Project Manager

Position Title: Project Manager

Location: Virtual & travel as needed throughout the Mt. Pinos

Communities of Kern County

Duration: Through the completion of the grant (Est. 4 yrs.)

Salary: $45.oo per hour

Hours: Est. 20-30 hours per week

Position Overview:

Kern Fire Safe Council (KFSC) is hiring a Project Manager to coordinate a multi-year Home Ignition Zone Assessments (HIZ) and hazardous risk reduction program throughout the Mt. Pinos Communities of Kern County. Funding for this position comes from a grant awarded by USDA Forest Service.

Project Overview:

The purpose of “Be Aware, Be Prepared: Defend Your Space!” (The "Project") is to manage wildfire risk at the address level and assist communities with mitigating their risk against wildfire by doing the following:

• Educate homeowners about the necessity for fire hazard reduction around their homes.
• Develop and implement a fire hazard reduction program to include Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Assessments and chipper days/risk reduction activities.
• Collect data to be used for future grants to continue fire risk mitigation activities.

The goals of this Project are:

• Raise awareness of the fire danger and personal responsibility to prepare for wildfire.
• Move communities toward being fire adapted and fire resilient.
• Collect data that identifies specific needs for future funding, using software, which is specifically designed for HIZ assessments, for implementing, monitoring and data collection.

Specific Duties:

The Project Manager will:

• Oversee the project to ensure quality and consistency in all phases.
• Design, develop and implement a Home Ignition Zone Assessments (HIZ) and hazardous risk reduction program.
• Work with KFSC to identify an appropriate HIZ software app.
• Recruit, hire and train community assessors to complete HIZ assessments using HIZ software.
• Oversee Community Assessors for quality assurance and utilization of appropriate documentaton software.
• Provide home hardening resources to homeowners in support of HIZ assessment results.
• Identify potential high risk homes.
• Identify contractor(s) for potential fuels reduction projects.
• Organize and monitor fuel reduction projects within the grant parameters.
• Monitor the progress and issue progress reports. This includes gathering data, completing statistical analysis and evaluation, and document lessons learned.
• Collaborate with the County Coordinator to establish and maintain relationships with relative stakeholders in providing project progress and updates.
• Participate in outreach and education events, in collaboration with the Outreach Coordinator, to increase community awareness about the project and hazard risk reduction strategies.
• Collaborate with the KFSC Accounting Manager to provide the required financial reporting documentation as required by the grantors’ reporting criteria.
• Participate in monthly KFSC meetings as needed.
• Prepare progress and final reports as determined by the grant requirements.
• Complete other duties as assigned within relation to the project.

Personal Qualifications:

• 2 years experience in project management.
• Demonstrated leadership skills working with a broad range of individuals and organizations.
• Good organizational skills.
• Work in a fast-paced environment.
• Be able to work independently, self-motivated and mobile.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work with technical computer programs.
• Experience with project management software.
• GIS or mapping experience preferred.
• 2 years of experience in any of the following areas is preferred:
• Emergency Preparedness
• Fire Prevention Awareness
• Natural Resources or Landscape Management
• Construction or Utility Experience.

Salary and Compensation:

Position details:

• $45.00 per hour.
• Position period: Through the completion of the grant (Est. 4 yrs.).
• Part-time; Estimated 20-30 hours per week average.
• Virtual & travel as needed throughout Kern County.
• Will include some evenings and weekends.

This is a contracted position and individuals will need to be responsible for all Federal, State and Local tax obligations. The position will be supervised and paid for by the KFSC through grant funds provided by USFS/USDA for this specific work.

Selected candidate will need to provide their own transportation and will be reimbursed for costs within Kern County at the Federal Government rate as described here:

How to Apply:

Submit the following information when applying:

• Resume
• Narrative answering the Candidate Questions
• Personal reference contacts (2)
• Work experience reference contacts (2)

Candidate Questions:

• Tell us about your experience managing projects and coordinating with various stakeholders.
• How have you ensured that projects are completed on time and within budget?
• How have you navigated any conflicts or challenges that arose during the project?
• Describe a time a project fell behind on budget or time. What steps did you take to mitigate the situation?

• As a project manager, you will be designing, developing and implementing a Home Ignition Zone Assessment and hazardous risk reduction program.
• How would you promote the project to the communities involved?
• How would you recruit residents to be a part of the assessment process?
• How do you convince a skeptical homeowner of the benefits of a Home Ignition Zone Assessments?

If you have questions about the position contact Ted Peters at (626) 644-2638 or email . Please indicate in your subject line the position.

Email your application information by March 15, 2024 to: hiring@kernfiresafe.org

Job Types: Part-time, Contract

Pay: $45.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20 – 30 per week

Experience level:

• 2 years

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Pine Mountain Club, CA 93222