WRA is currently seeking an actively seeking someone with a marine/estuarine biology or coastal ecology background to support their marine services, shoreline permitting, and coastal habitat restoration lines of work. If you have experience with and an understanding of coastal or marine biology and you would be excited to apply your skills to the field of state and federal environmental regulatory compliance, WRA wants to talk to you about joining one of their teams. Ideal candidates have a knack for critical thinking, problem solving, and working collaboratively with teams. This position offers real opportunities for advancement, including interfacing with clients and agency staff, public speaking, and staff supervision.
In this role, you will work under the direct supervision of project managers to conduct a variety of work pertaining to coastal environmental regulatory compliance, including:
- Reviewing and analyzing engineers’ designs for impacts to sensitive biological resources (e.g., San Francisco Bay, wetlands, streams, submerged aquatic vegetation, riparian vegetation)
- Coordinating closely with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists to create maps and other graphics depicting environmental data
- Reviewing and navigating tidal datums for fieldwork schedules and project designs
- Conducting surveys by kayak or other small vessels
- Preparing technical reports
- Preparing environmental permit applications on behalf of clients
- Reviewing existing environmental permits to understand project constraints and biological fieldwork requirements
- Scheduling and facilitating project meetings
- Assisting other technical staff with a wide array of writing assignments: biological resources reports, aquatic resources delineations, tidal marsh restoration plans, mitigation monitoring plans and annual monitoring reports
- Occasionally or seasonally conducting a wide array of fieldwork: submerged aquatic vegetation mapping; tidal marsh vegetation sampling; intertidal invertebrate habitat assessments; wetland delineations; invasive marine species identification; marine mammal identification; biological compliance monitoring during nearshore or in-water construction
To be successful in this role, you will need:
- A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in biology, marine or estuarine science, or tidal marsh ecology
- At least 2 to 4 years of experience conducting field surveys/sampling of natural resources in a coastal or marine setting (e.g., terrestrial and wetland plants, wildlife, algae/seagrass, invertebrates, water quality)
- Knowledge of the ecology and management of seagrass, marine algae, marine mammals, and/or marine fish
- Basic terrestrial plant ID skills
- To be physically fit enough to complete rigorous aquatic and terrestrial fieldwork, including carrying heavy equipment and loading/unloading kayaks (field gear provided)
- To be available for early morning and late evening fieldwork, based on tides
- A baseline understanding of Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS) mapping and analysis
- Strong technical writing and data analysis skills
- Resourcefulness, thoroughness, and attention to detail
- Proficiency with entering and formatting data in Microsoft Excel
- Proficiency with analyzing and interpreting ecological data for incorporation into technical reports and presentations
- Proficiency in other Microsoft Office Suite programs (Word, PowerPoint) and G-Suite (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, Calendar, etc.)
- A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation (while WRA has fleet vehicles that can be reserved for field use, during busy field seasons a truck may not be available)
- Commitment to learning laws and policies that regulate aquatic resources in Northern California (pertaining to agencies such as US Army Corps of Engineers, California State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Coastal Commission, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, National Marine Fisheries Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service)
WRA has an established internal leveling system for our staff that maps to salary bands that have been informed by market data. Our leveling system is dependent on years of relevant industry experience, education, and the level of responsibility and autonomy at which you’re expected to operate.
We have posted a salary range that corresponds to several job levels that could be appropriate for this position. There will be opportunities to discuss this toward the end of the interview process; however, if you wish to discuss titles earlier in the interview process, please do so with your recruiter.
The salary range for this position is $54,000 – $76,500.
