Principal Soil Scientist

SLR Consulting Australia Pty Ltd; Newcastle; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible location

Collaborative culture

Work across Australia

Job summary

SLR Consulting Australia Pty Ltd is seeking a Principal Soil Scientist to lead soil science projects across Australia. The role requires 10-15+ years in professional soil consultancy, expertise in detailed soil surveys, and strong client relationships.

You will mentor junior scientists, provide technical leadership, and help manage projects within Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk. Flexible location with opportunity to work office-based or remotely.

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years experience at professional level, ideally in consulting.
• Expertise in conducting detailed soil surveys, including sampling, mapping and classification.
• In-depth knowledge of Australian environmental legislation and land management guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of a range of projects across Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk.
• Lead in winning work and creating pipeline through client relationships.
• Work across Australia with multidisciplinary team.
• Deliver high-quality reports and perform technical reviews in soil science.

Skills

Soil science

Project management

Mentoring

Technical leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Environmental science degree

Engineering degree

Job description

Principal Soil Scientist – Australia

About the business and the role

At SLR we Make Sustainability Happen. SLR is an international environmental consultancy with a globally recognised reputation for providing high-quality tailored services. With 1200+ staff in Asia-Pacific, we provide consultancy advice and support on a wide range of strategic and site-specific issues to a diverse and growing base of business, regulatory, and governmental clients. We celebrate a ‘One Team Culture’, where bringing together diversity of thought and expression is key to building the best team to deliver excellent results.

Sitting in the Practice; Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology & Risk you will be an instrumental member of the team and can work with industry leaders!

We are flexible on location for the right person to join our growing team.

If you have an entrepreneurial mind, technically curious, genuinely love what you do and what to be in an environment of fun people and high achievers then SLR is the place for you.

Responsibilities

As a member of the Soil Science team, you will support delivery of a range of projects across the wider Soils, Geochemistry, Toxicology and Risk group. You will be responsible for the following:

• Be an all-round key support person to large projects as well as take responsibility for your own projects by contributing to winning work and creating pipeline through client relationships and networks.


• Work beside the rest of the team across Australia which includes over 25 other technical disciplines.


• Delivering the best possible outcome for clients with a focus on quality.


• Preparing high-quality reports, and technical review in your specialist area.

Skills and experience

You will also possess the following skills:

• A professional qualification in environmental science or engineering or other relevant degree.


• 10-15+ years' experience at a professional level, ideally in consulting.


• Expertise in conducting detailed soil surveys, including soil sampling, mapping, and classification according to the Australian Soil Classification system.


• Proficiency in interpreting and analysing soil properties such as texture, structure, pH, salinity, nutrient levels, and organic matter content.


• In-depth knowledge of Australian environmental legislation, regulations, and guidelines related to soil and land management, agricultural impact assessment, and rehabilitation.


• Including federal and state specific legislation.


• Including the guidelines associated with strategic cropping land (SCL) in Queensland and biophysical strategic agricultural land (BSAL) assessments in NSW.


• Ability to assess potential impacts of mining, renewable energy, roads, and rail activities on soil health, erosion, and land degradation, and to develop mitigation strategies.


• Comprehensive knowledge of best practices for land rehabilitation, with a focus on soil restoration and sustainable land use.


• Ability to assess soil suitability for rehabilitation and to design site-specific soil management, soil amelioration, and revegetation strategies.


• Strong project management skills.


• Experience in mentoring and training junior scientists and providing technical leadership in soil science and environmental consulting.

Our Benefits

We are proud of our unique culture where we work together to collaborate on projects to get the best possible outcome for our clients.

Whether you are working in the office, from home or a mix of the two, we recognise that every person is different, and our benefits aim to ensure that we cater for all.

You can find a comprehensive list here Benefits Guide.

Next Steps

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills, and passion.

Please note that interviews will be conducted with gender diverse interview panels to the best of our ability.

You must be part of the preferred supplier agreement list which is coordinated through our Talent Acquisition team.

We’re Making Sustainability Happen.

We don’t have all the answers to the complex sustainability challenges faced by humanity today. But we’re working on it.

We are a consultancy with 4,500+ employees, working on projects in over 125 countries around the world.

When you join SLR, you’ll work alongside some of the world’s leading advisors and technicians on projects of global importance in the environmental space.

We know sustainability starts from within. And no matter how good we are today, we can always do better.

We continually work on our internal ethics to set the standard for organisations and reflect the advice we give to clients.