Are you interested in environmental consulting services? Do you enjoy working outside and thrive in the pursuit of ensuring excellent data collection, team collaboration, and services provided to clients? Are you looking for an opportunity to start and grow your environmental consulting career? SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a dynamic and passionate individual to join our Reno, NV as a Staff – Level Biologist.
The Staff-Level Biologist will be a primarily field-based role, working on project site locations throughout Nevada. We are looking for someone who is following their passion, gaining valuable field experience, and dedicated to delivering the highest-quality project work.
This position requires an educational and experienced background in botany. This primarily field-based position takes place in an outdoor environment, often remote, where the climate, weather, and terrain that can be demanding.
This position will be a regular, field-based position conducting biological surveys. The position may involve an irregular schedule and extended hours. It is anticipated that travel, including overnight and weekend stays, will be required. Hotel rooms, a field truck, per diem, and other supplies will be provided during field work deployments.
This position can hire at two levels:
- Natural Resources Technician – Typically with at least 6+ months of relevant experience and expertise.
- Assistant Staff Biologist – Typically with at least one year of relevant experience and expertise.
- Staff Biologist – Typically with at least two years of relevant experience and expertise.
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 botanical surveys which may include endangered species monitoring
- Conduct surveys for various botanical resources including rare plant surveys, noxious and invasive weed surveys, vegetation community / habitat verification surveys, pollinator host-plant surveys.
- Conduct other biological field studies as needed
- Use topographic maps, aerial photographs, GPS units, and other maps and tools to determine exact locations of project areas, habitat types, and associated landforms
- Photograph and record appropriate habitat, species, and landforms
- Enter and proof data collected during field work
- Adhere to the safety program and look out for the safety of others, promptly communicating and mitigating safety hazards
- Operate SWCA vehicles
- Drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle, all-terrain vehicle/utility task vehicle (ATV/UTV) on rugged, backcountry roads
- Work both independently and as a member of a team
- Take initiative, resolve problems, and communicate with team members to ensure tasks are completed in the most effective manner
- Depending upon project, an element of your job could be to supervise a small crew while conducting environmental fieldwork. 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.
Experience and qualifications for success
- B.A. or B.S. in Botany, Ecology, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, or a related field preferred but not required. Coursework in botany and/or field ecology strongly preferred.
- Typically, up to 1 year of field experience.
- Ability to identify or key plant species of Nevada.
- Previous experience with field-based surveys preferred.
- Ability to record detailed field notes.
- Ability to use digital tablet for GPS navigation and recording of field data required.
- Ability to conduct fieldwork for long hours in inclement weather conditions, walk up to 10 miles per day, often in rugged terrain, and carry equipment and/or supplies, weighing up to 40 pounds required.
- Valid driver’s license and the ability to drive or learn to drive a 4WD vehicle on backcountry roads required.
- Must have excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and attention to detail.
- Must have ability and willingness to learn new survey and monitoring techniques and protocols.
- Must have ability to take initiative, resolve problems, and assure tasks are completed in the most effective manner.
- Ability to work as member of a team and individually to make decisions and complete tasks in the most effective manner required.
- Ability to travel to project site.
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, a Science and Leadership Program, 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 need assistance accessing SWCA’s website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected] or call 1-480-581-5378. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; 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 Reno, NV office -based position can expect a pay rate of: Natural Resources Technician — $19.24/hour to $25.48/hour; Assistant Staff Biologist — $21.32/hour to $27.56/hr., and Staff Biologist — $23.92-$31.20/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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