Senior Botanist/Wetland Ecologist/Permitting Manager
About The Position
Integral Consulting Inc. is seeking a senior-level botanist and/or wetlands ecologist to join and help lead their botany group in their San Francisco Bay Area office (Los Gatos, Santa Clara County). This full-time managerial role combines fieldwork, technical expertise, project management, and client coordination across a variety of biological resource and environmental permitting projects. Scientists will spend time both in the field and in the office (Los Gatos office and home offices). Fieldwork may include plant community mapping, rare plant surveys, wetland assessments and delineations, assessing impacted ecosystems, and identifying restoration opportunities. Fieldwork may also involve implementing monitoring plans for mitigation sites and preserves, including riparian and wetland mitigation, monitoring, and long-term management plans. Office work includes contributing to and writing biological resource reports; preparing regulatory agency permit packages; preparing or assisting in the preparation of mitigation, monitoring, and management plans; and assisting in the preparation of habitat restoration plans. Project managers and senior staff will also coordinate with clients and regulatory agencies, steward acquisition of regulatory permits, and manage project staff and budgets. This position may offer in-office, remote, or hybrid opportunities.
Requirements
- Master's degree or equivalent combined with sufficient directly relevant experience.
- Prior experience in ecological consulting or a closely related field.
- Strong scientific background with emphasis in botany and/or plant ecology.
- Exceptional and demonstrated technical writing ability.
- Experience in some or most of the following areas: California flora and plant identification, quantitative field surveys, plant community/association mapping, wetland delineation, environmental impact analysis, regulatory permit preparation, GPS operation, and general GIS, Google Earth, and/or ArcMap familiarity.
- Completion of, or interest in taking, a 40-hour wetland delineation course or equivalent experience.
- Understanding of CEQA/National Environmental Policy Act and regulatory agency permitting.
- Experience and/or ability to conduct formal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetland delineations and regulated habitats mapping for Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and California Coastal Commission.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- A desire to grow both intellectually and professionally.
- Strong organizational abilities.
- Ability to work independently and within a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers.
Nice To Haves
- Experience leading biological resource, regulatory mapping, and environmental permitting projects from planning through completion.
- Experience conducting or managing plant community mapping; rare plant surveys; wetland assessments and delineations; assessment of impacted resources in relation to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Clean Water Act, or other such acts; prescribing appropriate mitigation for protected resources; and habitat restoration planning.
- Contributed to or led mitigation monitoring programs for wetlands, riparian habitats, rare plant populations, preserves, or other managed natural resources, and understand the regulatory frameworks that guide these efforts.
- Solid foundation in plant ecology, which may include specialization in taxonomy, population ecology, pollination studies, soil science, plant physiology or pathology, and/or community ecology.
- Skilled at preparing biological resource reports and other technical report sections, and may have significant experience with regulatory application packages, mitigation and monitoring plans, and/or habitat restoration plans.
- Experience coordinating with clients to advance projects through the permitting process and develop practical solutions to environmental challenges.
- Direct experience with regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, and/or state wildlife agencies.
- Comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously, overseeing budgets and schedules, mentoring, directing, and supervising junior staff, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality technical work.
- Collaborating with colleagues with diverse expertise is exciting.
- Quality management and integrity are among your strongest principles.
Responsibilities
- Providing botany expertise to large-scale conservation projects, including in the Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Bay marshes, and the Coyote Valley.
- Performing rare plant work in serpentine habitats, grasslands, oak woodlands, riparian corridors, and the marshlands of the San Francisco Bay. Rare plant surveys opportunities may also occur further afield, such as in deserts or montane ecosystems.
- Assisting with complex ecological restoration projects along the San Francisco Bay shoreline and throughout the region.
- Contributing to open space, park, trail, and campus habitat planning.
- Minimizing ecological impact of redevelopment projects and creating new habitats to support native species.
- Assisting with the preparation of invasive species management plans.
- Supporting renewable energy projects.
Benefits
- Company-subsidized (employee and family) medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) participation with a company match of 1% to 4% of annual compensation
- Company-paid life and short- and long-term disability insurance
- Paid sick leave (10 days)
- Paid vacation (12-15 days; determined by title at hire)
- Paid holidays (9 days) per year
- Potential for an annual discretionary bonus based on company performance
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
