Senior Biologist & Permitting Specialist

Market Environmental

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Jacobs’ Honolulu office is seeking a Senior Biologist & Permitting Specialist who can provide leadership and support for public and private sector infrastructure projects throughout Hawaii. At Jacobs, we see our job as more than environmental consulting – we are helping our clients secure our world’s natural resources. We want you to bring your passion and expertise to our dynamic interdisciplinary team of biologists, environmental planners, cultural resources experts, geomorphologists, stream restoration engineers, and beyond.

Together, our team helps deliver some of the most exciting and transformative infrastructure projects in the region, from fish passages projects to wetland and stream mitigation, to sustainability initiatives and more.

This is your opportunity to act as a technical support resource specialist in the field of wetland ecology, mitigation, biology, regulatory compliance, National and Hawaii Environmental Policy Act analyses and documentation, and other federal, state, and local permitting. Work will include managing complex projects across the region, leading teams of specialists, and performing both office and field work. Duties will include project/task management, field work, interagency/interdisciplinary coordination, business development, and opportunities to build a team and mentor staff.

You’ll also have the flexibility afforded to all Jacobs employees to continue growing your career in the direction you choose, even as you deliver critical project work.

• Collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, planners, and other professionals to assemble regulatory compliant environmental plans, reports, and permits. This includes permitting at the local, state (i.e., Coastal Zone Management Act Federal Consistency Reviews, Conservation District Use Permits, Natural Resource Conservation Plans, and Special Management Area (SMA) permitting), and federal (i.e., Dept. of the Army Permitting, Clean Water Act Sections 10, 404, and 401) level.
• Leading fieldwork efforts (aquatic resource, habitat, and vegetation surveys) in Hawaii following state and federal protocols.
• Assisting with preparation of environmental documents for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Hawaii Environmental Policy Act (HEPA) analyses and documentation including environmental resource reports, Environmental Assessments (EA) and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS).
• Supporting proposal preparation, client maintenance, and business development activities.
• Preparing scopes of work and estimating level of effort for task completion.
• Acting as a biology or permitting project manager and/or task lead on projects.
• Maintaining excellent communication with clients, regulatory agencies and local government officials, employees, subcontractors.
• Providing management support and fostering the career growth of junior-level environmental staff.

• BS or MS in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science or related scientific discipline or technical field.
• 10+ years of environmental consulting or agency experience emphasizing your understanding of aquatic resource delineations, endangered species act compliance, fish surveys and recovery, and/or permitting experience.
• Knowledge of state and federal permitting programs such as the Clean Water Act and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 404/401 wetland permitting process.
• Ability to lead aquatic resource surveys, requiring strong knowledge of native vegetation, soils, wetland community types, and stream characteristics.
• Experience utilizing handheld GPS equipment and software is highly desired.
• Experience preparing for and participating in meetings with stakeholders.
• Project management or environmental task lead experience.
• D…