Senior Environmental Scientist

VHB's growing Mid-Atlantic Environmental Services practice is seeking a Senior Environmental Project Manager with a strong background in natural resources and a passion for team leadership, client service, and business development.

In this strategic, client-facing role, you will help lead and grow our Natural Sciences team of environmental scientists and GIS analysts across Virginia, Metro DC, and North Carolina. You will mentor staff, guide environmental strategies, strengthen client relationships, and support market growth across the transportation, real estate, institutional, and energy sectors.

We are looking for a collaborative, entrepreneurial professional who thrives in a multidisciplinary environment and is committed to delivering high-quality environmental solutions from project planning through construction.

• Lead and manage natural resource inventories, wetland and stream delineations, jurisdictional determinations, alternatives analyses, impact assessments, and environmental permitting efforts.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to environmental staff, supporting their professional development, consulting skills, and project delivery.
• Collaborate with planning, engineering, architecture, and design teams to integrate environmental considerations throughout the project lifecycle.
• Serve as a trusted representative of VHB with clients, regulatory agencies, and project stakeholders.
• Support client engagement and market growth by identifying opportunities, maintaining existing relationships, and developing new partnerships.
• Lead or contribute to strategic pursuits, proposals, presentations, and business development plans that expand environmental services across Virginia and North Carolina.
• Manage project tasks, scopes, schedules, budgets, and deliverables while maintaining VHB's high standards for quality and client service.

• Strong technical knowledge of wetland and stream delineations; NEPA compliance; federal, state, and local environmental permitting; and rare, threatened, and endangered species surveys.
• Knowledge of Section 404/401 permitting, state environmental regulations, regulatory coordination, and environmental strategy development.
• Proficiency in plant identification, vegetation inventories, and Mid-Atlantic flora, including use of Flora of Virginia and other regional references.
• Experience with GPS, mobile data collection, environmental data management, GIS, geodatabases, and map production.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct environmental research, analyze data, and prepare clear, defensible technical reports and permit documentation.
• Proven project management, proposal preparation, client relationship management, and business development capabilities.
• Strong critical-thinking, communication, interpersonal, and technical writing skills.
• Detail-oriented, adaptable, and collaborative, with a client-focused and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Comfortable working independently in challenging outdoor conditions and traveling as needed, including occasional overnight or extended field assignments.

• 11+ years of professional experience in environmental science, natural resources, or a related field.
• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Biology, Fisheries and Wildlife, Ecology, Natural Resources, or a related discipline; master's degree preferred.
• Professional Wetland Delineator (PWD) and/or Virginia State Waters Delineator (VSWD) certification preferred.
• Relevant coursework in plant identification, ecology, wildlife biology, wetland science, aquatic habitats, or related subjects.
• Significant field experience across diverse natural habitats.

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