Senior Ecologist

Company Description

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

AECOM is actively seeking an experienced Senior Ecologist to join our Natural Resources Group. This role is an exciting opportunity to support industry leading projects and programs in the utility, renewables, federal, transportation, and conservation sectors with opportunities to lead and specialize in meaningful technical work such raptor studies, species permitting, conservation plans, and large-scale environmental analyses.

This hybrid role can be based in any of our West region offices, including offices throughout California or Nevada. Experience and expertise in ecology of the interior west is required.

This position will support numerous natural resource projects in the west, including technical work on a variety of projects. Primary duties include raptor population studies, mitigation planning, regulatory compliance and permitting efforts including ESA, BGEPA, MBTA, 401/404, and preparing environmental documents (NEPA, resource management plans, and habitat conservation plans, etc). The position will entail marketing, including preparation of grant applications and contributions to proposals. Candidate will coordinate with resource agency staff, lead complex environmental, waters, and/or species-related permitting projects and participate in public review processes. Fieldwork will be varied and may include travel for up to a few weeks at a time with the candidate leading avian, herpetological, and/or mammal studies.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Designs and leads large-scale field studies with an emphasis on raptors/ornithology.
• Provide support to projects with advanced spatial modeling and statistical analysis needs, as applied to population analysis of sensitive species.
• Collaborates with a team to prepare large, complex natural resources documents such as NEPA sections, Technical Reports, Biological Assessments, Biological Evaluations, Habitat Conservation Plans, Eagle Conservation Plans, Resource Management Plans. Operates as primary author or senior reviewer as appropriate.
• Knowledge of major state and federal agencies (e.g., USACE, USFWS, BLM, BOR, CDFW, RWQCB, and CCC) and major regulatory frameworks (e.g., NEPA, CEQA, ESA, CESA, CFGC, CWA and CCA).
• Work independently and as part of a team; be innovative and a problem solver.
• Experience with management and synthesis of large datasets, including data from complex field survey protocols.
• Operates as primary point of contact for clients and resource agencies on projects.
• Supports career development of junior staff in the practice.
• Participates in interviews with large or small team for a variety of clients.
• Candidate will contribute to growth of department through marketing pursuits including grant applications, proposal preparation, interviews, and business development.
• Ability to work long field days (10-12 hours), on occasion and as needed

About AECOM’s Environment Business Line
Join AECOM to be part of an expert global team who is connected through a well-developed, worldwide, internal technical practice network through which you can learn from and brainstorm with the best in the world. AECOM is an industry-leading, world class environmental firm, and we want you to succeed within it.  We respect and encourage your own pathway to excellence via our Freedom to Grow initiative.

AECOM is known for our award-winning technical excellence, leading-edge science and innovative project delivery. We provide sustainable solutions for some of the world’s most challenging issues. Our global clients and their projects span a variety of market sectors and geographies and require innovative technical solutions to solve wide-ranging environmental problems.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: