Forestry and Fire Planner I/II

Summary

Forestry and Fire Planner I

The Forestry and Fire Planner I supports APS's vegetation management program by helping ensure the safe and reliable operation of the electric system while protecting communities, customers, and natural resources. This role focuses on implementing vegetation management activities, maintaining compliance with regulatory and environmental requirements, monitoring work quality, and supporting defensible space programs around utility infrastructure, including Defensible Space Around Poles (DSAP) activities. 

Forestry and Fire Planner II

The Forestry and Fire Planner II leads the strategic execution of vegetation management programs across APS service territories, supporting system reliability, wildfire risk reduction, and environmental stewardship. As a subject matter expert in arboriculture, utility vegetation management, and industry best practices, this role helps establish operational priorities, influence program strategy, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. The position provides technical leadership and guidance to field teams and contractors while shaping long-term vegetation management and defensible space strategies, including DSAP program execution, that support APS's operational goals, regulatory commitments, and dedication to the communities it serves.

Location: Flagstaff, Prescott or Phoenix (significant travel required) 

What Your Day Would Be Like

• Coordinate vegetation management activities that help maintain system reliability and reduce wildfire risk.
• Conduct field inspections and audits to ensure vegetation work meets safety, environmental, regulatory, and arboricultural standards.
• Support the implementation and monitoring of defensible space programs, including vegetation management around utility poles and infrastructure through DSAP activities.
• Partner with contractors, field personnel, customers, and landowners to address vegetation-related concerns and support program objectives.
• Prioritize and manage scheduled work plans as well as emergent activities such as vegetation outages and maintenance-related issues.
• Lead the planning and execution of vegetation management and wildfire mitigation programs across APS service territories (Planner II). 
• Serve as a technical resource for arboriculture, environmental stewardship, utility vegetation management practices, and defensible space strategies. (Planner II). 
• Provide guidance and mentorship to field teams and contractors to promote safe, efficient, and high-quality work execution. (Planner II). 
• Evaluate program performance, identify opportunities for innovation and improvement, and contribute to planning and budgeting activities. (Planner II). 

Who We're Looking For

• Knowledge of forestry, arboriculture, vegetation management, environmental science, natural resources, or a related field.
• Understanding of applicable safety regulations, environmental requirements, and industry standards.
• Ability to prioritize competing responsibilities and effectively manage both planned and emergent work activities.
• Advanced knowledge of utility vegetation management, arboriculture, wildfire mitigation, environmental stewardship, or related disciplines.  (Planner II). 
• Ability to provide technical leadership, influence operational priorities, and support strategic decision-making. (Planner II). 
• Experience guiding contractors or field personnel and fostering strong working relationships across diverse stakeholder groups. (Planner II). 
• Strong planning, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to balance operational and long-term program priorities. (Planner II). 

Minimum Requirements

Planner I 

• Minimum four-year bachelor's degree in forestry, arboriculture, biology related field from an accredited college or university and four (4) years related arboriculture experience.
• In lieu of bachelor's degree, ISA Certified Arborist plus five (5) years of arboriculture field experience.
  • Possess and maintain ISA Arborist certification within one year of employment
  • Possess and maintain AZ PMD within six months of employment
  • Possess and maintain Utility Specialist certifications within two years of employment
  • Possess S-130/ S-190 within one year of employment
  • Possess IS-100within one
    
    

Planner II

• Minimum four-year bachelor's degree in forestry, arboriculture, biology related field from an accredited college or university and six (6) years related arboriculture experience.
• In lieu of bachelor's degree, ISA Certified Arborist plus Seven (7) years arboriculture field experience. 
• Possess and maintain ISA Arborist certification
• Possess and maintain AZ PMD
• Possess and maintain Utility Specialist certifications
• Possess and maintain Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) within one year of employment
• Possess S-130 / S-190
• Possess IS-100
  
  

Planner I/II 

• Driving throughout statewide division territories to various work sites.
• Working hours outside of the normal work schedule including evening / weekend on call, and overnight travel (approximately 25%). 
• Working outdoors during inclement weather or extreme heat or cold situations. 
• Exposure to dangers inherent to work sites including sharp, high-speed rotating equipment, electrical facilities and infrastructure, falling and flying debris, difficult terrain, pesticides, insects and wildlife.
• This position requires work to be performed in the field and/or at the work site and is approximately 80% field work, 20% office.

Preferred Special Skills, Knowledge or Qualifications:

• Arizona Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Management Division, Right-of-Way Certified Applicator license and/or obtain such certification within one year of employment and maintain certification.
• Working knowledge of APS policies and procedures, environmental regulations, applicable ANSI and OSHA standards, and DOT regulations.
• Computer experience including Microsoft Office 365 suite.
• Experience communicating effectively across multiple layers of an organization and with geographically distributed field personnel.
• Interpersonal and communication skills, strong problem solving and coordinates diverse responsibility, and attention to detail.
• A strong commitment to environmental stewardship.

Major Accountabilities

1) Plan, schedule and release work to vegetation management contractor crews. Inspect finished work and evaluate crew performance. Ensure conformity to all involved contracts, industry standards and best management practices; applicable federal and state laws; DOT and EPA PMD regulations; ANSI and OSHA standards; herbicide product labels and MSDS sheets; APS safety standards; and APS Vegetation Management Manual, the APS Transmission Vegetation Management Plan and the FAC-003 Reliability Standard.

2) Assist in the development and execution of vegetation management strategies that align with APS¿s long-term operational goals, regulatory compliance, and environmental stewardship commitments. Collaborate with internal departments to integrate vegetation management into broader utility operations, ensuring seamless coordination and shared accountability.

3) Provide support to overall directives and performance expectations in compliance with the APS Accident Prevention Manual. Assist management in the investigation personnel injuries, accidents, property damage and any line outages or suspected line outages caused by vegetation. May backfill supervisor role as needed. Participate in contractor accident investigations by documenting incident details, capturing photographic evidence, and conducting thorough reviews of events. Compile findings into formal reports, identify root causes, and propose actionable recommendations to prevent future occurrences.

4) Lead vegetation-related emergency response planning and execution, including wildfire mitigation, storm recovery, and outage prevention. Coordinate with emergency management teams and external agencies.

5) Responds to escalated customer concerns related to scheduled trimming/removals and/or completed trimming/removals, including clean up and property damage. Act as a liaison for customer (internal/external) interactions, educating and working with utility consumers, tree trimming crews and utility personnel. Participate in training programs and public education programs by preparing and or public speaking.

6) Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory bodies and environmental agencies. Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, proactively identifying and mitigating risks related to vegetation encroachment, outages, and safety hazards. Leads audits, develops mitigation strategies, and represents APS in external forums.

7) Coordinate the activities and operations of Arborists in the assigned area to conform to the overall work plan.

8) Investigate requests for trimming or removal of trees and brush; perform identification, inspection and evaluation along utility lines and right of ways.

9) Mentors other Forestry / Fire Planners, leads cross-functional teams, and advises leadership. Provide technical expertise, instruction, and assistance to field personnel.

10) Responsible for auditing contactors for effectiveness, work productivity and quality, safe work practices and compliance with utility specifications, adherence to best management practices and environmental mitigations.

11) Ensure that all equipment is operating properly, all trucks are scheduled for periodic maintenance and repairs to maintain and stocked as required. Required to make certain that all tools are in working order.

12) Conduct substation vegetation inspections for pruning, removal and replacement and bare ground herbicide treatment.

13) Evaluate and implement emerging technologies (e.g., LiDAR, drone inspections, GIS mapping) to enhance vegetation monitoring, predictive analytics, and operational efficiency. Applies integrated vegetation management (IVM) techniques. Maintain up to date knowledge of technology and regulations through profession

Export Compliance / EEO Statement

This position may require access to and/or use of information subject to control under the Department of Energy's Part 810 Regulations (10 CFR Part 810), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR Parts 730 through 774), or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter M Part 120) (collectively, 'U.S. Export Control Laws'). Therefore, some positions may require applicants to be a U.S. person, which is defined as a U.S. Citizen, a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (i.e. 'Green Card Holder'), a Political Asylee, or a Refugee under the U.S. Export Control Laws. All applicants will be required to confirm their U.S. person or non-US person status. All information collected in this regard will only be used to ensure compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws, and will be used in full compliance with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of national origin and other factors. For positions at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Stations (PVNGS) all openings will require applicants to be a U.S. person.

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates ('Pinnacle West') maintain a continuing policy of nondiscrimination in employment. It is our policy to provide equal opportunity in all phases of the employment process and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. This policy of nondiscrimination shall include, but not be limited to, recruiting, hiring, promoting, compensating, reassigning, demoting, transferring, laying off, recalling, terminating employment, and training for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, disability, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other classification or characteristic protected by law.

For more information on applicable equal employment regulations, please refer to EEO is the Law poster. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of every person hired to work in the United States, refer to E-Verify poster. View the employee rights and responsibilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

In compliance with the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988, the Company is committed to a work environment that is free from the effects of alcohol and controlled substances, and free from the abuse or inappropriate use of prescribed and over-the-counter medications. The Company requires employees to be subject to drug and alcohol testing that is job-related and consistent with business necessity, regulatory requirements and applicable laws.