Lead Environmental Scientist

GHD Group Pty Ltd•Houston, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

At GHD, we are committed to empowering our people to make a positive impact and address complex environmental challenges. We are seeking experienced environmental consulting professionals to join our US Central Contamination Assessment & Remediation (CAR) South Business Group. This role offers a unique opportunity to combine technical expertise with people leadership, operational discipline, and a commitment to developing high-performing teams. The position involves direct line-management leadership, assisting with business group execution, supporting client satisfaction and growth, maintaining operational discipline, leading technical and project delivery, mentoring staff, collaborating across the organization, and ensuring health, safety, and quality standards are met. The role requires a strong understanding of environmental regulations and the ability to prepare regulatory work plans and reports. Periodic travel may be required for client meetings, project needs, team engagement, and business development activities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s and/or advanced degree in Environmental Engineering, Geology, Environmental Science, Applied Science, or a related discipline.
Typically, 10+ years of environmental consulting experience, with demonstrated capability in contaminated site assessment, remediation, regulatory compliance, closure strategy, technical reporting, project delivery, and client management.
Demonstrated people-leadership experience, including supervising, coaching, mentoring, or formally managing staff and resources to deliver defined outcomes.
Experience building trusted relationships, communicating expectations, providing feedback, and supporting employee development across technical and project teams.
Strong understanding of Central Region environmental regulatory programs, with experience in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, or other relevant state and federal frameworks highly regarded.
Experience preparing regulatory work plans and reports for investigation, remediation, closure, and related environmental compliance programs.
Ability to coordinate multiple priorities in a consulting environment while maintaining attention to quality, safety, financial performance, and client commitments.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to work independently, collaborate across disciplines, and represent GHD professionally with clients, regulators, and internal stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Professional registration or designation such as PE, PG, Colorado REP, or comparable credential is preferred.
OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER certification is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide direct line-management leadership for assigned team members, promote GHD’s core values, model collaboration, and create an employee experience where staff feel heard, supported, and engaged in their professional development.
Assist the Business Group Leader with implementation of the business plan, including workload planning, resourcing, systems, processes, risk management, and timely delivery of services that meet scope, quality, budget, safety, and client expectations.
Support client satisfaction, client care activities, go/no-go evaluations, technical review groups, proposal development, and business development efforts that strengthen the US Central CAR South portfolio.
Monitor team productivity, daily timekeeping, quarterly check-ins, quality performance, HSE expectations, and other high-performance habits that support consistent delivery and accountability.
Lead or support contaminated site assessment, remediation, closure, regulatory compliance, and environmental consulting projects while maintaining strong technical standards and defensible documentation.
Work with Line Managers and the Business Group Leader to develop staff capability, provide performance feedback, support career growth, and identify future leadership potential.
Leverage the broader network of Team Leaders, Line Managers, technical specialists, and project teams to deliver integrated solutions and strengthen consistency across the business.
Carry formal people-leadership accountability where assigned, while recognizing that the Team Leader designation is a leadership assignment held alongside the individual’s substantive role rather than a separate standalone role.
Maintain a safe working environment and support compliance with GHD’s HSE and Quality systems, including completion and review of appropriate project safety and quality requirements.
Apply working knowledge of federal and state environmental requirements, including U.S. EPA programs and relevant state regulatory frameworks applicable to Central Region CAR projects.
Prepare or oversee technical correspondence, proposals, work plans, reports, project specifications, and regulatory submittals.
Travel periodically for client meetings, project needs, team engagement, and business development activities, including occasional overnight travel.