Associate Biologist

About You

Are you passionate about protecting coastal and aquatic resources and interested in advancing your career within a collaborative, technically excellent environmental consulting firm? If so, Montrose has an exciting opportunity for you.

Montrose is a global environmental services provider offering environmental planning and permitting, measurement and analytical services, and environmental resiliency and sustainability solutions. Our engineers, scientists, technicians, and policy experts collaborate across disciplines to deliver innovative, defensible, and practical solutions to complex environmental challenges.

With more than 125 offices across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia—and nearly 3,500 employees worldwide—we are committed to advancing environmental outcomes for our clients and communities.

Our Associate Scientist – Regulatory Specialist position may be performed remotely; however, the ideal candidate would be based in Southern California and bring strong experience in California coastal and waters permitting, incidental take permits, and other regulatory permitting. As a senior technical contributor, you will support and lead elements of complex permitting projects, working closely with Principals, Senior Associates, clients, and multidisciplinary teams.

You will contribute technical expertise, manage discrete permitting tasks, and help advance projects through regulatory review.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting and leading components of environmental compliance and coastal, waters, threatened and endangered species, and other natural resource permitting projects
• Working closely with clients and internal project teams to resolve permitting and regulatory challenges
• Preparing, submitting, and managing permit applications and consistency determinations under the California Coastal Act and related statutes
• Coordinating with regulatory agencies, including:
  California Coastal Commission (CCC), San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), California State Lands Commission (CSLC), Local Coastal Programs (LCPs), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE – Sections 404/10), Regional and State Water Quality Control Boards (Section 401), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), NOAA Fisheries (NMFS)
• Evaluating project consistency with Coastal Act policies related to wetlands, ESHA, shoreline processes, sea level rise, and public access
• Assisting with coordination of multi‑agency permitting pathways
• Supporting impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation planning
• Assisting with permit condition compliance during design and construction
• Collaborating with in‑house biologists, archaeologists, GIS specialists, planners, and engineers, as well as external technical specialists
• Supporting proposal development efforts, including technical writing and cost inputs
• Providing technical QA/QC support for reports and regulatory submittals
• Manage assigned project/program budgets, schedules, and staffing needs
• Mentoring junior staff and contributing to team knowledge‑sharing
• Staying current on industry trends, regulations, and best practices through continuous professional development

The Associate Scientist – Regulatory Specialist is a senior technical professional who contributes regulatory expertise, supports project execution, and builds trusted client relationships under the guidance of senior leadership.

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, environmental science, urban planning, or related field
• Master’s degree preferred
• Typically, 10+ years of relevant professional experience
• Demonstrated experience with California coastal permitting, waters permitting for 401, 404, and 1602, USFWS (ESA) Section 10 incidental take permitting and Section 7 consultations, CDFW (CESA) 2081 incidental take permitting, and/or other similar permitting of natural resources.
• Working knowledge of permitting processes with agencies such as USACE, CCC, BCDC, RWQCB, CDFW, NMFS, and USFWS
• Familiarity with California natural resources and impact assessment
• Ability to manage tasks independently while…