Senior Ecologist

Fotenn • Ottawa, ON

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

At Fotenn, you are joining a fun, progressive, and dynamic team of Planners, Urban Designers, Landscape Architects and Ecologists. With offices in Ottawa, Kingston, and Toronto, we work throughout the province and across the country, delivering high-quality and award-winning projects. Our success is founded on a creative and supportive environment that values professional and personal growth. Fotenn supports staff at all levels in defining their career goals and objectives and actively pursues opportunities to help achieve them. We foster a positive office experience, enjoying regular social activities and celebrating personal accomplishments alongside professional ones. This posting is for a newly created role as our team grows.

As a senior member of the Natural Environment team, the Senior Ecologist will coordinate and manage projects from initiation through delivery by developing work plans and schedules, coordinating field teams and subconsultants, tracking progress against deliverables, and proactively managing day-to-day communications with clients, regulators, and project partners. You will lead biophysical field programs and teach standard methodologies (e.g., ELC, botanical surveys, breeding bird surveys, tree inventories/assessments, and targeted SAR surveys), ensuring work is completed safely, consistently, and to a high technical standard. You will take a lead role in technical report writing by drafting, reviewing, and finalizing high-quality deliverables (e.g., EIS, Existing Conditions Reports, Tree Conservation Reports, Environmental Assessments, and permitting/approvals documentation), and providing senior technical input on impact assessment, mitigation, and approvals strategy. You will mentor and coach junior staff through field training, technical guidance, and constructive review/QA/QC of their work, helping build capability, confidence, and consistency across the team.

Requirements

• A university degree in biology, ecology, environmental studies, or related discipline.
• Minimum 6 years of related work experience required.
• Experience in the consulting environment is preferred.
• Ideal candidate will have Ontario-based certifications or training in standardized field methodologies (e.g. Ecological Land Classification, Butternut Health Assessment, Ontario Wetland Evaluation System, ISA arborist, etc.).
• Experience leading the application of natural heritage surveys to support municipal, provincial, or federal approvals in the land development, transportation infrastructure, and municipal planning sectors.
• Willingness to work flexible hours and undertake fieldwork under a variety of conditions.
• Willingness to travel for fieldwork and out-of-town meetings.
• Experience with ArcGIS and Mobile Data Collection tools is an asset.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Outlook, Excel) is required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong writing, organizational, and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, coordinate with multi-disciplinary teams, and support client relationships.
• Must have or be able to obtain first aid certification.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle (for field work).

Nice To Haves

• Preference will be given to candidates with a post-graduate degree in a relevant discipline.

Responsibilities

• Follow and promote a health and safety culture within the team.
• Commit to self-development and ongoing learning in the field of Ecology and Business.
• Undertake and/or lead biophysical surveys as required following the standard field methodologies used in Ontario. For example, botanical surveys, ELC, tree inventories and health assessments, breeding bird surveys, targeted SAR surveys, wetland delineation, etc. (Fieldwork may entail navigating rough terrain, carrying field equipment, working in inclement weather, early/late days, and overnight stay as needed.)
• Support the management of the digital data collection and associated project GIS data.
• Prepare, review, and/or contribute to technical reports that meet the needs clients and partners. Examples include Environmental Impact Studies, Existing Conditions Reports, Tree Conservation Reports, Environmental Assessments, and other reports associated with permits and approvals.
• Support and/or lead permitting and approvals at the local, provincial, and federal level related to natural heritage. (e.g. tree cut permits, endangered species act, conservation authorities, fisheries act, etc.)
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior staff and contribute to quality assurance/quality control of deliverables.
• And any other duties as assigned

Benefits

• competitive salary and bonus structure
• generous paid time-off package including vacation days, personal days, volunteer days, and paid company-wide closure between December 25 and January 1
• competitive health, medical, dental and vision benefits
• health spending account
• life insurance
• disability benefits
• an employee assistance program (EAP)
• a parental leave top-up program
• opportunities for a compressed work week
• flexible hybrid working model
• continual training
• mentorship
• professional development
• regular company social events

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees