Title:
LANDFIRE Technical Lead At KBR, we deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 85 countries and operations in over 28 countries. KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long-term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results.
Trinzic is the future independent company to be created through the planned spin-off of KBR's Mission Technology Solutions business, expected in January 2027. Our people work at the frontier of what is possible, delivering solutions in challenging environments and advancing some of the world's highest-priority national security and space missions.
Backed by decades of mission success, deep expertise, and trusted partnerships, Trinzic will launch as a global organization with more than 18,000 employees supporting customers around the world. Join us at a defining moment and help shape the future of a company built to tackle complex challenges and make a meaningful impact.
Candidates who join KBR's Mission Technology Solutions business before the spin-off will transition to Trinzic when the separation is complete and will not need to reapply for employment.
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Position Summary KBR’s Science and Space division is seeking a LANDFIRE Technical Lead to support our Technical Support Services Contract (TSSC) at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation & Science (EROS) Center (http://eros.usgs.gov/) near Sioux Falls, SD (http://www.siouxfalls.org).
The primary focus of this position is to serve as the program's senior technical advisor to sponsors, partners, and stakeholders while providing technical leadership for LANDFIRE science, products, methodologies, and operations. This role is expected to guide the scientific and technical direction of TSSC work, ensuring product quality and alignment with LANDFIRE program objectives. Responsibilities include technical oversight of production activities, technical analysis and assessment, development of technical documentation, process improvement, and leadership of technical change management and modernization initiatives.
This position will also lead collaboration among four major land-cover programs. The successful candidate will foster partnerships, coordinate technical exchanges, and work closely with technical staff and program leadership to identify opportunities for alignment across land-cover products, methodologies, standards, and data frameworks. Through these efforts, the Technical Lead will help develop and implement a long-term strategic vision that promotes greater integration, interoperability, and shared use of data, products, and processes across the land-cover community.
Title: LANDFIRE Technical Lead
Responsibilities
Provide technical leadership and strategic guidance for LANDFIRE products, methodologies, and technical operations.
Support the definition, direction, implementation, and continuous improvement of the LANDFIRE Program.
Serve as the program's technical subject matter expert and represent technical interests within leadership discussions, working groups, committees, and stakeholder engagements.
Provide technical direction across production teams to ensure scientific methodologies, technical requirements, and product standards are consistently applied.
Develop technical solutions to address scientific, operational, and programmatic challenges and provide recommendations that include associated risks, benefits, and tradeoffs.
Evaluate production methodologies and workflows, identify technical limitations and inefficiencies, and recommend improvements that increase product quality and scientific rigor.
Lead technical reviews, troubleshooting efforts, and issue resolution activities to ensure adherence to scientific and product quality standards.
Collaborate with scientists, technical staff, and partner organizations to advance land-change monitoring methodologies, vegetation mapping approaches, geospatial data products, and technical innovations.
Develop and maintain technical documentation, including production methods, technical reports, publications, presentations, and scientific guidance.
Develop and present technical briefings, analyses, and recommendations to program leadership, agency partners, stakeholders, and executive audiences.
Conduct technical assessments to identify opportunities for innovation and modernization and serve as the technical decision authority for methodologies, enhancements, and program improvements.
Lead technical collaboration among major land-cover programs to identify opportunities for greater integration, interoperability, and shared use of products, methodologies, and technical processes.
Facilitate technical exchanges with partner organizations to advance coordinated land-cover monitoring methodologies, data development efforts, and shared technical solutions.
Provide technical leadership in the following areas:
· Vegetation ecology · Vegetation classification standards and legends · Succession and state-and-transition modeling · Land-cover and vegetation mapping · Fire ecology · Fire behavior · Fire regimes · Remote sensing applications · Geospatial data development and analysis
Minimum Requirements
U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain required federal background investigation, facility access, and system credentials. Must have a minimum 3-year residency in the United States
Education: Master’s degree in forestry, Ecology, Geography, Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Natural Resource Management, Environmental Science, Fire Ecology, Geospatial Science, or a closely related field.
Years of Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in remote sensing, GIS, vegetation mapping, ecology, natural resources, wildland fire, or related geospatial science programs. Successful candidates will possess both a strong background in vegetation science and significant expertise in fire and fuels science, including fire ecology, fire behavior, and fire regimes. At least 3 years of experience providing technical leadership for multidisciplinary teams, technical programs, or large-scale geospatial production efforts is required. Willing to consider differing combinations of education and experience.
Demonstrated experience supporting operational remote sensing-based land-change monitoring, assessment, modeling, or projection programs involving geospatial analysis, environmental datasets, and natural resource applications.
Proficiency with GIS and remote sensing software, including ArcGIS, QGIS, ENVI, ERDAS Imagine, or comparable geospatial software platforms.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing technical reports, plans, analyses, scientific communications, and presentations for technical, scientific, management, and stakeholder audiences.
Strong strategic thinking, analytical problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Ability to work effectively across organizational and agency boundaries to build partnerships and achieve program objectives.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
Ability to obtain and maintain any required agency background investigation, facility access credentials, and system access authorizations.
Areas of Desired Experience & Skills Advanced degrees (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Forestry, Ecology, Fire Ecology, Remote Sensing, Geography, GIS, Natural Resources, Environmental Science, or a related discipline.
Experience with LANDFIRE products, vegetation classification systems, ecological modeling, fire science applications, and related federal geospatial programs.
Knowledge of wildland fire behavior, fire ecology, fuel characteristics, and fire regime concepts.
Understanding of how vegetation, fuel types, terrain, weather, and environmental conditions influence fire behavior.
Knowledge of land cover validation principles, accuracy assessment methodologies, and product evaluation techniques.
Experience collaborating with federal, state, tribal, academic, and non-governmental partners on geospatial or natural resource initiatives.
Experience supporting or leading large-scale vegetation mapping, land-cover mapping, or land-change monitoring programs, including the integration of remote sensing, GIS, field observations, and ecological datasets to support environmental analysis and product development.
Experience developing and delivering presentations, briefings, and recommendations to executive leadership and external stakeholders.
Experience serving in a Technical Lead, Science Lead, Principal Investigator, Senior Ecologist, or similar leadership role supporting national-scale geospatial or natural resource programs.
Special Requirements Must be a U.S. permanent resident and eligible to obtain the government security credential required for this position.
This position supports a coordinated team across multiple locations and offers either remote work status or a hybrid remote – onsite schedule; some travel may be required.
Employees must communicate effectively, collaborate with colleagues and customers, and follow safety, quality, and company requirements. KBR values its people and Zero Harm culture, fosters an inclusive workplace, and supports career advancement through professional training and development.
KBR partners with several other companies to fulfill its requirements as a government contractor. The selected subcontracting companies align their benefits as closely as possible to those of KBR.
KBR Benefits: KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule. We support career advancement through professional training and development.
Click here to learn more: KBR Benefits | KBR
Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR
At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.
KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.