Science Assistant Jobs in Utah (NOW HIRING)

About the opportunity
SWCA Environmental Consultants seeks an on-call Assistant Project Water Resources Scientist to support environmental, land use, and water planning projects. We're looking for passionate professionals to help us deliver impactful, high-quality environmental solutions. This on-call role offers the opportunity to provide highly technical support to innovative projects. This position will be responsible in part for maintaining GIS systems, executing tasks with limited supervision, and working with project managers to deliver high-quality deliverables to our clients.
This position will be an hourly, On-Demand/on-call position (no benefits except wellness time). The individual can work in a hybrid work environment near our Salt Lake City, Utah, office, or be fully remote (= distributed) within Utah.
At SWCA, we believe in fostering a collaborative and supportive environment where every team member contributes their unique skills and perspectives. We value creativity, teamwork, and a passion for delivering Sound Science and Creative Solutions to our clients. The ideal candidate should possess strong GIS technical skills, organizational and project management abilities, and experience with land use, environmental and water planning projects.
Application deadline: August 17, 2026, 5pm MT.
Our Vision (the North Star), Core Values, and Purpose: SWCA is an employee-owned firm and the best workplace and global leader in addressing sustainability, environmental, and social challenges.
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. Our company purpose is to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today.
What you will accomplish

• Serving as a technical point of contact for projects integrating land use, environmental, and water planning.
• Collaborating with project managers and subject matter experts to support complex and innovative multi-discipline projects.
• Developing standards and workflows to improve efficiency and quality of work.
• Using complex spatial databases integrating water, land use and environmental planning.
• Working with robust systems to track project updates, data quality, and version control.
• Demonstrating technical proficiency in geospatial science and tools.
• Gaining familiarity with client interfaces, expectations, and workflows.
• Acting as a liaison between clients, stakeholders, and project managers.
• Using ArcGIS Online (AGOL) maps, applications, and notebooks for projects.
• Supporting GIS tasks with minimal supervision.
• Attending virtual or in-person meetings with clients as needed.

Experience and qualifications for success
REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree in Geography, Biology, Environmental Science, or related field with a GIS emphasis (or GIS certificate).
• At least one (1) year in a GIS analyst role with increasing professional responsibility.
• Experience with land use, environmental, and/or water planning projects.
• Experience working with complex datasets supporting planning level workflows.
• Proven ability to support GIS-related aspects of a water and land use planning project, from project startup to final deliverables.
• Experience with ArcGIS Online for managing and distributing spatial data.

PREFERRED

• At least one (1) year in a water resources, land use planning, and/or environmental planning role with increasing professional responsibility.
• GISP or similar professional GIS certification.
• Experience supporting multi-disciplinary and/or multi-faceted projects.
• Experience developing analytical models related to natural or cultural resource processes.
• Understanding of agency internal processes and positive relationships with federal, state, and/or local land management and regulatory agencies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt to changing project needs.

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 will encourage you to grow and develop your career with us through our technical and professional development programs and diverse career opportunities. We believe in leadership at all levels. No matter where you sit in the organization you can make a lasting impact on the projects you work on, the teams and committees you join, and our business.
If you need assistance accessing SWCA's website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.
SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.
A Salt Lake City employee can expect a rate of $27.30/hour to $37.33/hour. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law.
SWCA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.
SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.