Senior Biologist

Planning Team

Job Location: Visalia or Clovis or San Luis Obispo

Schedule: Monday - Thursday: 9 hours / Friday: 4 hours

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Creeks is seeking a Senior Biologist to work under the direction of a Department Manager on our Planning team. This position will include building up a new Biological Resources service within our Environmental Planning Team.

Responsibilities for this position include:

• Effectively respond to RFPs and develop winning proposals, including assembling proposal materials and participating in client interviews.
• Prepare large, complex natural resources documents such as Biological Technical Reports, Biological Assessments, Habitat Conservation Plans, and/or Delineation Reports, Aquatic Resources Permit Applications or other Federal and State Permit Applications. Operates as primary author or senior reviewer as appropriate.
• Review contracts for understanding of scope, fee, schedule, and deliverables, and all other contractual obligations.
• Perform client management duties such as recurring status meetings, milestone check-ins, and day-to-day interfacing.
• Conduct desktop reviews using:
  • CNDDB, NMFS, CNPS, Calflora, and GIS layers
  • Identify potential sensitive resources including:
    • Special-status species
    • Wetlands and waters of the U.S./State
    • Critical habitat and wildlife movement corridors
• Support permitting and compliance tasks related to:
  • Section 7 / Section 10
  • CDFW (1600), RWQCB, USACE (404/401)
  • Assist with agency consultation support materials (letters, figures, summaries)
• Prepare and contribute to CEQA and NEPA documents, including:
  • Biological Resources sections of IS/MNDs and EIRs
  • Technical memos and environmental constraint summaries
  • Analyze project impacts to biological resources and develop:
    • Avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures
    • Monitoring and compliance requirements
• Coordinate with planners, engineers, and PMs to:
  • Track deliverables and schedules
  • Review plans for biological constraints
  • Provide biological input during design
• Review biological reports for accuracy, consistency, and compliance
• Maintain organized project files and documentation
• Support proposal writing and scope development for biology tasks

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Biology, or other related field.
• 5+ years experience in biological resources and environmental compliance
• Proven ability to independently prepare biological sections for:
  • CEQA IS/MNDs and EIRs
  • NEPA EAs (and/or EIS support)
• Experience with agency coordination (CDFW, USFWS, USACE, RWQCB)
• Ability to develop biological mitigation measures and compliance requirements
• Strong QA/QC, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

The salary will be determined by the candidate's skill and experience level and highly competitive with industry standards. The benefits package includes full employee health coverage (50% coverage for dependents), company 401(k) contribution, participation in the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), and performance bonuses. The expected pay range for this position is $100k/annually to $130k/annually.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, apply range of motion within hands and fingers, including sensitivity to touch, and use a computer.

The employee frequently is required to talk, hear, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.