Environmental Scientist

JOB DESCRIPTION

This position's primary responsibilities include supporting utility projects by conducting environmental assessments, including stream/wetlands delineation, and permitting, plant and animal inventories, habitat assessments, environmental protection and mitigation planning, and environmental permitting. In addition, the position will provide support to the siting of electric transmission line and substation projects through the analysis of environmental, land use, cultural resource, and visual issues using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to determine the most viable siting opportunities.

• 40% Conducts field environmental assessments by traversing cleared and uncleared linear utility corridors and site‑specific parcels to delineate, GPS, and map streams, wetlands, habitat, and identify plants and animal species.
• 20% Prepares environmental and technical reports to document the findings of the natural resource assessments and supports environmental protection, mitigation planning, and permitting.
• 20% Provides regulatory and permitting application support; including but not limited to those associated with NEPA, SEPA, Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other state and local environmental review authorities. Coordinates with applicable review agencies.
• 10% Supports line and substation siting by applying environmental principles.
• 5% Prepares, estimates, and budgets for specific environmental activities and monitors project costs.
• 5% Performs other duties as assigned by management.

Moderately routine: general policies applied. Some decision making.

Exchange of information, which occasionally requires tact and/or diplomacy.

• REGULAR ATTENDANCE is required.
• EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Required High school degree or GED.
• Required A Bachelor’s degree from a four‑year college or University in natural sciences (e.g. biology, environmental sciences, ecology, forestry, soil science) or experience equivalent.
• Preferred Master’s Degree in biology, environmental sciences, natural resource management, ecology, forestry, soil science or similar discipline.

• 3-5 Year(s) Experience minimum in natural resources and ecological consulting.

• Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS)
• Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS)
• Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB)
• ASTM Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Training

On-the-job training for administrative responsibilities and executing the transmission line and substation siting process will be provided. Incumbents will be expected to perform at a high level completing natural resources assessments, permitting, and other environmental review responsibilities with limited training and oversight.

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as procedure manuals, operational procedures, etc.
• Ability to write reports, Business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

• Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume and distance.
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations. Ability to compute rate, ratio and percent and to draw and interpret spread sheets.

• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished…