Southern California Regional Director

WRA, Inc.; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 208,000; Full time

Job summary

WRA, Inc. in Southern California is seeking a Southern California Natural Resources Director, a principal-level leader who will grow the regional business through proactive client relationships and high‑level project delivery.

The role requires close coordination with the Conservation Strategies team and cross‑regional staff, with travel as needed. You will provide senior technical oversight on restoration, mitigation, and permitting projects, oversee delivery quality, and mentor Southern

Qualifications

• 15+ years leading client relationships and project teams in environmental consulting.
• Senior technical oversight on restoration, mitigation, and/or wetlands or species permitting.
• Proven ability to win new work and expand client base.
• Experience with business planning and strategic plan execution.
• Experience with complex project management and staff development.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills.
• A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

Responsibilities

• Expand our Southern California market through new and existing client relationships and core service lines.
• Provide senior technical oversight on restoration, mitigation, and permitting projects.
• Oversee project delivery to ensure timely and high‑quality results.
• Lead and mentor Southern California staff and foster collaboration.
• Coordinate with Marketing and other teams to implement growth strategies.
• Travel within Southern California region and occasional statewide travel.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Business development

Client relationship management

Project delivery oversight

Mentoring and coaching

Team leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor degree in biology/ecology/environmental science

Advanced degree in biology/ecology/environmental science

Tools

GIS

Job description

The Southern California Natural Resources Director is a principal-level role that partners closely with the Executive Committee to provide leadership across staff, clients, and projects throughout the region, consistent with WRA's Strategic Plan.The role's primary responsibility is growing the Southern California business through proactive, competitive business development and high-level project delivery.This requires close coordination with the Conservation Strategies team and other Southern California staff including restoration engineersand compliance managers, as well as with the Vice President of Operations and Strategic Growth to help implement WRA's regional growth plan. Beyond these collaborative efforts, the Director will build their own book of business across project types such as restoration, mitigation, and permitting.

This role is focused on threemain areasof impact(proportion oftime spent in parentheses):

1. Expanding the Southern California Market(35%)

1. Expand our business in Southern California through new and existing client relationships, focusing on our core service lines including mitigation planning, restoration design and implementation, biological resource surveys,regulatory permitting, andcompliance monitoring.

2. Work with marketing supportstafftoestablishand execute new client relationship strategies.

3. Guide business development efforts from other WRA staff in the Southern California market, capitalizing on entrepreneurial spirit.

2. Principal oversight of project delivery(50%)

1. Provide senior technical oversight on restoration, mitigation, andpermittingprojectswith a focus on Southern California projects.

2. Workwith the Director of Project Deliveryto ensuretimelyand quality delivery of complex, cross-functional projects.

3. Overseeenvironmental service deliverables such asbiological assessments, wetland delineations, regulatory permitting packages

4. Support project managers with senior level strategy and clientrelationshipdevelopment asneededon projects.

Staff Management (15%)

1. Managetechnicalstaff, with a focus onthose inSouthernCalifornia region.

2. Provideleadership to all Southern California staff includingmentoring and coaching to foster best practices and increase staff engagementand collaboration.

3. Address staffing issues that emerge in the Southern California region proactively and support professional development.

Minimum Qualifications:

• ABachelor’sdegree with major course work in biology, ecology, environmental science, or a related interdisciplinary field.

• 15+ years of experience leading client relationships and project teams in environmental consulting.

• Senior technical oversight experience on restoration, mitigation, and/orwetlands or speciespermitting projects.

• Demonstrated ability towin new work and expand client base in an environmental consulting firm, including working withmarketing supportstafftoestablishand execute new client relationship strategies.

• Experience with business planning, business development planning, and strategic plan execution

• Experience with complex project management, business development, staff development, and environmental consulting industry best practices.

• Effective team leader and communicator with a commitment to mentoring and coaching.

• Experience in creating a collaborative and inclusive team environment.

• A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation (while WRA hasfleetvehicles that can be reserved for field use, during busy field seasons a truck may not be available)

Desirable Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, or a related interdisciplinary field.

• Experience building strong teams through thoughtful hiring, ongoing performance coaching, and sound judgment on personnel issues.

• Strong financial literacyandexperiencedin management of project profitability.

This isaHybrid/Remote position based in the Southern California region, spanning San Diego, Riverside, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. Regionalday-travelwithin this regionmay occur as part of client relations andproject management, as well as some travel throughout California. Presence in the San Diego office is expected 1-2 times per month.

WRA has an established internal leveling system for our staff thatmaps tosalarybandsthat have been informed by market data. Our leveling system is dependenton years of relevant industry experience, education, and the level of responsibility and autonomyatwhichyou’reexpected tooperate.

The salary range for this position is $155,000- $208,000. In your first conversation with our recruiter, we will discuss leveling and compensation with you to make sure that expectations are aligned.

Company Overview

WRA, Inc. is anemployee-ownedenvironmental consulting firm withCaliforniaoffices inSan Rafael,Emeryville, Petaluma, and San Diego. For over 45years, WRA has provided outstanding ecological and designexpertiseto develop successful solutions for our clientswhere both people and the environment thrive. We employ experts in the fields of botany, wildlife, and wetland ecology, GIS, environmental and master planning, engineering, and landscape architecture

As an organization, we believe that independence and interdependence are not mutually exclusive. We invest in systems, processes, and employee programs to support our staff’s collective engagement and success. At the same time, we encourage our employees tooperatewith an ownership mindset, taking responsibility foroutcomesand being true to our commitments.

WRA is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to creating a diverse environment. We recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.