Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontology

ERM; United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Parental leave

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

AD&D insurance

401(k)

Job summary

ERM seeks a Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontologist to provide technical leadership in paleontological resources across the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain regions. This senior role supports major energy and infrastructure projects nationwide, ensuring regulatory compliance and high-quality deliverables.

You will mentor staff, oversee desktop and field studies, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to develop integrated solutions for energy-sector clients.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Paleontology, Geology, Biology, Anthropology, or closely related field.
• 6–8 years of mitigation/environmental due diligence experience or equivalent.
• Ability to be PI on permits within the Great Basin and/or Rocky Mountain subregions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Permit Administrator and/or Principal Investigator on BLM and state permits.
• Oversee a team conducting desktop studies, field investigations, salvage and collection.
• Lead, mentor, and develop paleontologists and cultural resources staff.
• Collaborate with Principal Investigators and managers to drive technical excellence.
• Author or review paleontological studies and regulatory documents.

Skills

Field experience

Project leadership

Regulatory coordination

Team mentorship

Client liaison

Education

Graduate degree in Paleontology or related field

Tools

GPS equipment

ArcGIS Field Maps

Survey123

Job description

Lead Paleontological Consulting Excellence Across the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains

ERM is seeking a highly motivated Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontologist to join our Cultural and Paleontological Resources Services team. This full-time, salaried position can be based from a local ERM office or remotely within the Great Basin or Rocky Mountain regions.

Why This Role Matters?

In this senior leadership role, you will provide technical oversight, mentorship, project leadership, and regulatory expertise while supporting major energy and infrastructure projects across the United States. You’ll help clients navigate complex paleontological resource requirements while contributing to the growth and success of ERM’s multidisciplinary consulting practice.

What Your Impact Is:

As a Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontologist, you will serve as a recognized technical leader responsible for ensuring high-quality paleontological consulting services, regulatory compliance, and successful project delivery. Your expertise will support critical environmental reviews, agency coordination, mitigation planning, and resource management efforts while developing the next generation of paleontological professionals.

What You’ll Bring:

Required

• Graduate degree in Paleontology, Geology, Biology, Anthropology, or a closely related field of study.
• 6-8 years of related mitigation and environmental due diligence experience, or equivalent experience.
• Ability to be listed as Principal Investigator on BLM Paleontological Resources Use Permits, state permits, and similar authorizations within the Great Basin and/or Rocky Mountain subregions.
• Candidates who have served as a BLM Field Agent (Field Director) on permits are also encouraged to apply.
• Demonstrated field experience and principal-level project oversight within the Great Basin or Rocky Mountain subregions, including inventory, survey, salvage, and data recovery efforts.
• Experience serving as primary author and/or third-party reviewer of agency-reviewed technical reports, including paleontological resource reports, mitigation plans, and environmental review documents prepared to meet federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.
• Experience working directly with regulatory agency personnel while representing clients.
• Ability to work effectively within teams of cultural heritage specialists and multidisciplinary technical professionals.
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to project sites throughout Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and other locations.
• Previous experience using mapping and field technologies, including GPS equipment, ArcGIS Field Maps, Survey123, and related applications.
• Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area.

Preferred

• Experience serving as Field Director or Principal Investigator on cultural resources federal and state permits throughout California and the Southwestern United States.
• Previous laboratory analysis, fossil screening, plaster jacketing, and curation processing experience.
• Previous experience supervising personnel and direct reports.
• Demonstrated business development experience and success growing client relationships and project portfolios.
• Experience managing complex, multi-disciplinary environmental consulting projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as Permit Administrator and/or Principal Investigator on BLM Paleontological Resources Use Permits and applicable state permits, and provide technical-level quality assurance and quality control of deliverables prepared by qualified paleontologists and resource specialists.
• Oversee a team of paleontologists conducting desktop studies and field investigations, including reconnaissance and pedestrian surveys, fossil salvage and collection efforts, and construction monitoring.
• Lead, manage, mentor, and develop mid-level and junior paleontologists and cultural resources specialists, including participation in hiring, mentorship, engagement initiatives, and coordination across the broader cultural and paleontological resources practice.
• Collaborate with Paleontology Principal Investigators, Regional Leads, the Consulting Director for Archaeology, Area Managers, and Managing Partners to drive technical excellence and team success.
• Serve as primary author, senior reviewer, or task manager for paleontological resource studies supporting large-scale capital projects, ensuring work is completed within scope, budget, schedule, and quality expectations.
• Manage projects ranging from multi-state linear infrastructure developments to smaller site-specific investigations.
• Strengthen existing client relationships and develop new client partnerships that contribute to significant revenue growth.
• Identify opportunities to cross-sell cultural and paleontological resources services to existing and prospective clients.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including environmental planners, archaeologists, biologists, wetland specialists, GIS specialists, and engineers to deliver integrated solutions for energy-sector clients.
• Represent ERM in communications and meetings with clients, regulatory agencies, stakeholders, teaming partners, and subcontractors.
• Identify subcontractor needs and manage subcontractor quality, schedules, and deliverables supporting cultural and paleontological resource services.

Applications accepted through October 4, 2026.

For the Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontology position, theanticipatedannual base pay is$110,000-$161,000(USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures (casual and fixed term/flex force employees arenot bonuseligible).

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off (vacation, sick, and floating holidays), parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k), and other applicable benefits to eligible employees.

Who We Are: As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our "boots to boardroom" approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Thank you for your interest in ERM!