Senior Biologist

Job Description

Terracon Consultants is seeking to hire a Senior Biologist for our Southern California Region. This position can report out of the following location : Colton, Los Angeles, or Orange County.

The ideal candidate will have experience in biological surveys and assessments, natural resource management, and California flora and fauna.

They will have a strong working knowledge of the Federal and State environmental laws associated with threatened / endangered species and regulatory permitting, while also being experienced with staff development, proposal preparation, and project management.

This role will lead a wide variety of wildlife, vegetation, and habitat restoration projects in Southern California with the opportunity to travel throughout California, the Pacific Northwest and Southwest to support other offices in Terracon’s West Coast Division (CA, WA, and OR).

The work will be a blend of biological resource studies, field surveys, leading field teams, data entry and management, technical report writing, and overall project management.

Fieldwork will be performed often off-trail and in all weather conditions. Assessments and surveys will be primarily to support compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Terracon is devoted to candidates who seek to continue to develop their long-term consulting career within leadership roles.

An important aspect of the work will involve staff mentorship and leading by example. Upon hire, the successful candidate could begin full-time work as early as April 2024.

Essential Roles and Responsibilities

Conduct and / or oversee field surveys such as focused species surveys, general biological or habitat resource assessments, threatened and endangered species assessments, wetland assessments, aquatic resources delineations and construction monitoring.

Prepare and / or oversee the preparation of specific technical reports such as biological assessments, aquatic resources delineations, mitigation plans, restoration or revegetation plans, vegetation management plans and biological monitoring reports.

Prepare and / or oversee the preparation of biological resources sections of CEQA and NEPA documents.

Prepare and / or oversee the preparation of regulatory permit application packages.

Assist with and / or lead geospatial and statistical analysis to support projects.

Supervise, mentor, and train junior staff.

Monitor workload and prioritize tasks.

Draft written proposals and / or assist with portions of proposals to clients, as opportunities arise. Interact with clients and manage contracts.

Develop understanding and be aware of project-related risk. Be familiar with what could go wrong on a project and how to protect the Company.

Lead safety efforts for team and ensure team follows safety rules and guidelines. Responsible for creating and modeling a safe work environment;

demonstrates safety practices. Promote pre-task planning for all projects.

Promote continuous quality monitoring and improvement on projects. Monitor quality standards and practices.

Supervise the analysis and formation of recommendations in written reports.

Assist in establishing and updating current policies / procedures for technical projects in field of expertise, to ensure proper interpretation and implementation by subordinate staff.

Provide technical direction and training to less experienced professional staff.

Participate in the development of marketing strategies and presentations of qualifications to clients on projects.

Requirements

Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, or a related field required, Master's degree highly desired.

Minimum of 9 years of progressively responsible experience in biological surveys, biological resource studies and resource management in either the public or private sector.

Valid driver’s license with acceptable violation history.

Overnight travel.

Possess strong wildlife and / or plant identification skills, excellent writing skills, and ability to record accurate field notes required.

Other Qualifications, Skills, Experience :

Special-status species handling permits or extensive experience highly preferred. Particularly those species covered inWestern Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, and San Bernardino County Biotic Overlay Maps.

Previous experience as a USFWS Approved Biologist and CDFW Designated Biologist for special-statusspecies such as desert tortoise highly preferred.

Resume showing experience in biological resource assessments, agency coordination and permitting, and environmental compliance for construction projects.

Knowledge of California and Federal regulatory agency permitting processes (401, 404, ESA, CESA, and LSAA).

Experience developing and implementing CEQA / NEPA biological mitigations.

Experience managing projects from start to finish including tracking budgets, client communication, supervision, and hitting deadlines.

Highly organized and motivated self-starter with a demonstrated track record of successfully managing and completing multiple concurrent projects.

Strong technical writing skills.

Effectively work independently and with a diverse project team.

Enjoy learning and sharing knowledge with others for the success of the company.

Maintain confidentiality and exercise good judgment with sensitive information disclosures.

Strong technical reading, writing, and reporting experience related to understanding sampling data and engineering drawings, construction specifications, and technical environmental reports.

Experience with geospatial data collection / management and ESRI software including ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Collector a plus.

Work Environmental and Physical Requirements :

This position requires working outdoors in various weather conditions with exposure to wet and / or humid conditions; high, precarious places;

extreme cold and extreme heat. The noise level in the work environment may be moderate to loud.

Field work requires the ability to sit, stand, talk, hear, kneel, stoop, crouch, climb or crawl.

Sensory abilities such as good vision, hearing, tactile and smell.

Ability to lift and / or move up to 50 pounds.

The expected salary range for this position is listed below. The base range may be adjusted based on the specific location of the applicant.

Final agreed upon compensation is based upon individual qualifications and experience.

$96600 - $149700 annually