Staff Biologist

About The Opportunity

SWCA’s growing Amherst, Massachusetts office is seeking a Staff Biologist to support our natural resources team. This position offers a diversified mix of field and office work, depending on project type and season. Field work may include wetland evaluations, endangered species investigations, site assessments, construction oversight, and compliance monitoring. Office work may include assisting with data interpretation and tabulations, scientific report writing, and permit preparation.

Our Amherst office provides a collaborative and supportive environment with a diverse team of scientists working on a wide range of projects across multiple services, including wetlands, rare species, natural resource assessment, environmental permitting and compliance, habitat restoration, biodiversity, and stormwater management. The successful candidate will possess a broad range of skills including identification of northeastern United States botanical and wildlife species, attention to detail, organizational skills, willingness to learn, effective communication skills, and time management.

We offer a supportive and casual work environment with flexible schedules, competitive total compensation, benefits package, professional training, and mentorship. SWCA is a 100% employee-owned company with a stock ownership program.

This Position Is An Hourly, Full-time Position With The Option To Work In a Hybrid Fashion From Amherst, Massachusetts. This Position Can Be Hired At The Following Levels

• Assistant Staff Biologist - Typically with at least 1 year of relevant experience and expertise.
• Staff Biologist - Typically with at least 2 years of relevant experience and expertise.
  
  

What You Will Accomplish

• Conduct a variety of natural resources field studies including wetland delineations, vegetation and habitat surveys, threatened/endangered species assessments, and wildlife surveys.
• Conduct detailed fieldwork, organize and save field data in digital formats, and write technical reports and permit applications for approvals under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, and other resource planning/permitting disciplines.
• Assistant Staff Biologist - Typically with at least 1 year of relevant experience and expertise.
• Staff Biologist - Typically with at least 2 years of relevant experience and expertise.
• Supervise a small crew while conducting environmental fieldwork. This includes:
• independently assigning and directing the activities of others on behalf of SWCA, often in remote areas without immediate guidance from senior managers, to ensure quality and on-time delivery;
• ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities and delegated tasks and being held accountable if crew members under your supervision are not performing their activities correctly, productively, and safely;
• serving as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers;
• receiving and resolving complaints from employees in the field; and
• Monitoring team productivity and offering timely performance guidance, including determining when corrective action is needed and delivering appropriate feedback.
  
  

Experience And Qualifications For Success

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in Wetland Science, Wildlife Biology, Environmental Science, Ecology, or another related field.
• A minimum of one (1) year of experience in natural resources.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in MS Office products and technical writing.
• Valid driver’s license, good driving record, and your own transportation.
• Ability to be flexible, travel, and work outside in most weather conditions.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience leading wetland delineations, rare species investigations, construction monitoring, and other similar tasks.
• Professional certifications including WPIT, AWB, CERPIT, CESSWI, APSS, EIT, or similar, or the ability to acquire a professional certification.
• Experience leading natural resources fieldwork focused on threatened/endangered species, wetland delineations, aquatic resources assessments, and compliance monitoring.
• Extensive working knowledge of botanical species taxonomy and ability to identify species in the field.
  
  

Additional Information

• Valid driver's license.
• Ability and willingness to travel, sometimes at a moment’s notice, for extended periods, at nights and occasionally on weekends.
• Ability to pass a Motor Vehicle background screening.
• Available to access projects within the geographic area.
• Ability to work long hours in harsh conditions.
  
  

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full spectrum of environmental services. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Amherst, MA office can expect and hourly pay rate of $20.50-$26.50/hour at the Assistant Staff Biologist level, or $23.00-$30.00/hour at the Staff Biologist level. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA’s Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA’s continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.

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