Fish Biologist Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Location: Santa Barbara, CA (or San Diego, CA)

Stantec is seeking a consulting biologist with at least 15 years of experience to join our southern California Ecosystems Group. This principal-level role will lead multidisciplinary teams, provide technical expertise, mentor junior staff, manage projects, and drive business development. The position is primarily based in the office but may include limited field work.

• Your assignments/projects will be advanced in nature and require the application of experience and strategy.
• Interact and interface with environmental regulators and clients, proactively assessing and resolving concerns.
• Plan, strategize, implement, and orchestrate the team to deliver complicated projects related to natural resources, wetlands, biophysical impact assessments, environmental assessments, and regulatory approvals.
• Manage tasks and projects according to approved scopes of work and deliver quality reports on schedule and within budget, while maintaining consistency with Stantec’s Project Management Framework and ISO-certified Integrated Management System.
• Provide senior technical peer reviews and independent reviews relating to natural resource science and biology on multidisciplinary projects.
• Apply technical and business knowledge and methods to develop creative, effective, and economical solutions to address current and potential project issues.
• Analyze current and emerging technical issues and implement actions to proactively address market, business, regulatory, and/or economic issues.
• Champion Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Policies, Procedures, Standards, and Guidelines in the execution of all work.
• Provide supervision, training, technical direction and mentoring to more junior staff.
• Contribute to and lead business development activities, including proposals, pre-qualifications, scoping/budgeting, and relationship building with clients and prospective clients.
• Occasional overnight travel within and outside of southern California may be required.

• Biologist or natural resources management specialist with at least 15 years of related experience showing increasing levels of responsibility in business development, project management, technical execution, and mentorship.
• Highly skilled in communications and technical information exchange with clients, engineers and scientists, government regulators and agencies, academia, and the public.
• Disciplined approach to project execution and technical excellence.
• Leadership in striving to continuously improve technical performance.
• Promotes new ideas and initiatives and creates an environment that supports creativity and innovation.
• Builds and maintains productive professional and personal networking relationships.
• Drives collaborative efforts within the region and beyond to deliver consistent, high-quality and appropriately scoped technical work.
• Proficient in and consistently demonstrates and promotes policies and procedures for HSE, including client-specific training (if applicable).
• Extensive experience in reviewing and analyzing scientific data, maps, and drawings with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Extensive demonstrable background, knowledge, and experience with the flora, fauna, and vegetative communities of southern California; experience in other areas of California and elsewhere will be considered a plus.
• Extensive experience in conducting floristic botanical surveys, reconnaissance wildlife surveys, and species-specific protocol surveys; experience/permits with steelhead trout, tidewater goby, California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, California least tern, least Bell’s vireo, southwestern willow flycatcher, and/or coastal California gnatcatcher will be considered a plus.
• Extensive experience in preparing technical documentation including biological survey reports, technical memoranda, Biological Resources Technical Reports (BRTRs), jurisdictional waters delineations and Aquatic Resources Delineation Reports (ARDRs), and/or biological resources sections for CEQA/NEPA documents.
• Extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental regulations and processes, particularly in southern California, including CEQA/NEPA, FESA/CESA, MBTA/BGEPA, CWA, Porter-Cologne Act, California Fish and Game Code, California Coastal Act, and Local Coastal Programs.
• Extensive experience in preparing regulatory permit applications such as Clean Water Act Section 404/401, Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs), Fish and Game Code Section 1600 Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements, and/or federal/state Incidental Take Permits (ITPs).
• Demonstrated experience leading environmental permitting of energy facilities, pipelines, and/or linear infrastructure projects in the western United States.
• Demonstrated technical competence and project experience in natural resource fields applicable to renewable or conventional energy generation, transmission, licensing, or environmental permitting of other infrastructure projects.
• Experience in working on construction projects, compliance monitoring, environmental training, interpretation and application of regulatory requirements, and post-construction monitoring/reporting on projects ranging from small to large.
• Experience with using GPS/GIS technology to collect biological survey data, map vegetation communities, and/or delineate jurisdictional waters.
• Possession of a California Scientific Collecting Permit, State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and/or federal Recovery Permit for special-status species will be considered a plus.
• Wetland delineation training certificate will be considered a plus.
• Must be able to occasionally travel and have a valid driver’s license with a good driving record.
• OSHA HAZWOPER 40-hour certification will be considered a plus.
• A medical physical and/or drug and alcohol screening may be required.

• BS (MS preferred) in Biology, Environmental Science, Ecology, or a related field.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in applied biological and ecological consulting.
• Typical office environment with prolonged computer use; field work may include exposure to the elements and inclement weather.
• Ability to lift and move items and equipment up to 50 lbs.

Stantec is a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities worldwide.

Locations in CO, HI, IL, MD & Various CA, NJ Areas – $108,900.00 to $163,400.00
Locations in WA, DC & Various CA areas – $116,800.00 to $175,200.00

Medical, dental, vision, wellness program, HSAs, FSAs, 401(k), employee stock purchase program, AD&D, disability, emergency travel benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage, paid family leave, 10 paid holidays, 10-20 days vacation, paid sick leave (in accordance with state and local law). Temporary/casual employees have access to 401(k) plans, employee stock purchase program, and paid leave as permitted by state and local law.

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. At Stantec we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process then please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.