Staff Wetland Scientist

About the opportunity:

SWCA's growing Chicago team seeks a Staff Wetland Scientist to join our natural resources team. We are expanding our team and looking for dynamic individuals who are following their passion for delivering the highest-quality project work. If you thrive in the pursuit of ensuring excellence in environmental consulting services, this is a great opportunity for you!

The Staff Wetland Scientist position requires an educational and experienced background in biology, natural resource management, botany, water resources, or a related field. This position will be a mix of field and office work, depending on project type and season. Depending on project, an element of your job may be to supervisor a small crew conducting natural resources field work.

This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position supporting projects in Chicago, IL , and the surrounding area(s). This position offers the opportunity to support both field and office-based projects, depending on project needs. This position is hybrid eligible and requires candidates to be within commutable distance to Chicago, IL.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

What you will accomplish:

• Conduct a variety of natural resources field studies including wetland delineations, vegetation and habitat surveys, threatened/endangered species assessments, and avian/wildlife surveys.
• Conduct detailed fieldwork, organize and save field data in digital formats, and write technical reports and permit applications for approvals under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and other resource planning/permitting, and/or natural resource disciplines.
• For Staff Wetland positions, depending upon project, an element of your job may be to independently supervise a biological survey crew in the field. This includes:
• Independently assigning and directing the activities of others on behalf of SWCA, often in remote areas without immediate guidance from senior managers, to ensure quality and on-time delivery;
• Ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities and delegated tasks and being held accountable if crew members under your supervision are not performing their activities correctly, productively, and safely;
• Serving as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers;
• Receiving and resolving complaints from employees in the field; and
• Monitoring team productivity and offering timely performance guidance, including determining when correction action is needed and delivering appropriate feedback.
• Adheres to the safety program and looks out for the safety of others, promptly communicating and mitigating safety hazards.

Experience and qualifications for success:

Minimum qualifications :

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Ecology, Water Resources, Botany, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Science, Natural Resource Management, related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Two (2) years of relevant natural resources experience in the private or public sector, including at least 1-year of experience conducting natural resources field work focused on wetland delineations and aquatic resources assessments.
• Experience conducting desktop research for preliminary wetlands evaluations and compiling field data into aquatic resource inventory reports.
• Familiarity with GPS devices and digital data collection, and/or mapping software such as ArcGIS.
• Ability to travel to a location, walk and conduct fieldwork for long hours, sometimes in inclement weather, rugged terrain, and ability to carry equipment and supplies weighing up to 40 pounds.
• The ability and willingness to learn new survey and monitoring techniques and protocols.
• Desire to provide excellent client service in a fast-paced work environment.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and high attention to detail.
• The ability to safely drive a 4WD vehicle on backcountry roads.
• Applicants must have valid driver’s license and be able to meet SWCA’s driver requirements.

Preferred qualifications:

• One to two years of experience leading natural resources field work focused on wetland delineations and aquatic resources assessments.
• Extensive working knowledge of botanical species taxonomy and ability to identify species in the field.
• Previous experience leading and mentoring wetland survey teams in Ohio and surrounding states.
• Previous experience leading site visits with agency personnel.

Why Work at SWCA :

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning , we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned , and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms . We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email [email protected] or call 1-480-581-5378 . This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Chicago, IL- based position can expect an hourly rate of $25.12/hr. - $32.76/hr.

Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA’s Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive benefits package ( , forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA’s continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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