Senior Environmental Biologist / Project Manager

ESA is seeking a senior-level Environmental Biologist / Project Manager to join our team of scientists, ecologists, engineers and planners in the Southeast region. We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic team member with 10+ years of work experience, a passion for natural systems, working outdoors, and the desire to learn and grow. The position will be focused on marketing our existing contracts and strengthening client connections while providing leadership and guidance to our junior technical staff. This opportunity is focused on collaboration, ensuring outstanding client service, managing projects and overseeing work, ensuring production of quality work products, and being part of a team with a passion to do great work and have fun together. This is an exempt, full-time, salary role. This is a remote role with hybrid work as needed. Strong preference given to candidates within a commutable distance to our following ESA Office locations: Tampa, Sarasota, Orlando, or Boynton Beach. This role will involve some travel for site visits, projects, and in-person team collaboration as needed.

Who You Are

• Hold a bachelor's degree in a natural science field (e.g. biology, ecology, environmental science) and have a minimum of 10+ years of professional experience. The ideal candidate will specialize in one or more areas, including botany, arboriculture, ecology, wetlands, wildlife, Florida- specific local/state/federal permitting, habitat restoration, conservation/resource management planning, and similar natural resource-related disciplines.
• Experienced biologist who performs natural resource-related evaluations and technical studies. Experience leading biological fieldwork efforts including habitat surveys, protected species surveys, wetland delineations, and ecological monitoring within Florida is also required.
• Previous project management experience is required. This includes but is not limited to experience scoping and budgeting for projects
• Has a comprehensive understanding of applicable standard methods to conduct ecological assessments and solve complex, multi-disciplinary technical challenges
• You possess excellent oral and presentation skills. You have an interest in business development and have experience acquiring work through your existing network. You may lead the preparation of proposals for contract and project pursuits including providing technical input, contributing to proposal writing, identifying opportunities, and engaging with proposal/interview teams. These efforts will include having the responsibility for preparing scopes of work and budgets and reviewing scopes and budgets prepared by your staff. You may also lead and direct marketing and business development pursuits including developing capture strategies.
• Understand and follow environmental regulations and policies relevant to project locations
• You work collaboratively with clients and interdisciplinary teams to deliver your projects on time and within budget and have developed and tracked scope, schedules, and budgets.
• You have served as the primary author on a variety of environmental documents such as biological assessments, evaluations, and reports, and NEPA documents, utilizing your excellent writing and editing skills.
• You are known for preparing documents that are clear, concise, well-written and supported, and for your ability to present information understandably and speak persuasively about complex topics to clients, agency staff, teaming partners, other project stakeholders and the public.
• You are an effective team member and communicator who contributes constructively and cooperatively to solve project or team issues. You have led, managed, mentored, and/or supervised multidisciplinary teams including delegating and guiding more junior staff through simple to complex tasks.
• You are comfortable working in and around water, and you preferably have experience working with tools, all-terrain vehicles and/or on boats.
• Preference given to qualified candidates with any of the following skillsets: Certified/Trained Boat Operator, Primary Caracara Observer, qualified to analyze bat acoustic data, Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent, Certified Arborist, Professional Wetland Scientist and / or a candidate who is competent at state and federal wetland delineations.
• Previous experience with software like Field Maps, Collector, Survey123, and GIS are preferred while experience with Microsoft Suite is required.
• You enjoy fieldwork and can walk long distances carrying a backpack; and are able to lift at least 50 pounds. You are confident working outside, in remote and rural settings, as well as in urban environments. Physical outdoor work may include, but may not be limited to, work in all types of weather, traversing uneven ground in a variety of environments, along stream banks, and in coastal/intertidal areas. You may be exposed to inclement weather and uncomfortable working conditions. Some night and/or weekend work may be required.

What You Will Do for ESA

Using judgment and critical thinking to select, you will apply and adapt standard techniques, methods, and procedures for a wide range of basic to large/complex biological studies. You will serve as a technical specialist, peer review the work of others and provide supervision and/or mentorship to more junior team members. Detailed responsibilities may include:

• Serving as Project Manager. Overseeing the completion of projects, including coordinating the project delivery schedule, handling project logistics, disseminating and maintaining project-related information, serving as the point person for team member or client questions, and delivering project deliverables and other assignments on time and within budget.
• Perform biological field studies such as habitat and species surveys, habitat inventories and assessments, wetland and stream delineations, compliance monitoring and habitat restoration. You will lead project efforts which require field data collection, quality control, and analysis in support of permit applications, environmental support documentation, and ecological design and plan development.
• You will possess a comprehensive understanding of regulations, policies, and principles in the topic and location of expertise.
• You will serve as a primary author or provide peer review of environmental documents potentially including technical memoranda, biological assessments/evaluations, scientific discipline reports, and/or sections of NEPA analyses, resource-related permit applications and/or other documents. You will prepare documents that are clear, concise, well-written and supported.
• You will work collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary team. You will have strong writing skills, effective oral presentation skills, listening skills, and the ability to present information understandably about complex topics.
• You will perform projects functions such as development and tracking of scope, schedule, and invoices You will deliver project assignments on time and within budget. You will check work for errors, accuracy, and applicability to project needs.
• You will work at your desk and outdoors - within a variety of habitat communities including fresh and saltwater marshes, forested systems, uplands, developed communities and on water work (e.g., streams, rivers, estuaries, open water)
• Thrive in a fast-paced, exciting, and challenging environment and be able to manage multiple responsibilities and deadlines, while working on a team or independently.
• You will support marketing and business development pursuits to build and maintain a robust opportunity pipeline.
• Other ad-hoc tasks as needed

What ESA Will Do for You

Joining ESA means becoming part of a close-knit team of environmental professionals who contribute to outstanding projects, improve environmental stewardship, and advance a more sustainable and resilient future for our communities and wild places.

At ESA, we provide benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance (paid at 70% for you AND your family), annual allocations of company shares through our ESOP, a 401(k) plan with company match, and paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays, to name a few.

We also provide specific programs whether you want to further your technical expertise, sharpen your business acumen, or help lead the next generation of employee-owners. We want to support you in reaching your career goals through tuition reimbursement, professional development bonuses, and attendance at conferences.

What's Special About Our Biological Resources Team in the Southeast

Our Team includes biologists, restoration ecologists, permitting specialists, conservation biologists, and environmental scientists that provide expertise for many municipalities throughout Florida and the Southeast Region. Our work matters because it helps communities shape a positive future for their citizens in balance with conserving our state's sensitive natural resources. We value creative thinking, teamwork, and multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement and integration.

We value creative thinking, teamwork, and multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement and integration. To read about some of the exciting projects we have recently completed, check out this link: https://esassoc.com/projects/