Senior Paleontologist (Cultural Resource Specialist)

Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm. We plan, design, permit, mitigate, and restore for projects across our communities, infrastructure systems, open spaces, and wildlands. We are 50 years strong in 21 offices across California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southeastern United States.

ESA seeks a Senior Paleontologist in Southern CA  with  20+ years of experience performing paleontological monitoring, surveys, testing and fossil salvage, recordation of fossil localities, strat columns, and sensitive formations, curation, and preparing environmental permit applications and supporting documentation.  Remote and hybrid options explored for the right candidate.  Candidates with the capability to commute in and around the southern California area for field work as needed is preferred. 

Who You Are  

You are a highly qualified and experienced senior-level Paleontologist with 20+ years of experience in relevant scientific or environmental consulting environments. You can lead multi-faceted paleontological resource-related evaluations, research, and analyses for a growing group of paleontologists within our Cultural Resources Group statewide.

You have excellent field, writing, time/budget management, and organizational capabilities; agency coordination and client service experience; proficiency in the management of paleontological resources within the context of CEQA, experience with leading paleontological survey and salvage projects, documentation, evaluation, and treatment of fossil resources; and experience preparing EIR and MND sections and developing mitigation measures.

You hold a graduate degree in paleontology or a closely related field. You possess the ability to lead field crews and produce well-written and technically supported documents. You work collaboratively with clients and interdisciplinary teams to deliver projects on time and within budget in a fast-paced work environment. You have excellent organizational and strong problem-solving skills.  

You demonstrate a clear understanding of project management principles and practices and are responsible for the delivery of high-quality work products. You have the ability and desire to mentor junior staff members, and to organize and develop a paleontological practice within the southern California cultural resources group. 

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, extensive field work and site visits in all types of weather, traversing uneven ground and sometimes steep terrain in forested environments, fields, arid lands, along stream banks, and in coastal/intertidal areas. You may be exposed to inclement weather and uncomfortable working conditions. 

What You Will Do for ESA

You will manage and carry out surveys and technical document preparation on a wide range of interesting projects throughout the region and practice and will be part of an interdisciplinary team that includes staff from our Biological, Energy, Community Development, Transportation, Water, and Airports practices.

You will manage and conduct archival research, paleontological resources assessments, development of historic and cultural contexts, paleontological survey and resource documentation, resource evaluations, and impacts analysis meeting CEQA, and other requirements.

You will serve as the primary author of paleontological resource assessment reports for MND and EIR sections. You will consistently demonstrate your solid writing skills and attentive listening skills. You will supervise project teams and participate in and/or lead client meetings. You will assist in preparing scopes of work and budgets, including providing technical input, contributing to proposal writing, and engaging with proposal/interview teams.

You will provide mentorship and support for junior staff, including reviewing their work for accuracy and clarity and providing constructive feedback and career development guidance while working on projects together. You will cross train qualified cultural resources staff to support field and monitoring projects to provide clients with efficient monitoring options.

You will thrive in a fast-paced, challenging environment and be able to manage multiple responsibilities and deadlines while working on a team or independently.

Candidates with the following experience is preferred and will be given priority: familiar with working on active construction sites, completing locality forms and are knowledgeable of fossil materials and sensitive formations common to the region. Must have a minimum of six months of field experience  or relative academic field experience in Southern California. 

You enjoy working outside and can walk long distances carrying up to 50lbs of gear in a wide variety of conditions, including strenuous natural habitats and difficult weather. You can work some nights and/or weekends.

You possess a valid driver’s license and have experience driving 4 wheel-drive vehicles off-road.

A writing sample may be requested as a stage in the interview process.

What’s Special About Our Cultural Resources Team  

Our Cultural Resources Team includes prehistoric and historical archaeologists, geoarchaeological specialists, tribal consultation specialists, architectural historians, historians, and paleontologists that provide expertise for many local, state, and federal agencies on the West Coast.  Our work matters because we assist agencies in ensuring that our nation’s history and that of the tribal communities we work with are protected where possible and treated with respect when projects encroach on resources. We value creative thinking, teamwork, and multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement and integration.

What’s Special About ESA

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 share 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.

ESA has established multiple pay ranges tailored to the economic factors in the geographies in which ESA staff reside. For this position, the range is approximately as listed, based on our anticipated hiring locations as noted in the above job details. Actual compensation is determined by several factors including but not limited to an individual’s related experience, education, skills, and the city in which the applicant lives.  

CA Pay Transparency Clause

$136,989—$167,431 USD

Who We Are 

We are a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm who values diversity and inclusion and celebrate the differences that make each of us unique. Our culture is built on mutual respect, recognizing that our variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives leads to better solutions, which fosters our continued success for our employee-owners and clients. 

In accordance with ESA’s duty and responsibility to provide and maintain a safe workplace that is free of known hazards and to minimize the exposure to potential hazards, any employee who works from an ESA office or conducts any other in-person ESA work-related activity is required to submit their proof of vaccination status or have received an approved exemption and accommodation in states which this applies. 

Please note: We do NOT accept unsolicited resumes from agencies

If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability—or unable to use—the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact our Human Resources Department via email:  View email address on job-boards.greenhouse.io for assistance.

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ESA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. (EOE M/V/F/D)