.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: Up to $105,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health savings account
• Paid time off

Experience level:

• 2 years

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Santa Barbara, CA 93110: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Santa Barbara, CA 93110

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