Business Group Director-Cultural Resources

Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm seeking an established cultural resources leader to build and grow its Southeast practice from the ground up. This senior leadership role offers the opportunity to set direction, recruit a team, and develop a business, with the goal of launching a regional cultural resources group as a near-term priority in ESA's South/East Growth Plan. The practice will connect cultural resources expertise with environmental planning, permitting strategy, and natural resources services, with opportunities in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Texas, and the wider Gulf Coast. The role can be hybrid from ESA's Tampa, Orlando, Boynton Beach, Sarasota, or Pensacola offices, and ESA is open to remote candidates in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. ESA is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE M/V/F/D).

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a regional growth plan with clear client, market, staffing, and financial priorities; partner with ESA client managers to pursue cultural resources work; build relationships with public agencies, infrastructure clients, and teaming partners; lead priority pursuits and grow a sustainable backlog; identify and recruit key talent and build local field capacity and project management depth; coordinate with ESA's national cultural resources practice; mentor staff and align assignments with professional development goals; develop future project managers and practice leaders; serve as Project Director or senior technical advisor on strategic and complex assignments; guide regulatory coordination and quality review; establish and manage the group's annual business plan and budget; monitor backlog, utilization, profitability, and project risk

Requirements

At least 15 years of relevant cultural resources consulting experience; demonstrated success winning and retaining clients, leading teams, and managing complex projects and business performance; entrepreneurial industry leader and technical expert; ability to translate client relationships and market knowledge into a focused pipeline of work; excellent judgment balancing growth with technical quality, staff development, and financial performance; approachable and collaborative, with a record of earning trust among clients, colleagues, tribes, and agency partners; ability to mentor future leaders and create a respectful workplace; graduate degree in anthropology, archaeology, architectural history, cultural resources management, or a related field; qualifications meeting the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards for Archaeology; experience directing cultural resources work in the Southeast, including archaeological investigations, historic architectural studies, resource evaluation, and treatment or mitigation planning; strong working knowledge of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, NEPA, and applicable state and local requirements; experience working with federal, state, and local agencies, State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal representatives, and land managers; ability to develop business and capture plans, lead proposals, negotiate scopes and budgets, and guide project managers through delivery, quality review, and financial management

Nice to have

A strong professional network in the Southeast; experience in Florida; relationships across the Gulf or South Atlantic states; a track record of growing cultural resources services or expanding into new markets

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance (paid at 70% for employee and family); annual allocations of company share through ESOP; 401(k) plan with company match; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; tuition reimbursement; professional development bonuses; attendance at conferences