Assistant Staff Environmental Scientist

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) is seeking an Assistant Staff Environmental Scientist to be based out of our Broomfield or Fort Collins, Colorado offices. The selected candidate will support projects in the Rocky Mountain and Northern Great Plains regions.

The Staff Environmental Scientist position requires an educational and experiential background in biology, natural resource management, botany, water resources, wildlife management, or a related field. This exciting position will be a mix of field and office work, depending on project type and season.

This position will require regular time spent in outdoor environment, often remote, where the climate, weather and terrain can be demanding. The position may involve an irregular schedule and extended hours. It is anticipated that moderate travel, including occasional overnight stays, will be required. A key element of your job will be to independently supervise environmental survey crews in the field. Field work will be primarily in the Rocky Mountain region but may include travel to states in other ecoregions. Project reporting and other office tasks will require working on a computer for extended periods. To start, the workload is typically split into 70% field work and 30% office work dependent on need, with the option to move into more office work contingent on the incumbent's progression and interest.

Our Vision (the North Star), Core Values, and Purpose:  Help drive SWCA to be the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership.

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.

What you will accomplish

• Conduct a variety of natural resources field studies and monitoring including wetland delineations and reporting, construction environmental compliance monitoring and reporting, vegetation and habitat surveys, threatened/endangered species assessments, and general avian/wildlife surveys.

• Conduct detailed fieldwork, organize and save field data in digital formats, write technical reports and permit applications for approvals under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and other resource planning/permitting, and/or natural resource disciplines.

• Supervise a small crew while conducting environmental fieldwork. This includes:

  • independently assigning and directing the activities of others on behalf of SWCA, often in remote areas without immediate guidance from senior managers, to ensure quality and on-time delivery;
  • ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities and delegated tasks and being held accountable if crew members under your supervision are not performing their activities correctly, productively, and safely;
  • serving as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers;
  • receiving and resolving complaints from employees in the field; and
  • monitoring team productivity and providing timely performance feedback, including deciding when disciplinary action is necessary and delivering discipline.

• Assist in the writing and development of written deliverables for project work and assist project managers in budgeting, scheduling, and tracking.

Experience and qualifications for success

Required

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Ecology, Water Resources, Botany, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Science, Natural Resource Management, related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• At least two (2) years of natural resources experience in the public or private sector, including a minimum of one (1) year experience leading or conducting natural resources field work focused on wetland delineations and natural resources assessments.
• Ability to travel to a location, walk and conduct fieldwork for long hours, sometimes in inclement weather, rugged terrain, often at high altitudes, and ability to carry equipment and supplies weighing up to 40 pounds.
• Valid driver’s license and the ability safely drive a 4WD vehicle on backcountry roads.

Preferred

• Desire to provide excellent client service in a fast-paced work environment
• Knowledge of wetland and other aquatic botanical species taxonomy and ability to identify species in the field.
• Additional experience with reporting and fieldwork for stormwater inspections, environmental compliance, wildlife surveys, and/or avian surveys strongly preferred.
• Experience conducting desktop research for preliminary wetlands evaluations and compiling field data into aquatic resource inventory reports strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with GPS devices and digital data collection, and/or mapping software such as ArcGIS preferred.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and high attention to detail.
• Be a highly-organized self-starter, with a strong entrepreneurial initiative.
• The ability and willingness to learn new survey and monitoring techniques and protocols.
• Willingness to work closely on a team

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.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email accommodations@swca.com or call 480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All 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 on all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Broomfield,CO office-based position can expect an hourly wage of (Assistant Staff Environmental Scientist: $21.53- $27.83/hour), (Staff Environmental Scientist: $24.15 - $31.50/hour). Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA’s Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

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