Environmental Scientist, Planning Waters Team Lead

®; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Stantec seeks an experienced Environmental Scientist to serve as a Planning Waters Team Lead for a large utility client within our environmental planning and natural resources practice. This role provides technical and operational leadership for planning-related waters work, including regulatory permitting, and environmental documentation.

The successful candidate applies advanced knowledge, exercises independent judgment, mentors staff, and guides complex projects, with flexible work locations

Qualifications

• Advanced practical knowledge of aquatic resources, jurisdictional waters, wetlands, streams, and riparian systems.
• Working knowledge of the Clean Water Act, including 404 and 401; state water-quality requirements; Waste Discharge Requirements; and CA Fish and Game Code 1600.
• Experience developing aquatic resource permitting strategies and preparing or reviewing permit applications and supporting technical documentation.
• Ability to independently evaluate complex technical and regulatory issues, interpret information, and recommend defensible solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical workstreams, coordinate workloads, guide teams, and deliver within scope, budget, schedule, and quality expectations.
• Experience mentoring staff, reviewing technical work, providing feedback, and supporting employee development.
• Strong technical writing, editing, verbal communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate technical information clearly to clients, project managers, multidisciplinary teams, regulatory agencies, and stakeholders.
• Ability to build productive professional relationships across offices, disciplines, and business lines.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to technically accurate deliverables.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for planning-related waters assignments, including aquatic resource evaluations and permitting.
• Coordinate workloads, assign tasks based on staff qualifications, monitor schedules and deliverables.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and quality-control support to junior staff.
• Develop regulatory strategies for projects needing aquatic resource approvals.
• Prepare and review permit applications and supporting materials (CWA 404/401, WDRs, CA Fish and Game 1600).
• Prepare, review, and QA/QC jurisdictional waters delineation reports and related documents.
• Interpret environmental requirements and advise teams on regulatory pathways, risks, and data needs.
• Coordinate with clients, project managers, and agencies on requirements, findings, schedules, and permitting strategies.
• Lead or support agency coordination and respond to comments and information requests.
• Review team work for technical accuracy and regulatory defensibility.
• Develop procedures, templates, QA tools, and training materials to improve delivery.
• Lead by example in health, safety, and environmental requirements.

Skills

Aquatic resources

Jurisdictional waters

Wetlands

Streams

Riparian systems

Regulatory strategy

Technical writing

Leadership

Mentoring staff

Quality assurance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in environmental science or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, our experts lead their fields and guide our work with rigor, a creative spirit, and a vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties worldwide and are committed to fostering an inclusive community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. We’re a place to apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental talents on work critical to our clients and the communities they support. Join a team that has the environment down to a science.

Your Opportunity

Stantec is seeking an experienced Environmental Scientist to serve as a Planning Waters Team Lead for a large utility client within our environmental planning and natural resources practice. This position will provide technical and operational leadership for planning-related waters work, including jurisdictional waters and aquatic resources assessments, regulatory permitting, technical documentation, and environmental review.

The successful candidate will function as an experienced professional who applies advanced practical knowledge, exercises independent judgment, and resolves complex technical and project-delivery issues within established professional and regulatory practices. The role will also provide mentoring, work coordination, quality oversight, and technical direction to environmental scientists and other multidisciplinary team members.

Location

This role is based out of our Stantec office in San Diego, CA; however geographic alignment with other Stantec offices can be considered based on experience. Stantec offers flexible work locations (including working from home), flexible work hours, and a robust compensation and benefits package. Typical office environment working with computers and remaining sedentary for long periods of time.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical and functional leadership for planning-related waters assignments, including aquatic resource evaluations, jurisdictional waters delineations, desktop assessments, field investigations, permitting, and environmental documentation.

• Coordinate team workloads, assign or recommend assignments based on staff qualifications and availability, monitor schedules and deliverables, and identify resource needs or delivery risks.

• Provide technical direction, coaching, mentoring, and quality-control support to junior and intermediate staff.

• Develop regulatory strategies for projects requiring aquatic resource approvals or consultation.

• Prepare and review permit applications and supporting materials associated with Clean Water Act Sections 404 and 401, Waste Discharge Requirements, and California Fish and Game Code Section 1600 Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements, as applicable.

• Prepare, review, and provide quality assurance and quality control for jurisdictional waters delineation reports, Aquatic Resources Delineation Reports, technical memoranda, biological resources reports, and permit packages.

• Interpret federal, state, and local environmental requirements and advise project teams on applicable regulatory pathways, risks, data needs, and recommended next steps.

• Coordinate with clients, project managers, technical specialists, and regulatory agencies regarding project requirements, technical findings, schedules, deliverables, and permitting strategies.

• Lead or support agency coordination and negotiations, including responding to agency comments and requests for supplemental information.

• Review work prepared by team members for technical accuracy, consistency, regulatory defensibility, completeness, and adherence to applicable quality standards.

• Develop and improve team procedures, templates, quality-control tools, technical guidance, and training materials to support consistent project delivery.

• Lead by example in applying Stantec and client health, safety, security, and environmental requirements.

Your Capabilities and Credentials

• Advanced practical knowledge of aquatic resources, jurisdictional waters, wetlands, streams, riparian systems, and related environmental planning and permitting requirements.

• Working knowledge of the Clean Water Act, including Sections 404 and 401; applicable state water-quality requirements; Waste Discharge Requirements; and California Fish and Game Code Section 1600 requirements.

• Experience developing aquatic resource permitting strategies and preparing or reviewing permit applications and supporting technical documentation.

• Ability to independently evaluate complex technical and regulatory issues, interpret available information, and recommend practical, defensible solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to lead technical workstreams, coordinate workloads, guide teams, and deliver assignments within established scope, budget, schedule, and quality expectations.

• Experience mentoring staff, reviewing technical work, providing constructive feedback, and supporting employee development.

• Strong technical writing, editing, verbal communication, presentation, and organizational skills.

• Ability to communicate technical information clearly to clients, project managers, multidisciplinary teams, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders.

• Ability to build productive professional relationships and work collaboratively across offices, disciplines, and business lines.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to technically accurate, complete, and high-quality deliverables.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and Adobe Acrobat.

• Must have valid driver's license and clean MVR

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, biology, ecology, wetland science, natural resources, soil science, botany, environmental planning, or a related discipline.

Minimum of five years of directly related professional experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience successfully leading the technical aspects of small to medium projects or significant workstreams within larger, multidisciplinary projects.

Experience supporting utility, energy, transportation, infrastructure, restoration, or land-development projects is preferred.

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.

About Stantec

Stantec is a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.

#StayInquisitive

Pay Range:

• Locations in CO, HI, IL, MD & Various CA, CT, NJ, VA Areas-$82,700.00 - $119,900.00 Annually

Pay Transparency:

In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. Please note, the final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec certain roles are bonus eligible. Actual compensation for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on the agreed number of working hours per week.

Benefits Summary:

Regular full-time and part-time employees (working at least 20 hours per week) have access to medical, dental, and vision plans, a wellness program, health saving accounts, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase program, life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short-term/long-term disability plans, emergency travel benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage and paid family leave. Regular full-time and part-time employees will receive ten paid holidays in each calendar year. In addition, employees will be eligible to accrue vacation between 10 and 20 days per year and eligible for paid sick leave (and if more generous, in accordance with state and local law).

Temporary/casual employees have access to 401(k) plans, employee stock purchase program, and paid leave, in accordance with state and local law.

The benefits information listed above may not apply to union positions because benefits for such positions are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. At Stantec we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process then please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.