Associate Project Environmental Scientist

SWCA's growing Chicago team seeks an Associate Project Environmental Scientist to join our natural resources team. We are expanding our team and looking for dynamic individuals who are following their passion for delivering the highest-quality project work. If you thrive in the pursuit of ensuring excellence in environmental consulting services, this is a great opportunity for you!

The successful candidate will possess a broad range of skills including identification of Midwest botanical and wildlife species, attention to detail, organizational skills, willingness to learn, effective communication and time management skills.

This position is an hourly, full-time, remote position supporting project work in northwest Indiana and the surrounding areas.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

• Apply a broad range of environmental compliance and permitting experience to support regional transmission and oil & gas focused projects related to Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and other resource planning/permitting, and/or natural resource disciplines.
• Lead (or help lead), oversee, and execute the management of permitting efforts for renewable energyand linearprojectsof the appropriate size and complexity.
• Provide timely and effective communications to client and agency representatives.
• Help take initiative and resolve issues to assure our client's needs are met effectively.
• Complete technical writing assignments focused on the reporting and permitting of environmental compliance documents.
• Help lead and advise on the development of permitting strategies, provide QA/QC of work processes and deliverables, and lead teams completing technical studies that support permitting efforts.
• Supervise, mentor, and provide project-specific technical support to junior staff.
• Use topographic maps, aerial photographs, GPS units, and other tools for the preparation and execution field studies.
• In the field, oversee a crew or work independently while supporting a variety of data collection needs including wetland delineation, vegetative surveys, protected species and habitat surveys as well as construction compliance efforts.
• Data processing, review, and analysis.
• Takes responsibility for team safety, developing safety plans (when applicable), and anticipating potential safety hazards.

Minimum qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree in Biology, Botany, Environmental Science, Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Ecology, or a related field.
• Five (5) years of experience project management; environmental consulting; or conducting a variety of environmental site investigations including wetland delineation, protected species habitat surveys, Phase 1 site assessments, etc, within the Midwest, Northeast, and Eastern Mountains and Piedmont Regions.
• Technical writing experience associated with the summarization of site conditions and the preparation of permit compliance evaluations.
• Demonstrated experience working in a fast-paced work environment and desire to work in a highly collaborative team atmosphere.
• Experience and ability to manage projects in diverse settings and with changing requirements.
• Familiarity with mapping software (such as ArcGIS) and GPS devices.
• Ability to travel to a location, hike and conduct fieldwork for long hours, sometimes in inclement weather, while carrying equipment and supplies weighing up to 50 pounds is required.
• Able to conduct field work on a daily to weekly basis with some overnight mobilizations, if needed. Travel is estimated at approximately 30% and is anticipated to occur within the Midwest region, primarily throughout the active field season.
• Applicants must have valid driver's license and be able to meet SWCA's driver requirements.
• Applicant must be willing to participate in a drug testing and alcohol screening as part of the pre-employment process, as some projects require such screenings.

Preferred qualifications:

• Strong working relationships with the local, state and federal regulatory agencies, such as the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the USACE Chicago, Detroit, and Louisville District Offices.
• Task or project management experience.
• Experience with supervising staff and project teams.

Why Work at SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA 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 live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. 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 offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

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 1-480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.

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

An employee in this remote-based position can expect an annual salary of $68,140.80 - $87,447.36. 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.

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.