Project Manager (Wetlands & Natural Resources)

Terracon Consultants, Inc.; Savannah (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Terracon's Environmental Planning and Permitting team in Savannah, Georgia is seeking an experienced environmental professional to lead a growing natural resources practice across the Southeast. The role involves managing complex permitting and ecological projects, mentoring staff, and developing client relationships.

The ideal candidate will oversee wetland/stream delineations, permitting, mitigation banking, and protected species assessments, with field and office work spanning multiple states

Qualifications

• Bachelor's and/or master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Botany, Biology, Ecology, Engineering, Environmental Science).
• Minimum of 5 years of environmental consulting experience leading natural resource projects.
• Ability to work outdoors in challenging terrain and variable weather.
• Familiarity with federal, state, and local environmental regulations (e.g., CWA, ESA, NEPA).
• Strong written and oral communication skills; ability to work independently and with a team.
• Experience with GIS and Microsoft Office; valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety efforts and ensure project teams follow safety guidelines.
• Prepare Natural Resources proposals and cost estimates.
• Manage and lead local Natural Resources projects, ensuring quality and profitability.
• Conduct field visits, data collection, and report preparation.
• Mentor and develop junior staff through technical review and field training.
• Support business development and client relationships for growth.

Skills

Environmental consulting

Project leadership

Client development

Mentoring

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

GPS data collection

AutoCAD

Drone data collection

Geospatial tech

Job description

General Responsibilities:

Terracon's Environmental Planning and Permitting team in Savannah, Georgia is seeking an experienced environmental professional to support and lead a growing natural resources practice throughout the Southeast. This position provides opportunities to manage complex permitting and ecological projects, mentor junior staff, develop client relationships, and contribute to strategic growth initiatives. Typical projects include wetland and stream delineations, aquatic resource permitting, mitigation banking, protected species assessments, restoration planning, and ecological consulting services for public and private sector clients throughout the region. Project assignments may involve freshwater and coastal tidal wetlands, mitigation bank development and management, protected species assessments, gopher tortoise conservation, ecological restoration planning, and environmental permitting. Projects regularly support transportation, commercial, industrial, energy, communications, local government, and federal clients throughout Georgia and the southeastern United States.

The individual will lead tasks and/or manage projects for the Environmental Planning and Permitting team to ensure that work is executed on time, in accordance with the client’s requirements, and within company policies, procedures and standards. They will supervise, lead, or assist with the preparation of proposals and cost estimates to clients to ensure proper scoping of services, plan the availability of manpower and pricing to achieve profitability. The position will also assist with daily operations including staff training, development, utilization of equipment and facilities, safety oversight, quality of services and work products, time delivery of services and deliverables, and adherence to policies and procedures. Ideal candidates will be willing to support business growth through development of client relationships, identification of project opportunities, proposal preparation, and successful project execution to build and maintain client relationships.

The ideal candidate will have experience in environmental consulting for a broad array of projects and clients. The typical work will include performing and/or assisting in field investigations, and the writing, preparation, and review of related reports for the services provided. The desired candidate should be familiar with wetland/stream delineations with experience identifying the boundaries of areas subject to regulation by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. Typical project responsibilities include wetland/stream delineation, permitting for proposed development impacts to aquatic resources, wetland/ stream mitigation banking, biological and hydrologic data collection/analysis, and threatened/endangered species assessments. The position will include a combination of office work, in addition to field work, where extreme heat and harsh field conditions are often encountered. Experience with ArcGIS Pro, GPS-based field data collection platforms, AutoCAD, drone-supported data collection, and related geospatial technologies is preferred. The successful candidate will apply sound scientific principles and communicate effectively with team members and clients across diverse project portfolios.

This position offers opportunities for technical leadership, project management advancement, client development, and growth within Terracon's employee-owned organization.

Essential Roles and Responsibilities:

• Lead safety efforts and ensure project teams follow safety rules and guidelines
• Responsible for modeling a safe work environment; demonstrates safety practices
• Promote pre-task planning for all projects
• Responsible for preparation of Natural Resources proposals and cost estimates
• Responsible for managing and leading local Natural Resources projects/tasks, maintain quality standards on all projects
• Perform site visits, field observations, and field data collection or assignments
• Performs fieldwork including wetland delineation, listed species surveys, mitigation assessment, vegetative sampling, hydrologic monitoring, water quality sampling, benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, amongst other
• Prepares state and federal environmental permitting applications
• Leads stream and/or wetland mitigation monitoring activities
• Conducts data management and QA/QC reviews and prepares technical reports
• With support from the Department/Office manager perform business and client development activities for growing the Natural Resources team
• Mentor and develop junior environmental staff through technical review, field training, project execution, and professional development opportunities.
• Assist with the success of the key group metrics of revenue growth, staff chargeability, project billing, collections, and project profitability
• Develop understanding and be aware of project-related risk. Be familiar with what could go wrong on a project and how to protect the Company. Be familiar with company risk policies.
• Provide Subject Matter Expert (SME) professional service related to: Clean Water Act Section 404 (& 401 WQC) permitting, Threatened or Endangered Species assessments, or natural resources mitigation-restoration planning.
• Promote continuous quality monitoring and improvement on projects. Monitor quality standards and practices.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's and/or master’s degree in Botany, Biology, Ecology, Engineering, Environmental Science, Soils Science, or other relevant field of study
• Minimum of 5 years of environmental consulting experience, including demonstrated experience leading natural resource projects involving wetland and stream delineations, mitigation/restoration planning, environmental permitting, and/or protected species assessments
• Ability to work outdoors on potentially difficult terrain and during adverse weather conditions on field assignments ranging from one day to several days or weeks at a time
• Understanding of Federal, State, and local environmental regulations and permitting requirements (e.g., Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, local & state requirements)
• Attention to detail, ability to work independently and with a team, and strong written and oral communication skills are essential
• Experience in use of GIS and Microsoft Office software, including electronic document preparation
• Valid driver’s license with acceptable violation history