Coastal Resilience Specialist

Who We Are

Straughan Environmental, Inc. is a successful, rapidly growing, woman owned business that provides high quality and cost-effective consulting services to a wide variety of clients in the governmental and private sectors. Straughan is committed to advancing sustainable and resilient communities. We are experts in environmental planning, design, assessments, and policy. Our staff consists of wildlife and wetlands scientists; geomorphologists and hydrologists, civil and environmental engineers; inspectors; biologists and botanists; planners; cultural resource specialists; and GIS and CAD professionals. This combination of technical expertise and an understanding of policy make Straughan a highly competitive firm and a great place to advance your career.

Job Purpose

Straughan is seeking a highly motivated and versatile Mid-Level Coastal Resilience Specialist with experience in nature-based solutions (NbS), resilience, and ecological-based design to join our water resources and coastal resilience team. This individual will support the planning, design, and implementation of sustainable and resilient projects that integrate ecological processes into engineering solutions. Work will include planning and design of coastal wetland restoration, living shorelines, built and natural infrastructure resilience, and coastal and compound flooding solutions.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of coastal and watershed systems, climate resilience challenges (e.g., flooding, sea-level rise), and a passion for delivering innovative, sustainable solutions. This role includes collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to perform field assessments, modeling, design, and permitting for a variety of projects. Familiarity with grant-funded projects and grant pursuit is a plus.

Straughan operates under a flexible, hybrid workplace strategy. Employees work primarily from home, with schedules approved by their supervisor. While all candidates will be considered, we have a preference for candidates residing in Delaware, Maryland, or Virginia. Office reporting locations are our Headquarters (Maryland) and/or our Newark, DE office. Occasional travel for field work and client meetings is expected

Straughan Benefits

Straughan supports our staff with a comprehensive benefits package, including Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance; a 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match; tuition assistance; PTO; 8 paid holidays; Parental Leave; HSA/FSA; a flexible work schedule; and employer-paid short- and long-term disability.

The compensation range for this position is $90,000-$150,000. This range reflects the full span of qualifying experience and certifications for the role; final offers are commensurate with the selected candidate's experience level.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead tasks or components of projects focused on nature-based and hybrid infrastructure solutions
• Support project managers with planning, budgeting, and execution of coastal and water resources projects
• Perform or support hydrologic and hydraulic modeling (e.g., HEC-RAS, SWMM, coastal/storm surge models)
• Design and support development of living shorelines
• Design and support development of coastal and upland wetland and floodplain restoration projects
• Design and support development of green stormwater infrastructure (bioswales, buffers, BMPs)
• Conduct alternatives analyses comparing gray and nature-based solutions
• Integrate climate resilience considerations (sea level rise, extreme precipitation, flood risk)
• Perform field assessments, site investigations, and data collection
• Prepare plans, specifications, reports, and visualizations
• Coordinate with ecologists, planners, GIS specialists, and stakeholders
• Support environmental permitting at local, state, and federal levels
• Participate in stakeholder and client meetings, presenting technical findings
• Mentor junior staff and support their development
• Support proposal development, cost estimating, and business development efforts
• Assist with construction phase services, including submittal review and site visits

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Biological/Ecological Science or Civil, Environmental, Coastal, or Water Resources Engineering (or related field)

Experience:

• Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience in ecological restoration, water resources, coastal resilience, or resilience planning
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience with or review of deliverables completed with design software (AutoCAD, MicroStation)
• Experience with or review of deliverables completed with H&H and/or coastal modeling tools (HEC-RAS, SWMM, ADCIRC, Delft3D, or similar)
• Experience conducting field work and site evaluations
• Familiarity with nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, or ecosystem-based design approaches
• Environmental permitting experience

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with coastal processes, shoreline stabilization, or sediment transport
• Design experience with living shorelines
• Design experience with floodplain reconnection or wetland restoration
• Design experience with low impact development (LID) and environmental site design (ESD)
• Familiarity with climate adaptation and resilience planning
• Experience with federal or resilience-focused programs (e.g., FEMA, USACE, NOAA)
• Hydrodynamic and coastal modeling experience or familiarity with interpreting outputs (ADCIRC, Delft3D, HEC-RAS 2D)
• GIS experience (ArcGIS Pro)
• Experience with blue-green infrastructure and nature-based performance evaluation
• Grant-funded project experience or resilience planning studies
• Public outreach or stakeholder engagement experience
• Familiarity with Mid-Atlantic region regulations and projects
• Familiarity with drainage, stormwater management, and sediment control design

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position as required by applicable law.

• Prolonged periods standing
• Physical ability to perform outdoor field work, on water, and in unpleasant field conditions
• Physically able to conduct inspections and carry equipment used for inspections
• Must be able to lift up to 30 pounds at a time
• Must be able to traverse various types of terrain for extended periods of time

Straughan is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status