Senior or Principal Natural Resources Scientist

Location

• Primary: Raleigh, NC
• Additional: Wilmington, NC
• Remote: No

Overview

Do you want to build an impactful career to change the world for the better?

Geosyntec has an exciting opportunity for a Senior or Principal Natural Resources Scientist in Raleigh, NC or Wilmington, NC who will have the opportunity to apply academic and practical knowledge to innovative and challenging projects, including the financial and technical evaluation, design, permitting, and construction of energy projects, while also learning the business skills needed for a successful consulting career. Our client base includes a diverse mix of industrial, institutional, and governmental entities.

Geosyntec is an innovative, international engineering and consulting firm serving private and public-sector clients to address new ventures and complex problems involving our environment, natural resources, and civil infrastructure. Our engineers, scientists, technical and project employees serve our clients from offices across the world. Ranked by ENR as one of the top environmental engineering design firms, Geosyntec is internationally known for its technical leadership, broad experience, and exceptional client service.

We invest in our people. Each employee is unique, and your career at Geosyntec will be too. We offer competitive pay and benefits, and well‑being programs to support you and your family.

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Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Collaboration and mentoring are cornerstones of Geosyntec's culture. We operate under a sell‑manage‑do culture, and so we expect that you'd work on challenging technical projects while leveraging your existing knowledge and experience to help Geosyntec expand its current practices and capabilities through business development and client management. You may also be asked to take on project management responsibilities, along with staff management and development, and mentoring tasks.

• Identification of jurisdictional wetlands, classification and delineation of wetlands and streams, and determining mitigation requirements to support the environmental permitting of infrastructure projects such as development of pipelines, electrical transmission lines, or renewable energy facilities;
• Preparation of Clean Water Act Sections 10, 404, and 401 permit applications, as well as Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) and other coastal area permits from state regulatory agencies;
• Conducting biological and ecological resource studies including wildlife habitat assessments, listed threatened and endangered species assessments, native and invasive plant vegetation surveys, and wetland mitigation monitoring;
• Preparation of environmental documents for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) including environmental resource reports, Environmental Assessments (EA) and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS);
• Task and project management, including conducting environmental inspections for compliance with permit conditions including wetlands permits, navigable waters permits, and other state and federal environmental regulations including Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) environmental regulations;
• Assist with developing work plans, evaluating data, and preparing a variety of technical documents and environmental permit applications;
• Management of subcontractors;
• Data analysis, including preparing maps and figures using GIS/Environmental Visualization Software (EVS) applications, and database management; and
• Preparing for and participating in meetings with clients, regulatory personnel, and other parties.

Education and Licensure

• Bachelor's degree in environmental sciences, natural resources (e.g., forestry, fisheries, biology, ecology etc.), environmental engineering, or environmental management disciplines. (required)
• Advanced degree in the above. (preferred)
• College‑level coursework covering vegetation, soils, and hydrology such as the following: botany, dendrology, forestry, soil science, geology, land management, environmental planning, environmental law and policy, hydrology, hydrogeography, wildlife habitat ecology, ecology, ornithology, remote sensing technology, photogrammetry, and Geographic Information Systems. (preferred)
• Professional registration (i.e., PWD, PWS, CWB, CPSS, Arborist). (preferred)
• Certifications or additional training or experience in wetland delineations. (preferred)

Skills, Experience and Qualifications

• At least 8 years (10+ preferred) of direct environmental permitting & planning experience, preferably consulting in the North Carolina regional marketplace; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. (required)
• Ability to succeed in a fast‑paced consulting environment, handling multiple project assignments concurrently, meeting strict deadlines, and traveling to client facilities as needed. (required)
• Technical experience in conducting stream and wetland delineations and ability to perform the lead delineator role. (required)
• Experience with federal permitting programs such as the Clean Water Act and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 404 wetland permitting process. (required)
• Strong technical writing skills and the ability to prepare scientific reports and permit applications in accordance with state and federal standards. (required)
• Experience with multi‑disciplinary project teams. (required)
• Valid U.S. driver's license and a satisfactory driving record for business travel. (required)
• Strong knowledge of native flora and fauna of the eastern U.S. (preferred)
• Experience performing site visits, collecting field data, and preparing technical reports for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) including environmental resource reports, Environmental Assessments (EA) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIS). (preferred)