Senior Ecologist (Sacramento Valley)

We’re looking for an experienced senior ecologist for a full-time position in our Sacramento Valley office. The anticipated pay range for this position is $99,000―$116,000 annually plus an incentive bonus plan and a generous benefits package and participation in an annual incentive bonus program. Actual compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

What it’s like to work with us

H. T. Harvey & Associates has a reputation for deep scientific expertise and a high caliber of work in pursuit of our mission to create ecologically sound solutions to our clients’ complex natural resource challenges. The new senior ecologist will become part of the 8-person Sacramento office, which is perched along the scenic Sacramento River levee in Sacramento’s South Natomas neighborhood. As a senior manager in the office, you’ll report directly to Matt Wacker, principal-in-charge of the office. You’ll lead project teams and work collaboratively with other ecologists as well as experts in botany, aquatic ecology, land management, conservation planning, ecological restoration, and landscape architecture. Our projects are in the Sacramento Valley as well as in the broader Central Valley, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Mountain regions. The Sacramento office team has particular experience in projects focused on ecological restoration and on the long-term stewardship and monitoring of watersheds, habitat preserves, and similar conserved lands, often within the context of working agricultural lands or other multi-use landscapes.

Our ecologists spend time both in the field and in the office. When in the field you might work on special-status population surveys, impact analyses, or habitat assessments. When not doing field work, you’ll coordinate with clients and regulatory agencies, lead preparation of biological resource reports and natural resource management plans, steward processes to obtain regulatory permits, and manage project staff and budgets. Senior team members also help shape the priorities of the team and take part in decisions about new business pursuits and are encouraged to develop opportunities that align with their priority areas of interest and expertise.

What are some of the important types of projects and habitats we work on out of the Sacramento Valley office?

• Providing long term monitoring and supporting stewardship programs of conservation lands for water agencies
• Supporting the development of renewable energy projects in the Central Valley
• Assessing meadows and watersheds in the Sierra Nevada and designing restoration projects to improve ecological functions
• Developing and overseeing integrated invasive plant management programs
• Implementing the conservation programs of regional Habitat Conservation Plans and other large-scale habitat conservation programs
• Leading survey, population monitoring, and permitting projects involving Swainson’s hawks, burrowing owls, California red-legged frogs, California tiger salamanders, and vernal pool branchiopods
• Working with large private landowners to develop mitigation and conservation banks

Competencies, skills, and experience

We assume those who want to join our company as a senior ecologist have a strong and relevant academic background as well as prior applicable experience. We aim to hire team members who strive for excellence in their everyday work and who are interested in continually improving their scientific knowledge and collaborating with experts in other fields. In addition to having strong ecological expertise, the ideal candidate should have a combination of some or all of the following:

• Specialization in at least one ecological domain (wildlife, plant, aquatic, restoration ecology)
• Prior experience with federal and state biological permitting processes, ideally in California
• A drive to develop new project opportunities in your areas of expertise and interest
• Exceptional and proven technical writing ability
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Interest in hiring and mentoring staff
• Project management or junior project management experience

If you don’t have all the items above, but have a good portion of them, we still welcome you to submit your application so we can learn more about you!

A few other nitty gritty details

This position requires the future employee to:

• Follow best practices for field safety
• Hold a valid driver’s license with no major traffic violations or multiple minor violations
• Walk over varied terrain for surveys and work in inclement weather

How to apply

To start the application process, please submit your resume and a cover letter through our applicant portal. In your cover letter please:

• tell us about your specialized area(s) of expertise
• what you hope to get from your next position
• whatever else you’d like to share that isn’t obvious from your resume

Ultimately, we’ll ask for references and a work sample and potentially academic transcripts, but if you don’t have them handy now, they can be submitted later.

Please combine your cover letter and resume into one file and apply here.