Consulting or Senior Biologist/ Planner - Project Manager - (991)
Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. (WEST) is a dynamic medium size consulting firm with offices across the United States and Canada. We are looking for a full-time Consulting or Senior Biologist/Planner - Project Manager to manage work in the Upper Midwest, ideally located in or willing to relocate to the Twin Cities, Minnesota.
Since 1990, WEST has grown to be one of the premier environmental and statistical consulting firms in the United States. WEST has a permanent core of professionals with broad experience in basic and applied ecological studies and the sophisticated analysis of natural resource data.
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Job Summary:
Ideal candidates will have experience and expertise in environmental consulting, state environmental review (e.g., Minnesota Power Plant Siting Act, Montana Environmental Policy Act, etc.), project planning and management, permitting under the Clean Water Act, as well as a strong understanding of the National Environmental Policy Act, consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead projects and expand our regulatory compliance services as an integral part of the WEST team and structure. As such, demonstrated historical success in managing projects/leading teams is critical. Although this candidate will focus on managing projects with state and federal permitting/regulatory components, opportunities to support other WEST service offerings will also be available, based on the candidate’s background and areas of interest.
The minimum base salary is $65,000 for the Consulting Biologist/Planner position and $100,000 for the Senior Biologist/Planner position, plus annual bonus. Salary may vary based on education, knowledge and experience.
Responsibilities include:
WEST’s Project Managers work individually, as well as with teams of other natural resource specialists and biometricians in fulfilling the following primary roles.
- Environmental Consulting
- Work with clients and internal staff to find solutions to a wide range of natural resource and regulatory challenges
- Project Administration
- Prepare proposals and reports, and provide quality assurance of data
- Perform quality checks to ensure agency, WEST, and/or client standards are met
- Project Oversight
- Lead and organize federal and/or state-level permitting support for renewable energy projects, linear projects, and other variable development projects;
- Manage pre- and post-construction field studies for energy and other development projects
- Coordinate with local/state/federal agencies, tribes, and the public in support of client-directed project work
- Supervision/Mentorship
- Manage multi-disciplinary project teams, deliverables, and budgets for multiple projects
- Provide training, mentoring, and coaching to other members of the WEST team
- Promote health and safety
- Market WEST’s capabilities
- Foster current business relationships and promote new business development efforts
- Travel
- This position will require intermittent overnight travel for various purposes (e.g., field visits, client and/or agency meetings, training, conferences, business development)
This is a general description of the functions for this position and is not inclusive all the duties that may be associated with this position.
Requirements:
The successful candidate must be a self-starter who possesses:
- Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, planning,, natural resources, wildlife management, wildlife biology or equivalent, with a Master’s degree preferred
- Previous project management experience (5+ years for Consulting Biologist or 10+ years for Senior Biologist), including budgeting and proposal writing experience, consulting work, and/or professional scientific experience
- Must have a thorough understanding of NEPA and/or state permitting processes for energy projects and extensive experience preparing regulatory compliance documents.
- Ability to compile and evaluate information, presenting the results in a clear and concise manner for various analyses.
- Excellent technical writing/editing and strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Proficiency using Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Established relationships with agency staff based on previous permitting/regulatory compliance work.
- Project management experience, including maintaining project schedules, budget creation and tracking, proposal writing, and a track record of maintaining positive relationships with coworkers, clients, and stakeholders.
- Personnel management and leadership experience.
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Good time management and organizational skills, with the ability to work well under time constraints and meet deliverable targets and deadlines.
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as a team with other professionals.
WEST is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for everyone and highly recommends all prospective hires be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to their start date. While WEST does not currently require vaccinations, please be aware that WEST has a mandatory vaccination policy in place should local, state or federal law require vaccinations. Additionally, WEST has certain clients that require all personnel to be vaccinated prior to working on their projects, so individuals will be required to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination prior to working on those projects. As an exception, employees may also request a Medical or Religious exemption from the vaccine requirement and the request must be supported by a doctor for a medical exemption or by a statement from the employee outlining a sincerely held belief to qualify for a religious exemption. Please contact us if you have any questions.
After an offer of employment is made, the candidate must successfully pass a pre- employment background check, drug screening, and a DMV records check that meets WEST’s minimum criteria to operate a motor vehicle on behalf of the company. A valid driver’s license will be required.
WEST provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of their race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, genetics, and any protected veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Further, WEST takes affirmative action to ensure that all individuals are treated fairly, and without discrimination, for recruitment, selection, advancement and every other term and privilege associated with employment.