Technical Services Manager

Sequoia Ecological Consulting seeks a staff-first Technical Services Manager who is grounded in people-centered leadership and environmental consulting acumen to lead, support, and grow the team who protect California’s sensitive habitats, threatened species, and wild landscapes. 

Organization Background 

Sequoia Ecological Consulting is a certified woman-owned environmental consulting firm of about 70 people, headquartered in Walnut Creek with offices across Northern and Southern California. The firm provides biological services, regulatory permitting, and other environmental consulting services to public agencies, utilities, and private clients statewide, working on projects that shape California’s infrastructure, water, energy, and open space. 

Sequoia pairs statewide reach on high-impact projects with a close-knit culture where people know each other’s names. The culture is collaborative, high-performing, and professional. Sequoia is investing deliberately in how its people are supervised, developed, and supported so every technical staff member has a clear path for growth. 

position Overview and Responsibilities 

Sequoia Ecological Consulting seeks a Technical Services Manager whose first job is people: the dedicated supervisor, advocate, and career-development lead for technical staff from the Project Manager tier through the newest field biologists, reporting to the Director of Technical Services. The role will take on the day-to-day people management that currently rests with the Principals, and it is central to building a team culture where staff feel supported, trusted, and able to grow. 

This position calls for a proven people leader with the consulting and technical credibility to make sound staffing and delivery decisions. The role supports project and program management and carries a small billable component to support the project teams.  

The Technical Services Manager will own staff supervision, performance management, career development, hiring, workload balance, and support for project delivery for technical staff. They will reinforce the technical standards and quality expectations set by the Director of Technical Services and Principals. 

People Leadership & Supervision 

• Serve as the primary supervisor for technical staff at the Project Manager tier, with roughly 5–8 direct reports and 25–30 staff in total scope, owning staffing decisions, workload balance, and day-to-day personnel matters, including scheduling and time-off requests
• Hold regular one-on-ones and be a reliable, present first point of contact for the team’s questions, concerns, and growth
• Support staff through challenges on-site and with clients, project personnel, and peers, advocating for staff while balancing business and team needs
• Reinforce the technical standards, quality expectations, and compliance practices set by the Director and Principals consistently and fairly across the team

Organizational Leadership 

• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, translating business strategy into clear direction for the team
• Partner with Operations, Finance, and HR to support staff and team needs
• Contribute ideas to continuously improve culture so staff feel safe, heard, and supported
• Own retention commitments and day-to-day execution of the career architecture for the team
• Help build the team structure as Sequoia grows

Performance & Career Development 

• Run performance management that people trust through Sequoia’s quarterly review process: on schedule, with meaningful goals, honest coaching, and recognition that encourage career growth at Sequoia
• Make advancement real by ensuring staff get the assignments, training, credentials, and mentorship their next roles require, measured against Sequoia’s published promotion criteria
• Strengthen the Project Manager pipeline through leadership training and guidance

Talent Strategy 

• Identify hiring needs with Principal team proactively, anticipating growth, workload, and attrition before they become gaps, and own recruiting, interviewing, and hiring for the team
• Coordinate onboarding and training strategy of new technical staff with Principals and Human Resources
• Plan staffing to meet project demand and business development growth, including project-based hires and adjustments to team size

Staffing & Project Support 

• Balance assignments so utilization targets are met and field and office schedules fit each person’s role and level
• Improve how projects are run and staffed
• Identify and resolve project-level staffing, delivery, and technical issues, drawing on the right internal expertise, and escalate division-level and client-facing decisions to the Director

Desired experience and Competencies 

Sequoia Ecological Consulting seeks a proven people leader from the environmental consulting industry who leads with a collaborative leadership style and is able to translate between business and team needs. We’re looking for someone eager to grow with Sequoia and make a real difference: someone energized by shaping a new role, investing in people’s careers, and helping build a team that does meaningful work for California’s environment. 

The ideal candidate is someone technical staff trust with their workload, their development, and their careers, bringing strong technical grounding alongside leadership, management skill, and consulting fluency. 

People Leadership & Trust Building 

• 10+ years of environmental consulting experience, including 5+ years directly supervising professional staff: reviews, coaching, corrective action, and career development
• Demonstrated record of building, developing, and retaining professional teams
• Ability to advocate for staff while balancing their needs with the needs of the business
• Fairness and consistency in applying performance and promotion criteria across a team
• Empathy and the ability to build trust across all levels of the team

Consulting & Technical Acumen  

• Substantial environmental consulting experience in California, with a strong understanding of how consulting teams, project delivery, utilization, project margins, and client service operate
• Proven project management experience, including managing clients and subcontractors
• Technical background in a discipline related to Sequoia’s work, such as biology, botany, aquatic ecology, or restoration
• Working knowledge of California’s environmental regulatory landscape, including CEQA, NEPA, ESA, and CESA, sufficient to lead technical professionals credibly
• Resourcefulness; doesn’t need to have every answer, but knows how to find it

Team & Talent Building  

• Experience forecasting staffing needs and shaping team structure around workload, growth, and capacity
• Understanding of what strong technical talent looks like and ability to contribute to hiring decisions
• Ability to identify hiring needs based on workload, growth, and team capacity

Communication & Composure  

• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to have direct, fair, and timely conversations, with sound judgment
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and juggle competing priorities without losing focus
• Adaptability in a growing firm with evolving structures and needs

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience implementing leadership development, training, or mentoring programs
• Technical expertise in biology, botany, aquatic ecology, or restoration
• Designated Biologist status or equivalent agency-recognized qualifications
• Graduate degree, research, or agency experience
• Established regulatory agency relationships
• Experience at an environmental consulting firm of 25 or more people
• Experience with cross-functional collaboration with operations, finance, and HR
• A bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and industry experience

Compensation 

This is a full-time, exempt, benefit-eligible position. The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $140,000–$160,000, commensurate with experience. 

Sequoia offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k) with company match; and a professional development budget. 

Location and Requirements 

This position is remote, based in California, with a preference for Bay Area candidates. The Technical Services Manager will be expected in the Walnut Creek office quarterly for team meetings, key events, and time with staff; quarterly travel costs will be covered by Sequoia. The role also requires occasional travel to Sequoia’s other Northern and Southern California offices, project sites, and field locations. Some weekend or after-hours availability is needed to support field schedules and team needs.