Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, Stantec’s experts lead their fields and guide our work with rigor, a creative spirit, and vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties around the globe and are committed to fostering an inclusive community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. We’re a place to apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental talents on work that’s critical to our clients and the communities they support.

Stantec is a place where the best and brightest come to build on each other’s talents, do exciting work, and make an impact on the world around us. Join us and redefine your personal best.

Your Opportunity

Stantec is seeking a consulting biologist with at least 15 years of experience to join our southern California Ecosystems Group by operating out of our Santa Barbara, California office. We welcome a talented and collaborative team member with demonstrable experience in southern California and elsewhere. As a Principal-level Biologist with Stantec, you will work in a highly dynamic team environment with other biologists/ecologists/water resource specialists, and land planning and regulatory experts. This will be a leadership role providing direction and mentorship for junior team members, project management, and responsibility for driving business development. This position will primarily entail office work but may include limited opportunities for field work.

In this position, you will be responsible for the contribution and management of multi-disciplinary project teams in all phases of the execution and delivery of siting and licensing of energy production, including renewable energy, and electric and gas transmission projects, as well as natural resource planning and management projects. As a Principal Biologist, you will oversee and provide expertise in field biology, regulatory strategy, CEQA/NEPA analysis, and permitting strategy. Specific background and expertise should consist of excellent botanical, wetland, or wildlife technical expertise, expertise with regulatory permitting, and proven success in project and client management. This position requires extensive coordination with clients, resource agencies, and environmental and technical staff.

What You Will Do for Stantec

As a Principal Biologist:

Your assignments/projects will be advanced in nature and require the application of experience and strategy.
You will frequently Interact and interface with environmental regulators and clients; proactively assess and resolve concerns.
You will be responsible for independently planning, strategizing, implementing, and orchestrating the team to deliver complicated projects related to natural resources, wetlands, biophysical impact assessments, environmental assessments, and regulatory approvals. 
You will manage tasks and projects according to approved scopes of work and deliver quality reports on schedule and within budget, while maintaining consistency with Stantec’s Project Management Framework and International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-certified Integrated Management System (IMS).

You will provide senior technical peer reviews and independent reviews relating to natural resource science and biology on multidisciplinary projects.
You will apply technical and business knowledge and methods to develop creative, effective, and economical solutions to address current and potential project issues.
You will assist in analyzing current and emerging technical issues, and implementing actions to proactively address market, business, regulatory, and/or economic issues.
You will champion Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Policies, Procedures, Standards and Guidelines in the execution of all work. 
You will provide supervision, training, technical direction and mentoring to more junior staff. 
You will contribute to and lead business development activities, including proposals, pre-qualifications, scoping/budgeting, and relationship building with clients and prospective clients and industry colleagues.
The role has a target 65-75% direct project utilization goal.
Occasional overnight travel may be required within and outside of southern California. Your Capabilities and Credentials

You are a biologist or natural resources management specialist; and have a minimum 15 years of related experience demonstrating increasing levels of responsibility in business development, project management, executing technical aspects of complex projects, and mentorship. Your skills should include:

Highly skilled in communications and technical information exchange with clients, engineers and scientists, government regulators and agencies, and academia, as well as non-technical communication to the public.
Disciplined approach to project execution and technical excellence.
Shows leadership in striving to continuously improve technical performance.
Promotes new ideas and initiatives and creates an environment that supports creativity and innovation.
Builds and maintains productive professional and personal networking relationships.
Drives collaborative efforts within the region and beyond to deliver consistent, high quality and appropriately scoped technical work.
Proficient in and consistently demonstrates and promotes policies and procedures for HSE, including client-specific training (if applicable).
Extensive experience in reviewing and analyzing scientific data, maps, and drawings with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
Extensive demonstrable background, knowledge, and experience with the flora, fauna, and vegetative communities of southern California; experience in other areas of California and elsewhere will be considered a plus.
Extensive experience in conducting floristic botanical surveys, reconnaissance wildlife surveys, and species-specific protocol surveys; experience/permits with steelhead trout, tidewater goby, California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, California least tern, least Bell’s vireo, southwestern willow flycatcher, and/or coastal California gnatcatcher will be considered a plus.
Extensive experience in preparing technical documentation including biological survey reports, technical memoranda, Biological Resources Technical Reports (BRTRs), jurisdictional waters delineations and Aquatic Resources Delineation Reports (ARDRs), and/or biological resources sections for CEQA/NEPA documents
Extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental regulations and processes, particularly in southern California, such as:
California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act (CEQA/NEPA)
Federal and California Endangered Species Act (FESA/CESA)
Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (MBTA/BGEPA)
Clean Water Act (CWA)
Porter-Cologne Act
California Fish and Game Code (FGC)
California Coastal Act and Local Coastal Programs (CCA/LCPs)
Extensive experience in preparation of regulatory permit applications such as Clean Water Act Section 404/401, Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs), Fish and Game Code Section 1600 Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements, and/or federal/state Incidental Take Permits (ITPs).
Demonstrated experience leading environmental permitting of energy facilities, pipelines, and/or linear infrastructure projects in the western United States.
Demonstrated technical competence and project experience in natural resource fields applicable to commercial (primarily conventional or renewable energy generation/transmission) siting and licensing or environmental permitting of other infrastructure projects.
Experience in working on construction projects, compliance monitoring, environmental training, interpretation and application of regulatory requirements, and post-construction monitoring/reporting on small to large projects.
Experience with using GPS/GIS technology to collect biological survey data, map vegetation communities, and/or delineate jurisdictional waters.
Possession of a California Scientific Collecting Permit, State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and or federal Recovery Permit for special-status species will be considered a plus.
Wetland delineation training certificate will be considered a plus.
Must have ability to occasionally travel.
Must have a valid driver’s license and good driving record.
OSHA HAZWOPER 40-hour certification will be considered a plus.
A medical physical and/or drug and alcohol screening may be required for some project assignments.

Education and Experience

BS (MS degree preferred) in Biology, Environmental Science, Ecology, or a related field with minimum of 15 years of experience.

Typical office environment working with computers and remaining sedentary for long periods of time. Field work may include exposure to the elements including inclement weather. Ability to lift and move items and equipment up to 50 lbs.

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.

Stantec is a place where the best and brightest come to build on each other’s’ talents, do exciting work, and make an impact on the world around us. Join us and redefine your personal best.

Additional Information Salary Range(s): Pay transparency laws require employers to provide the following information for positions that may be in the following jurisdiction(s): Location Description: Min/Max Pay Range for postings located in CA (SF Area includes SF, SJS & WLC) Min Pay Range: CA Other Areas $116,800 Max Pay Range: CA Other Areas $175,200 Note: The final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec certain roles are bonus eligible.