GIS Operations Manager

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April 2024

GIS Operations Manager, Deer Creek Resources, Chico, California
Salaried, full time, with commission on sales/funded projects.

Recruitment is open until the position is filled.
Email a cover letter and resume to:
info@deercreekresources.com – Subject: DCR GIS Manager Position

Background

Deer Creek Resources is California’s leading wildland fire intelligence and pre-fire planning consultancy. We use technology, storytelling, land information, and custom-made maps to help people solve complex land management problems. During wildfire season, our equipment and GIS technicians have supported mapping operations in fire camps for some of the largest wildfires in California history. Along with our parent company, Firestorm, we provide a full suite of wildfire safety services, including the design and implementation of complex vegetation management projects and prescribed fires to protect communities and critical infrastructure.

Whether helping conduct complex firing operations on a wildfire or prioritizing forest thinning projects across a million acres, DCR and Firestorm have decades of experience working at the landscape scale. We understand fire’s rightful role in maintaining the ecology of our wildlands, and are fortunate to be part of major projects that are helping people repair their relationship to fire. We are uniquely positioned to make big things happen.

We are hiring a GIS Operations Manager to oversee mapping and analysis projects as we grow the wildfire consulting section of Deer Creek Resources. This is a senior leadership position, requiring management experience and high-caliber GIS mapping and remote sensing skillsets. This position will also lead DCR’s emergency mapping operations, supervising seasonal wildfire mapping staff, maintaining equipment readiness and deploying our onsite GIS mapping support trailers during wildfires.

Responsibilities

This position reports to DCR’s Director. Management tasks will include developing project workscopes, budgets, and proposals, delegating tasks to co-workers, reviewing work products, developing project budgets, tracking hours worked, and preparing invoices. This position will also perform GIS mapping and analysis tasks. A successful candidate will have a deep understanding of GIS and remote sensing, including working with LiDAR point-cloud data, and be able to create map products from offline data, without the use of streaming base maps, if necessary.

This is not a family-friendly job during wildfire season, as you may be called away for extended periods of time with no advanced notice. However, if you want to play travel-roulette, this job can be pretty exciting – for example, you may get a call at 6am that you’re headed to Taos, New Mexico or Central Idaho in 4 hours.

This position supervises 3 full-time GIS specialists, including a senior remote sensing/LiDAR analyst, a cartographer/data librarian, and a remote sensing/vegetation mapping developer. During the summer, you may supervise 10-15 call-when-needed wildfire mapping techs. DCR has substantial GIS data resources, having built an extensive project data archive over the past 3 decades. The GIS Manager will work alongside DCR’s Planning Manager, and will be supported/onboarded by DCR Founder/ Director Zeke Lunder.

Other responsibilities may include:

  • Planning aerial photography missions
  • Serving on the incident command team of major prescribed fire projects
  • Conducting fuels-mapping fieldwork
  • Developing wildfire hazard assessment products
  • Supervising or performing wildfire behavior modeling
  • Mentoring other staff
  • Writing scripts and technical documentation
  • Preparing and presenting technical reports and presentations
  • Undertaking community outreach for wildfire protection plans
  • Attending conferences
  • Welding, fixing broken vehicles or plotters, carpentry, or towing trailers
  • Being an active participant in the wildfire management/mitigation community

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be well-spoken, write and collaborate well, be passionate about mentoring junior staff, and effectively interact with clients and agency representatives in a professional manner. This position is based at DCR’s offices in Chico, California, and candidates will be expected to be in the office at least 3 days a week. Frequent overnight travel, mainly within Northern California, is required, especially during wildfire season, when travel may be required on extremely short-notice.

Candidates should have a practical understanding of land management, a proven record of project management, and be motivated to build and grow a high-functioning professional enterprise. Keeping our mobile mapping equipment running is an important part of this position. While you will be supported by drivers and mechanics from Firestorm, troubleshooting, electrical, metal fabrication, carpentry, forklift, towing, and other practical skills are a huge plus.

We place a high value on field experience. Our parent company Firestorm staffs wildland fire hand crews, Type III and VI fire engines, GIS Mapping Support Units, and prescribed burning modules. There are opportunities for the GIS Manager to take wildfire and prescribed fire assignments, maintaining currency or advancing their wildfire qualifications including but not limited to FFT1, FEMO, Single Resource Boss (Engines, Crews, Firing), RXB2, Situation Unit Leader, and Planning Section Chief III.

Compensation

This is a regular, full-time, salaried position. Pay is commensurate with experience, with performance-based bonuses or commissions. Firestorm offers health benefits and a 401k.

 

 

 

Incident Mapping Specialist

Deer Creek Resources (DCR) mapping specialists provide onsite cartography, printing, data management, networking, and technical support during major wildland fires and other emergency incidents across the American West. We are accepting applications for our incident mapping team. Applicants must reside in the Western US. This is a call-when-needed position, with no guarantee of assignments or minimum term of employment. However, if we do have assignments, we work up to 112 hours per week.

Job Description

Successful applicants will operate DCR’s Mobile Mapping Support Modules on large wildfires, natural disasters, and pre-fire planning projects. Tasks may include:

  • Cartography! We design and produce map atlases, briefing maps, and other large-format paper map products on a 24/7 schedule, keeping up with wildfires as they spread
  • Development of GIS data, satellite imagery, and other geospatial data products as requested
  • Data management, file backup, GPS data conversions
  • Towing generators and trailers, cleaning or repairing equipment, ordering supplies, completing daily invoices
  • Troubleshooting printers, networks, satellite internet, DSL, or MiFi problems, other IT tasks
  • Providing GIS and cartography tech support, DJ’ing and maintaining a cheerful and positive presence under non-negotiable deadlines

This job usually requires setting up an enterprise-class computer network in an alfalfa field, fairgrounds or meadow. Once you have this up and running, you’ll spend the next week or three meeting Madison Avenue ad-agency-type production deadlines, fixing generators by headlamp, bathing in a converted semi-trailer, and eating tough steaks with inmates in a big circus tent.

We are looking for flexible, professional people who can support our team in any number of tasks, ranging from delivering supplies and cleaning trailers to designing geodatabases and helping our clients troubleshoot their internet connection.

Requirements

THIS JOB DEMANDS TECHNICAL COMPETENCE AND ROCK SOLID CHARACTER! If you enjoy producing quality products under pressure as a member of a high-functioning team, this job can be rewarding, fun and addictive.

Our job is to provide reliable equipment and a steady hand way out in the sticks, without any backup. In addition to solid GIS/IT skills, we need people who can build a computer from parts, change a truck tire, troubleshoot broken trailer brake lights, or fix a broken printer using common household items. Production volumes are high; late-night HP Plotter sweet-talking skills are essential. While a four-year degree in resource management, geography or forestry is preferred, expert computer-driving skills and solid GIS/cartography work experience are required. Wildfire or forestry experience can’t hurt, and a large personal library of energetic and tolerable music is a plus. Driving is required.

All candidates will be required to complete a practical GIS skills test as part of the application process , and we expect to see a portfolio of your cartography/design work.

Availability

Successful applicants must be available for 7 day assignments between June and October. Work is in 16 hour shifts for up to 14 days. Tent camping is required on many assignments. All travel expenses are paid. We are especially interested in hiring people who can be available on very short notice (within 6-12 hours) between July 15 and September 15.

Responding to this Announcement

  1. Email us a cover letter and current resume, including references.
  2. Send examples of your cartography work (web links are preferred).
  3. Please include something in the subject line that lets us know that you are not a robot.