The Forestry Program Manager serves as CRS's program lead for natural-disaster recovery and national-forest support. This role establishes, operationalizes, and maintains the Program Management Organization (PMO) that coordinates forest recovery activities, stakeholder alignment, reporting, and program controls across the recovery portfolio.
The ideal candidate brings substantial forestry, public-land management, and natural-disaster recovery experience. Candidates with national forest or comparable forest-landscape experience are strongly preferred. The role requires a working understanding of forestry operations, silviculture, timber management, fire/fuels, hydrology, wildlife, recreation, and environmental compliance, plus the ability to turn cross-functional issues into actionable plans while maintaining clear CRS contractor status in all external interactions.
About Critical Response Strategies
Critical Response Strategies (CRS) provides mission-critical support to government, emergency management, and community resilience operations. We support complex programs that require disciplined coordination, technical expertise, regulatory compliance, and practical solutions in fast-moving environments.
CRS Purpose
Critical Response Strategies' purpose is to bring order to complexity. Every position supports CRS's ability to deliver disciplined, professional, and mission-focused services in complex operational environments.
CRS Values
Mission First - Every role supports mission execution and recovery operations.
Integrity in Action - We earn trust through disciplined actions, honest communication, and accountability.
Respect for People & Purpose - We treat people professionally, work collaboratively, and remain focused on the communities and missions we serve.
Key Responsibilities
PMO Leadership & Governance
• Lead the stand-up and ongoing operation of the PMO, including the operational framework, charter, governance structure, staffing approach, communications cadence, and program control processes.
• Develop and support delivery of the initial PMO operational framework, charter, governance structure, and available personnel roster within contract-established timeframes.
• Establish clear decision-support, issue escalation, risk management, action tracking, and resource allocation practices that support disciplined recovery execution.
Executive Coordination & Stakeholder Alignment
• Attend and facilitate recurring in-person or virtual briefings, milestone meetings, and recovery coordination sessions with client leadership and technical stakeholders, as required by the assignment.
• Plan, facilitate, and provide strategic support for client leadership meetings, senior-level engagements, technical work sessions, and recovery convenings.
• Coordinate recovery activities with authorized stakeholders, ensuring external actions align with approved client priorities, programs, and decision processes.
• Prepare executive-ready agendas, briefing materials, meeting minutes, issue logs, action-item trackers, and follow-up communications.
Portfolio Control, Reporting & Resource Management
• Oversee the integrated recovery portfolio by managing project schedules, budget tracking, resource allocation, risks, dependencies, and cross-cutting operational issues.
• Ensure accurate and timely bi-weekly operational briefings, monthly status reports, recovery dashboards, and other required program deliverables.
• Coordinate with PMO personnel and specialized technical resources to ensure consistent data, reporting, and performance tracking across multiple national forest districts, work areas, and workstreams.
• Monitor the performance of assigned staff and subcontractors, validate that required qualifications are maintained, and retain accountability for timely, high-quality delivery.
Forestry, Technical Integration & Contractor Compliance
• Support program-level alignment among planning, environmental compliance, GIS/data management, engineering, transportation, recreation, lands, hydrology, silviculture, timber management, fire/fuels, wildlife and aquatic resources, botany, heritage resources, and debris removal activities.
• Coordinate planning and recovery milestones with applicable environmental compliance processes, land-management planning standards, and other approved program requirements.
• Maintain appropriate separation between contractor and client roles. Clearly identify as CRS contractor personnel in all communications, do not represent CRS as the client, and do not alter contract terms, conditions, scope, or pricing without authorized direction.
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in forestry, forest management, natural resources, environmental science, emergency management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• At least 8 years of progressive experience leading complex forestry, public-land, natural-resource, natural-disaster recovery, or emergency-management portfolios, including schedule, budget, risk, and stakeholder coordination.
• Certifications required by the client and/or contract.
• Demonstrated experience supporting national forests, public lands, or comparable forest-management organizations, including forestry operations, planning, and resource decision-making. Direct national forest experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience coordinating landscape-scale forest recovery, natural-disaster recovery, forest restoration, or comparable multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Strong executive facilitation, written communication, relationship management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information for leadership audiences.
• Experience with integrated master scheduling, program controls, risk and issue management, stakeholder coordination, and contract portfolio governance within forestry, public-land, or comparable technical programs.
• Ability to travel independently to assigned national forest offices, project sites, and other work locations. Contractor personnel must make independent travel arrangements as required by the assignment.
Preferred Qualifications
• Master's degree in forestry, forest resources, natural-resource management, or a related field and/or a current PMP, PgMP, professional forestry credential, or similar recognized certification.
• Direct forestry experience in silviculture, timber management, forest health, fire/fuels, forest roads, hydrology, wildlife, recreation, or heritage resources.
• Experience coordinating forest planning, environmental compliance, GIS/data management, and recovery decision support for national forests, public lands, or comparable forested landscapes.
• Prior experience supporting leadership teams, senior officials, interagency groups, or executive-level boards; experience managing subcontractors or interdisciplinary forestry/technical teams is preferred.
Work Environment
• This is a hybrid office, meeting, and field-support role. The position requires regular coordination with client leadership and field personnel and may involve travel to assigned locations.
• Work may include extended computer and meeting time, travel to national forest offices and field locations, and response to time-sensitive operational issues outside standard business hours.
• CRS provides travel, tools, and routine field-verification logistics in accordance with company policies and contract requirements. Personnel must travel independently as required by the assignment.
• Employment may be contingent upon successful completion of applicable background, identity, work authorization, credential-verification, and other contract-specific requirements.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Critical Response Strategies, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.
Drug-Free Workplace
Critical Response Strategies is a drug-free workplace. Employment may be contingent upon successful completion of pre-employment screening requirements, which may include drug testing, background checks, verification of identity and work authorization, credential verification, and any other position-specific requirements. Employees are expected to comply with CRS policies, site requirements, and all applicable safety and conduct standards throughout employment.
