Senior Biologist

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Senior or Principal Biologist - Permitting Lead with experience in natural resources and aquatic permitting, natural resource management, biological studies, and mentoring for our Northern California Natural Resources and Ecological Restoration Programs. We are seeking a candidate with strong interpersonal skills and experience in planning, permitting, and project management to join our team and primarily support water resources, transportation infrastructure, and restoration projects.

• Serve as a regulatory subject matter expert, focused on wetlands/waters and State/federal Endangered Species Act permitting for Northern California.
• Lead wetlands/waters and permitting team, including planning and cultural resources staff.
• Provide quality assurance of our wetland and natural resource studies.
• Conduct all aspects of leading wetland and waters projects including: wetland and waters jurisdictional determination, delineation, permitting, agency coordination/consultation, mitigation planning and design, adaptive management plan, and construction and post-construction monitoring.
• Lead biological technical assessment and survey efforts including preparing and providing subject matter expert review for technical reports and environmental permits such as biological resource assessments and constraints analyses, State and federal Endangered Species Act consultations, Clean Water Act Section 404/401 permitting, Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission permits, and compliance with the California Coastal Act.
• Prepare and review technical documents, including wetland and waters delineation reports; complete wetland resource area delineations and functional assessments.
• Work closely with a project team to develop innovative approaches to resource assessment that meet client needs that can withstand agency and public scrutiny.
• Manage small and large, complex projects, including maintaining budgets, schedules, and quality of service.
• Prepare and review project budgets.
• Supervise, mentor, and provide project technical support to biological staff.
• Collect field data and write reports for natural resource assessments.
• Serve as project manager or technical lead on a variety of resource management projects, including larger, more complex and potentially multidisciplinary projects.
• Work with Corporate accounting department to review invoices, expenditures and project audits for projects/tasks.
• Work closely with SWCA's resource scientists and environmental planners, managers and directors in both natural and cultural resources throughout the company to promote SWCA's business interests in adherence to its mission, vision, and values.
• Serve a lead client interface and grow Northern California business especially in the water resources and transportation business lines.

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a biological science or closely related field.
• At least ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in natural resource management.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in environmental consulting or within agencies.
• Minimum of five (5) years managing wetlands/waters and related projects.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce high quality written reports and verbal presentations at hearings.
• Experience managing complex, interdisciplinary project teams.
• Demonstrated experience preparing, obtaining wetlands/waters permits, and consulting with regulatory agencies for compliance with the Clean Water Act Section 404/401, California Fish and Game Code Section 1600, Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, California Coastal Act, and associated regulations such as the federal Endangered Species Act.
• Working knowledge of the Army Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory, 1987) and National Historic Preservation Act.
• Demonstrated successful client and regulatory agency relationships.
• Field experience describing soils, California flora, and wetland and waters hydrology indicators; especially with conducting delineations in arid environments.
• Supplementary experience in other areas of natural resources consulting such as wildlife surveys, botanical surveys, and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document preparation is beneficial.
• Ability to travel as needed for projects throughout Northern California including overnight travel.
• Business development and client management experience.

• A minimum of a Master's degree in a biological science or closely related field.
• At least twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience in natural resource management.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in environmental consulting or within agencies.
• Minimum of seven (7) years managing wetlands and related projects.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and mentor natural resources staff.
• California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) training in one or more areas.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms.

We are #OneSWCA and collaborate across all our offices, programs, and disciplines. We are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack. We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. It is imperative for the successful candidate to fit SWCA's unique culture. Do you appreciate sustainability and environmental awareness? Is giving back to your community a priority? SWCA is a team of scientists, planners, technical experts, and corporate services professionals that are committed to our culture.

Purpose: Our company purpose is to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today. You are invited to be a part of our success story.