Director of Fire Programs

About BurnBot

BurnBot provides systematic fuels treatment services to prevent destructive wildfires. We're firefighters, scientists, engineers, prescribed fire practitioners, ecologists, and community members who are answering the call to scale fuel treatment capacity. Our modern fuel treatment system recognizes and supports conservation efforts with a clean, smoke-free process. We need technology to amplify our workforces with targeted use of synthetic fire to treat fuel loads 10x faster than previously possible.

The Role

The Director of Fire Programs is responsible for designing, building, and leading BurnBot’s Fire Program across prescribed fire (Rx) and fire response support.

This role begins with program architecture—defining how BurnBot engages in fire, how work is structured, and how projects move from opportunity to execution. Once established, the role transitions into program ownership, ensuring consistent delivery, technical excellence, and scalability across regions.

The Director serves as BurnBot’s enterprise fire authority and Subject Matter Expert (SME), shaping work upstream and maintaining oversight downstream, while partnering closely with Project Management and Regional Operations for execution.

This role is exempt with a salary range of $140,000 to $180,000. However, we do consider many factors when creating job offers, including (but not limited to), the role, location, responsibilities, experience, training, education, and skillset.

Core Responsibilities

1. Fire Program Architecture (Primary Initial Responsibility)

• Design and stand up BurnBot’s Fire Program, including prescribed fire and fire response support

• Define program structure, scope boundaries, and how fire integrates with Fuels, Forestry, and enterprise work

• Establish program doctrine: where and how BurnBot engages in fire-related operations

• Build foundational systems including:

  • Prescribed fire pipeline structure

  • Burn plan standards and approval processes

  • Qualifications and personnel requirements (NWCG-aligned)

  • Program workflows from opportunity → planning → execution → closeout

• Define interfaces between Programs, Project Management, and Regional Operations

2. Prescribed Fire Pipeline & Technical Authority

• Own the full lifecycle of prescribed fire work from scoping through execution oversight

• Lead development and approval of burn plans, smoke management plans, and contingency frameworks

• Serve as the primary SME and deal architect for fire-related proposals

• Establish and maintain qualification standards and ensure alignment with NWCG and agency expectations

• Ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks (NEPA, air quality, state and federal Rx protocols)

3. Proposal Strategy, Contracts & Program Oversight

• Develop technical scopes, pricing assumptions, and proposal strategies for Fire Program work

• Partner with Growth & Partnerships to shape deals and position BurnBot competitively

• Support contract structuring and negotiation across federal, state, tribal, NGO, and private customers

• Maintain program-level oversight during execution, including:

  • Scope alignment

  • Compliance

  • Change management

• Provide approval authority on fire-related technical scope and modifications

4. Execution Oversight & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Partner with Project Management to translate program intent into executable project plans

• Coordinate with Regional Directors to ensure field execution aligns with program standards

• Maintain quality oversight across projects without owning day-to-day field execution

• Resolve program-level challenges including scope gaps, technical issues, and resource alignment

5. Partnerships & External Representation

• Serve as BurnBot’s fire SME in customer engagements, job walks, audits, and technical reviews

• Build and manage relationships with agencies, prescribed burn associations, and subcontract partners

• Represent BurnBot in industry forums, regulatory discussions, and stakeholder engagements

• Support development of cooperative agreements and fire-related partnerships

6. Program Systems & Continuous Improvement

• Build and refine systems that support scalable Fire Program delivery, including:

  • Burn plan management

  • Qualifications tracking

  • Compliance documentation

  • After-action reviews

• Identify and implement improvements to increase consistency, efficiency, and scalability

• Partner with Engineering & Product to ensure operational needs inform technology development

Organizational Alignment

This role operates within BurnBot’s integrated delivery model:

• Director of Fire Programs – Owns program architecture, technical authority, and fire pipeline

• Project Management – Owns project-level planning and execution coordination

• Regional Operations – Owns field execution and logistics

• Engineering & Product – Builds and supports technology integrated into fire operations

The Director of Fire Programs defines how fire work is structured and delivered, while execution is carried out through Project Management and Regional teams.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of experience in prescribed fire, fire suppression, or wildland fire operations

• NWCG Qualified: RXB2 minimum

• Demonstrated experience building or leading fire programs, units, or operational systems

• Proven expertise in burn planning, regulatory compliance, and technical fire leadership

• Experience supporting or leading proposal development and contract strategy

• Deep understanding of Western U.S. fire ecology, fuels, and fire behavior

• Ability to translate strategy into structured, executable programs

• Strong leadership and cross-functional coordination skills

• Willingness to travel (up to ~50–75%)

Preferred Qualifications

• RXB2 (Type 2 Burn Boss) qualification

• Experience working with federal, state, and tribal fire agencies

• Experience with prescribed burn associations or cooperative burn models

• Familiarity with emerging fire technologies (UAS, remote ignition, modeling tools)

• Experience supporting multi-region or enterprise-scale fire programs

Additional Expectations

• Maintain NWCG moderate duty fitness standards (Pack Test)

• Demonstrate strong ownership, accountability, and decision-making

• Operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment

• Maintain a high standard of safety, professionalism, and operational integrity

Still interested? Please apply by sending your resume to careers@burnbot.com or visiting our job postings on Indeed.

Burnbot is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including but not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with one or more disabilities, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at 415-795-9124 x 1010 or people@burnbot.com.