Senior Biologist - Southern California

Work with people who do what they love and love where they do it. GPA Consulting, a multidisciplinary firm that specializes in environmental planning, biology studies, and historic preservation, is looking for a qualified Senior Biologist to join our diverse team of highly skilled professionals. If you are passionate about protecting natural habitats and you share our determination to provide our clients with high-quality work, then we want to hear from you.

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will be interested in developing a long-term consulting career that combines high-level technical expertise with leadership skills, and have:

• at least 5 years' experience as a biologist; and
• a minimum of a Bachelor degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, or a related field. 

Job Description

The chosen candidate's responsibilities include managing complex biological resources-related projects, leading biological due diligence assessments, construction monitoring, biological constraints studies, biological technical reports, regulatory permit applications, and agency negotiation during the environmental review and permitting process. The position will also include developing solutions to complex biological issues, coordinating with clients and regulatory agencies on mitigation strategies, and leading proposals, interviews, and business development activities for the biology team.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing technical direction and strategic solutions for challenging biological and regulatory issues;
• Assisting with mentoring biology staff on project management and developing solutions for challenging biological and regulatory issues;
• Managing small and large projects, including maintaining budgets, schedules, and quality of service;
• Preparing project budgets for biological surveys and reporting;
• Coordinating with team members from other departments to develop proposals and implement projects;
• Leading or conducting reconnaissance surveys, rare plant surveys, botanical inventories, and vegetation classification/habitat mapping in accordance with the Manual of California Vegetation and National Vegetation Classification System;
• Leading or conducting surveys for threatened, endangered and sensitive wildlife throughout southern California;
• Collecting field data and writing reports for biological assessments;
• Gathering and researching applicable project information and use information in technical analysis and biological documents;
• Working with the accounting department to review invoices, expenditures and project audits for projects/tasks;
• Leading or conducting quantitative or qualitative restoration site monitoring;
• Monitoring construction activities to ensure compliance with mitigation/permit requirements;
• Coordinating and supervising the preparation of biological documents and technical analysis;
• Peer reviewing team deliverables and providing feedback to project team members;
• Meeting with internal project managers and external clients to discuss project requirements;
• Preparing presentations for clients, public, and boards or commissions;
• Conducting regular team meetings to track the progress of work products and deliverables; and
• Preparing and tracking project scopes, schedules, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, and progress reports.

Other Requirements

The ideal candidate will:

• Possess a diverse background and understanding of southern California wildlife and plant communities;
• Have advanced knowledge of federal and state legislation, policies, and procedures relating to the natural environment;
• Have a working knowledge of ecology and resource conservation, mitigation strategies, and basic engineering concepts and practices;
• Understand biological principles and ecosystem dynamics as applied in a planning setting;
• Have experience with preparing, and managing preparation of, technical biological documents, including survey reports, impact assessments, permit applications, and mitigation plans;
• Be skilled at communicating with regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over the natural environment in California;
• Have experience with conducting and overseeing wetland and other jurisdictional delineations, including (but not limited to) areas under jurisdiction of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife;
• Have experience with CEQA/NEPA and environmental permitting for waterways, including (but not limited to) Clean Water Act Section 404 Permits, Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certifications, and California Fish and Game Code Section 1602 Streambed Alteration Agreements;
• Have experience with state and federal wildlife protection regulations and guidelines for listed species;
• Have a wetland delineation training certificate;
• Have experience with preparation and implementation of mitigation and restoration plans;
• Have experience with avian surveys, including nesting surveys and monitoring;
• Have experience with pre-construction and construction compliance monitoring.
• Be familiar with the principles and techniques of effective project management;
• Demonstrate clear, concise, accurate technical writing and analysis;
• Have an ability to efficiently conduct archival/electronic research using relevant federal, state, and local agency and organization database;
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills;
• Be highly self-motivated and productive;
• Be detail oriented and accurate;
• Possess a commitment to quality on projects of all sizes and scopes;
• Work effectively and cooperatively both as an individual and in a team setting;
• Possess strong technical writing and analysis skills;
• Be able to multi-task, prioritize, track work progress across multiple projects;
• Possess strong organizational and computer skills (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Powerpoint, ArcGIS);
• Have a willingness and ability to travel when needed;
• Have a willingness and ability to work fluctuating and/or long hours as necessary; and
• Have a willingness and ability to work outdoors in inclement weather conditions when needed.

Physical Requirements

• Sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift; carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and coordination including use of a computer keyboard;
• Sufficient physical ability to conduct site visits outside, walk more than one mile efficiently, walk occasionally on uneven ground, and lift at least 25 pounds;
• Must be able to drive for long periods of time;
• May be required to travel by air or car which may include some overnight stays; and
• Must be able to multitask and work amid frequent interruptions.

Additional Skills Desired

• Proficient with geographic information systems
• Possession of Scientific Collecting Permits for species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act and a State of California Scientific Collecting Permit

*We respectfully ask that you do not contact employees of GPA through social media. If you have a question about the position, you can call our main line and ask for the hiring manager. 310-792-2690.

*GPA Consulting is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate anyone based on race, color, creed, gender, religion, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition sex, genetic information, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws. Further, GPA does not discriminate based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.