Natural Resources Scientist/Project Manager

Stantec; Alabama; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plans

Wellness program

401(k) plan

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

Stantec is seeking an experienced environmental professional to lead natural resource assessment and permitting projects in the Southeast. You will manage field surveys, regulatory coordination, and client relationships while coordinating multi-disciplinary teams.

The role requires strong technical writing and project management skills, with travel to field sites and regulatory meetings as needed.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in an environmental discipline.
• 15–20 years of experience with biological surveys and project management in the southeastern United States.
• Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS), Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB), Certified Ecologist, CEP, CFP; TN QHP or PMP is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and project management for environmental planning, assessment, and permitting projects.
• Manage all stages of projects from conception to completion, including cost estimates, budgets, and task coordination.
• Develop and maintain positive client relationships and seek opportunities for new business.
• Coordinate and conduct environmental field surveys (wetland/stream delineations, vegetation inventories, wildlife surveys, habitat assessments).
• Coordinate and review documents supporting NEPA, Clean Water Act sections, and state permitting across the Southeast.

Skills

Project leadership

Project management

Environmental planning

Wetland/stream surveys

Habitat assessments

GIS

NEPA familiarity

Regulatory coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Technical writing

Education

B.S. or M.S. in environmental discipline

Professional Wetland Scientist / CWB / CEP / CFP

TN QHP or PMP (a plus)

Tools

Survey GPS units

Job description

Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, our experts lead their fields with dedication, a creative spirit, and a vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties worldwide and are devoted to fostering a community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. Here, you can apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental professionals on work that is vital to our clients and the communities they serve.

Your Opportunity

Stantec is seeking a talented and enthusiastic individual with a keen interest in managing natural resource assessment and permitting projects, building client relationships and managing the development of opportunities to join our team. Our Environmental Services group is dedicated to managing environmental issues professionally and proactively. Our staff include specialists in wetland and stream science, threatened and endangered species surveys, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), cultural resources, hydrogeology, engineering, habitat and ecosystem restoration, environmental remediation, and GIS. We help our clients identify potential constraints and respond to opportunities within the changing regulatory and corporate environment through active engagement with the public, stakeholder groups, and government regulators. Our team members are involved in a variety of projects that may include wetland and stream delineations and permitting, endangered species habitat assessments and surveys, NEPA/FERC documentation, habitat restoration, siting and zoning applications, and planning and permitting for a variety of clients.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and project management support on a wide variety of environmental planning, assessment, and permitting projects for clients in the power, transportation, oil and gas, government, and community development sectors.
• Project management responsibilities include managing all stages of a project from conception to completion including cost estimates/proposals, financial tracking, and budgeting, technical understanding of work scopes, and task coordination and scheduling; coordinating with clients, stakeholders, and internal project staff; and performing or overseeing project technical work.
• Develop and maintain positive client relationships, including seeking opportunities for new business.
• Technical responsibilities include coordination of environmental field surveys including wetland and water delineations and assessments, vegetation inventories/monitoring, wildlife surveys and habitat assessments, and species‑specific terrestrial and aquatic assessments.
• Coordination and review of technical documents that support regulatory submittals related, but not limited to NEPA, Clean Water Act Sections 404/401/408, Endangered Species Act, and environmental and state‑level permitting in Georgia and throughout the southeast.
• Support and ensure implementation of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Policies, Procedures, Standards and Guidelines in the execution of all work and coordinate with HSE professionals during the execution of all phases of project planning and implementation.
• Complete applicable company and client‑required health & safety training (including OSHA required training as necessary).
• Coordinate, mentor and train team members.
• Ensure that projects are assigned the required technical oversight.
• Provide technical leadership and act as a technical resource to the team for natural resource projects as well as build and maintain productive professional and personal networking relationships within their technical team and multiple Stantec Business Centers.

Your Capabilities

• Demonstrated technical and project management experience on natural resource assessment and permitting projects in the state of Georgia and throughout the Southeast. Strong technical writing and quality reviewing skills are a must for this position.
• Experienced in natural resource field surveys and assessments such as wetland and stream delineations, vegetation inventories/monitoring, wildlife surveys and habitat assessments, and species‑specific terrestrial and aquatic assessments.
• Comfortable with field‑based electronic data collection using tablets and survey grade hand‑held GPS units or other similar GPS based survey equipment.
• Demonstrated experience working on and managing transportation, oil and gas, power, and/or community development projects. Experience with FERC, USACE, USFWS and/or Departments of Transportation is expected.
• Project and task management experience with strong attention to detail.
• Must have strong oral and written communication skills, and be customer focused to understand and appropriately respond to client’s business needs.
• Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure and to prioritize and balance sometimes heavy workloads to achieve goals while keeping up with a changing project environment.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and experience leading a team of professionals in a consulting environment.
• Must demonstrate the ability to integrate work across relevant areas, manage risks and safety appropriately, manage information, and provide exceptional service to internal and external customers.
• Must demonstrate strong ethics, leadership, the ability to effectively manage stress, and engage in continuous learning.
• Willingness to travel and conduct field work in potentially remote areas including overnight travel for approximately 25% of the time for this position. Field work may include exposure to the elements including inclement weather.
• Where lawful, may require post‑employment drug testing based on client needs and requirements.

Education, Experience and Credentials

• B.S. or M.S. in an environmental discipline (biology, ecology, natural resources, soil science or related natural resources field).
• Experience of 15-20 years of experience with biological surveys and project management in the southeastern United States.
• Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS), Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB), Certified Ecologist, Certified Environmental Professional (CEP), or Certified Fisheries Professional (CFP). Tennessee Qualified Hydrologic Professional (TN QHP), or Project Management Professional (PMP) is a plus.

Typical office environment involves working with computers and remaining sedentary for long periods of time. Field work may include exposure to the elements including inclement weather.

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.

Pay Transparency

In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. 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

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 each year and accrue vacation between 10 and 20 days per year along with paid sick leave in accordance with state and local law. Temporary/casual employees have access to comparable benefits as permitted by law. Union positions benefits are governed by collective bargaining agreements.

Primary Location

United States | GA | Alpharetta

Other Locations

United States | AL

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibits 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 employment decisions. We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process, please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.