Principal Environmental Professional (Geologist or Engineer)

Onterris Payroll, LLC; Santa Ana (CA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Onterris Payroll, LLC is seeking a seasoned environmental project leader to manage site assessment and remediation efforts for public sector and private clients. You will guide teams, drive proposals, and oversee complex technical studies to deliver high-quality results.

The role emphasizes leadership, regulatory knowledge, and client engagement, with potential remote work. California-based candidates are preferred, with local travel as needed.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of consulting experience, with 12+ years if Master’s, including public sector.
• Experience as Project Manager overseeing technical studies within schedule and budget.
• Experience as senior client representative owning consulting products/services.
• Proven proposal leadership and teaming for sole-source and competitive pursuits.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to oversee complex documents and interviews.
• Strong familiarity with California and western state regulations and procurement processes.
• Willingness and ability to travel locally.

Responsibilities

• Lead team growth through outreach to potential clients and proposal preparation.
• Guide proposal managers on proposal structure, approach narratives, cover letters, scopes of work, and qualifications sections.
• Direct project execution to ensure quality, budgets, and timelines.

Skills

Project management

Proposal leadership

Communication skills

Regulatory knowledge

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in geology, engineering, environmental science, or related field

Job description

About Us

At Onterris, we build careers grounded in purpose, responsibility and real-world impact."For Planet and Progress" is our north star that guides everything we do. We believe environmental responsibility and human progress are interconnected, interwoven and international. Our scientists, engineers, field teams, consultants and professionals collaborate across disciplines and geographies, guiding industries and governments, ensuring that communities and environments thrive.When you join us, you're not just forging a career, you're joining a movement. A movement for better thinking, smarter solutions and lasting impact.Together, we will advance our way of life and protect the integrity of our environment every step of the way.

A Day in the Life

You will represent the firm with the highest level of professionalism when working with clients, staff, and teaming partners. You will act as a strategic leader, technical expert, and mentor - supporting project success, strengthening client relationships, and contributing to the firm's long-term growth. You will lead efforts to obtain new opportunities within site assessment and remediation projects from early strategies through execution, ensuring that all deliverables are high quality, well organized, and ready for client delivery. While the position may be performed remotely, the ideal candidate will be based in California and will bring contacts within the industry and knowledge of California and/or other western states, and specific regulatory and environmental expertise.

The compensation range for this role is $120,000 to $150,000 commensurate with experience, skills, and geographic location.

Team Leadership & Staff Development

• Lead team growth through outreach to potential clients and proposal preparation
• Collaborate with client contacts, staff geologists and engineers, regulatory specialists, and agency partners
• Support client retention by fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive work environment.
• Ensure the operational effectiveness, productivity, and profitability of both your work and the team you lead.

Proposal Leadership and Business Development

• Play a key role in securing $1M-$2M in new annual work through competitive pursuits, sole-source opportunities, on-call contracts, and strategic teaming arrangements.
• Lead proposal efforts for projects of all sizes, including strategy development, teaming decisions, and win themes.
• Guide proposal managers on proposal structure, approach narratives, cover letters, scopes of work, and qualifications sections.
• Ensure proposal schedules, budgets, and deliverables are accurate, compliant, and submitted on time.
• Lead and prepare teams for proposal interviews.
• Support broader business development efforts by evaluating new leads and cultivating long‑term client and partner relationships.

Project Execution

• Conduct project management for obtained new projects and ensure all work meets the firm's quality standards.
• Delegate tasks effectively, provide direction, and ensure work stays within project constraints.
• Stay current on industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices.
• Work both independently and collaboratively with the core leadership team.
• Perform additional duties as needed to support project and company success.

Your Expertise and Skills

• Recognized technical authority and strategic leader, responsible for regulatory certainty, project success, and long-term client trust.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in geology, engineering, environmental science, or related field.
• 15+ years of relevant professional consulting experience (12+ with a Master's), including public sector experience.
• Proven consulting experience and success as a Project Manager overseeing completion of technical studies and documents within schedule and budget.
• Experience serving as Project Manager serving as the senior client representative and owning responsibility for consulting products and services.
• Demonstrated success in proposal leadership, teaming for sole-source and competitive pursuits.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to oversee and provide quality assurance for complex technical documents, as well as make presentations, including interviews for competitive proposals.
• Strong familiarity with California and other western state regulations, industry standards, and Federal, State and local procurement processes.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams while also operating independently.
• Willingness and ability to travel locally as needed.

Onterris is a leading global environmental solutions company partnering with organizations to solve complex challenges where environmental pressures, regulatory expectations and operational risks intersect. Guided by our mission to advance the way of life without compromising the integrity of our environment, we believe environmental responsibility and human progress are fundamentally connected. Our scientists, engineers, field teams and consultants apply systems thinking that unites science, data and practical expertise to deliver solutions that strengthen our clients' resilience, mitigate risk and protect the air, water and soil that sustain communities, while uncovering responsible paths forward for planet and progress. For more information, visit www.onterris.com.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We acknowledge that these experiences and perspectives help to enrich our teams and contribute to our ongoing success. We are committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in our employment for all applicants. For US residents, click here to learn more.