Wetland Scientist

About the opportunity

SWCA's growing Chicago team seeks a Staff Wetland 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 Staff Wetland Scientist position requires an educational and experienced background in biology, natural resource management, botany, water resources, or a related field. This position will be a mix of field and office work, depending on project type and season. Depending on project, an element of your job may be to supervise a small crew conducting natural resources field work.

This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position supporting projects in Cincinnati, OH
, and the surrounding area(s). This position offers the opportunity to support both field and office-based projects, depending on project needs. This position is hybrid eligible and requires candidates to be within commutable distance to Cincinnati, OH.

Final date to receive applications:
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.

• Conduct a variety of natural resources field studies including wetland delineations, vegetation and habitat surveys, threatened/endangered species assessments, and avian/wildlife surveys.
• Conduct detailed fieldwork, organize and save field data in digital formats, and write technical reports and permit applications for approvals under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and other resource planning/permitting, and/or natural resource disciplines.
• For Staff Wetland positions, depending upon project, an element of your job may be to independently supervise a biological survey crew in the field. This includes:
  • Independently assigning and directing the activities of others on behalf of SWCA, often in remote areas without immediate guidance from senior managers, to ensure quality and on-time delivery;
  • Ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities and delegated tasks and being held accountable if crew members under your supervision are not performing their activities correctly, productively, and safely;
  • Serving as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers;
  • Receiving and resolving complaints from employees in the field; and
  • Monitoring team productivity and offering timely performance guidance, including determining when correction action is needed and delivering appropriate feedback.
• Adheres to the safety program and looks out for the safety of others, promptly communicating and mitigating safety hazards.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Ecology, Water Resources, Botany, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Science, Natural Resource Management, related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Two (2) years of relevant natural resources experience in the private or public sector, including at least 1-year of experience conducting natural resources field work focused on wetland delineations and aquatic resources assessments.
• Experience conducting desktop research for preliminary wetlands evaluations and compiling field data into aquatic resource inventory reports.
• Familiarity with GPS devices and digital data collection, and/or mapping software such as ArcGIS.
• Ability to travel to a location, walk and conduct fieldwork for long hours, sometimes in inclement weather, rugged terrain, and ability to carry equipment and supplies weighing up to 40 pounds.
• The ability and willingness to learn new survey and monitoring…