Senior Wildlife Ecologist, Project Manager, San Joaquin Valley, Antelope Valley, and California Central Coast (Full-time)

We’re looking for a senior wildlife ecologist and project manager for projects in the San Joaquin Valley, Antelope Valley, and Central Coast, California. The anticipated pay range for this position is $98,500–$114,000 annually. Actual compensation within the range will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

What it’s like to work with us

The new wildlife ecologists will become part of the 12-person team and will work with other wildlife ecologists and experts in botany, land management, conservation planning, ecological restoration, and landscape architecture. H. T. Harvey & Associates has a reputation for deep scientific expertise and a high caliber of work. Our San Joaquin Valley team leaders have been researching and working in the region for more than three decades and have unparalleled expertise with the region’s species, habitats, regulatory environment, and habitat plans. The team has long-standing experience with transportation, solar energy, land management, and conservation projects. Services provided include ESA and CESA permitting; endangered and threatened species surveys and assessments, preconstruction surveys and monitoring; and conservation land assessment, preservation, and management.

Project managers will apply their expertise as the lead biologist on projects and lead project teams, helping develop solutions to ecological challenges in the San Joaquin Valley as well as in the broader Central Valley and Central Coast regions. The work will require local species expertise, a strong background in regulatory issues, and solid technical writing skills. Successful project managers possess a high level of personal organization and apply critical thinking to develop a project-specific approach. Many of our clients seek our expertise with the goal of going above and beyond project requirements, giving us the opportunity to contribute to projects that benefit the environment. Externally project managers serve as the liaison with clients, project team members, and agency contacts and work on proposals and business development efforts.

Our San Joaquin Valley team works remotely, with team members living throughout the region, from the Central Coast to Sacramento. We closely collaborate both online and in person, with a strong focus on team alignment and shared learning. This position does not require regular presence in a company office but will require travel to a company location in Fresno (or other regional locations) on occasion for in-person collaboration.

Current project needs include conducting surveys, population monitoring, and permitting projects involving rare plants and wildlife species including San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, Tipton’s kangaroo rat, San Joaquin antelope squirrel, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, Burrowing owl, California tiger salamander, and/or Swainson’s hawk.

Competencies, skills, and experience

We assume those who want to join our company as an 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 training and experience, the ideal candidates would also have experience with a variety of special-status wildlife species and their habitats in the greater Central Valley and/ or Central Coast, specifically with one or more of the following: San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, Tipton’s kangaroo rat, San Joaquin antelope squirrel, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, Burrowing owl, and/or Swainson’s hawk.

Candidates applying for a project manager position should have:

  • At least 6–10 years of applicable professional experience, including at least one year of management experience
  • Ideal candidates would also have experience with a variety of special-status wildlife species and their habitats in the greater Central Valley and/ or Central Coast. Specifically with one or more of the following: San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, Tipton’s kangaroo rat, San Joaquin antelope squirrel, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, California tiger salamander, burrowing owl, and/or Swainson’s hawk.
  • Prior experience with:
    • authoring and editing technical reports, with demonstrated exceptional writing ability
    • federal and state biological permitting processes, preferably in California
    • assessing project impacts within regulatory frameworks (CEQA and NEPA)
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills
  • Willingness to travel and work in a range of locations and terrains
  • A commitment to learning new things and coaching junior staff

Desired qualifications

  • A degree biological studies, natural resources, wildlife management, wildlife biology, or an equivalent subject. M.S or Ph.D. preferred.
  • Prior experience serving as a Designated Biologist for projects in the region

If you have a portion of the above items, but not all, we still welcome you to submit your application so we can learn more about your ecological expertise and experience!

Compensation

The anticipated pay range for a management-level position is 98,500–$114,000 annually, with a generous benefit package and managerial bonus plan. Actual salary will depend on a range of factors including length, relevancy, and type of work experience, education, permits held, skill set, and competencies. More details on our employment package are here.

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:

  • describe your strengths as a manager
  • include some observations about your favorite species
  • share some of your goals for your next position

Ultimately, we’ll ask candidates who move forward in the process 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.

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