Cultural Resources Team Lead

Join SWCA Environmental Consultants as a Cultural Resources Team Lead (Lead I/II) and support our growing cultural resources practice across San Antonio and the Central Texas/Oklahoma region. We're hiring at either the Cultural Resources Team Lead (Lead I) or Senior Cultural Resources Team Lead (Lead II) level, with placement based on experience and qualifications.

About the Role

In this role, you'll provide technical and people leadership for a growing team of cultural resources professionals while managing complex projects across renewable energy, transmission, transportation, land development, and other infrastructure sectors. You'll mentor staff, oversee project delivery, build client relationships, and help shape the continued growth of SWCA's cultural resources practice.

Our San Antonio office is home to approximately 40 full- and part-time professionals, including archaeologists, architectural historians, biologists, geologists, GIS specialists, and other environmental experts, providing opportunities to collaborate across disciplines on a diverse portfolio of projects. This is a full-time, salaried position with a hybrid work arrangement. Candidates should ideally be located within commuting distance of San Antonio or elsewhere in Central Texas to support team leadership, client meetings, fieldwork, and in-person collaboration as needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead and Grow a High-Performing Team: Provide strategic leadership for a team of cultural resources professionals by mentoring and developing staff, managing workload and resources, improving team operations, and recruiting and retaining top talent. Foster accountability, collaboration, and a shared vision that supports individual and team success.
• Lead Complex Projects and Technical Strategy: Direct complex cultural resources projects from proposal through completion, providing technical oversight, strategic guidance, quality assurance/quality control, and innovative solutions that meet client objectives while ensuring projects are delivered on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Advance Technical Excellence: Serve as a senior technical expert, helping shape standards, best practices, and innovative approaches that enhance project quality, operational efficiency, and SWCA's technical reputation across the region. Mentor and develop archaeologists while fostering technical excellence across the team.
• Drive Business Growth and Client Success: Build and strengthen relationships with clients, Tribal Nations, regulatory agencies, and industry partners while identifying new business opportunities, supporting proposals, contributing to strategic planning, and helping expand SWCA's cultural resources practice.
• Champion Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Partner with scientists, planners, engineers, GIS specialists, and other technical professionals to deliver integrated solutions for complex infrastructure and environmental projects.
• Ensure Regulatory Compliance and Project Excellence: Ensure work complies with applicable federal, Tribal, state, local, contractual, and company requirements while proactively managing project risks and maintaining SWCA's high standards for technical quality and client service. Drives compliance of safety policies and reporting requirements to ensure overall team safety.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, Historic Architecture, History, or a closely related field.
• For the Cultural Resources Team Lead (Lead I): Minimum of six (6) years of progressively responsible cultural resources consulting experience, including project management and demonstrated team leadership.
• For the Senior Cultural Resources Team Lead (Lead II): Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible cultural resources consulting experience, including project management, team leadership, and business development. Ten (10) or more years of experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cultural resources projects under Section 106 and other applicable federal, state, and local cultural resources regulations.
• Archaeological experience in Central Texas and/or the Southeastern United States, preferably including the San Antonio/Central Texas region.
• Experience coordinating with State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), Tribal Nations, federal agencies, and other regulatory stakeholders.
• Advanced expertise in one or more archaeological specialty areas (e.g., lithic, ceramic, faunal, or other material analyses).
• Meets the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards for archaeology and/or architectural history.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing teams, mentoring staff, and managing project workloads.
• Proven experience developing client relationships, supporting business development efforts, and contributing to proposal development.
• Strong leadership, communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to travel approximately 25% of the time, including overnight travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting projects for federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or other federal land management agencies.
• Established relationships with Tribal Nations and/or active participation in regional or national archaeological or historic preservation organizations.

Benefits

SWCA Environmental Consultants offers a supportive, team-focused work environment, competitive pay, and great benefits—including a 100% employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to help you build a strong financial future. All regular-status employees are eligible for:

• A comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, wellness, life, and disability coverage, as well as access to our Employee Assistance Program.
• Participation in SWCA’s 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.
• Performance bonuses.
• Award-winning career development through our Career Landscape program, including conference attendance, internal and external training, education reimbursement, and bonuses for qualifying publications.

Pay

An employee in this San Antonio, TX based position can expect a salary of $77,662.00 to $101,228.40/year at a Lead I level and $87,838.40 to $114,618.40/year at a Lead II level. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law.