Principal Technical Consultant, Fisheries Biologist

Role Overview

Principal Technical Consultant, Fisheries Biologist – senior technical leadership on complex mining and energy projects across Canada’s western offices (Vancouver, Calgary, Whitehorse, Smithers). The role blends deep fisheries expertise with strategic oversight, guiding fisheries assessments, offsetting programs and permitting for large‑scale capital projects in diverse and often remote environments. You will work within ERM’s Fisheries and Aquatics team, influencing project outcomes that support responsible development, advance regulatory approvals and address evolving environmental and sustainability challenges.

• Lead and shape fisheries and aquatic programs that support major capital projects from planning through operations.
• Provide senior technical oversight to ensure defensible, high‑quality deliverables aligned with federal, provincial and territorial requirements.
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, regulators and internal teams on fisheries biology, habitat management and offsetting strategies.
• Mentor and develop junior and intermediate staff, strengthening ERM’s fisheries capability for the future.
• Contribute to ERM’s national and international fisheries and aquatics technical communities.
• Oversee the design and implementation of fish and fish habitat field programs in freshwater ecosystems across Canada.
• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of fisheries offsetting and compensation programs.
• Draft, review and provide technical oversight for high‑quality environmental assessments, baseline studies, offsetting plans and permitting documents.
• Provide senior technical review and quality control for fisheries data collection, analysis and management.
• Compile, manage, analyze and contribute to databases related to fish habitat, community and biological data.
• Provide expert guidance and technical advice to clients and internal project teams.
• Deliver field leadership and technical support for complex fisheries projects.
• Contribute to proposal development, including technical scopes and cost estimates, in alignment with ERM policies and processes.
• Manage project phases as required, including task delegation, subcontractor oversight, health and safety management and client engagement.
• Actively participate in ERM’s national and international fisheries and aquatic technical networks.

• B.Sc. in Fisheries Biology, Natural Resource Management or a related discipline.
• Registered Professional Biologist (or equivalent).
• 6+ years of environmental consulting experience.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and managing junior staff.
• Extensive field experience in fish and fish habitat assessment and aquatic biology.
• Strong knowledge of federal, provincial, and territorial regulations and guidelines as they apply to the mining and oil & gas sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, schedules and quality of technical deliverables.
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision in dynamic, fast‑paced environments.
• Robust commitment to health and safety, including adherence to established H&S procedures.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to travel and conduct fieldwork in remote locations.
• Driver’s License
  
  Required:
  
  a valid driver’s license and/or ability to operate a company vehicle.

• M.Sc. in Fisheries Biology, Natural Resource Management or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of environmental consulting experience.
• Experience designing and overseeing fisheries field programs in remote locations, including complex logistics and multi‑team coordination.
• Experience supporting mining and/or oil & gas projects.
• Experience working with Indigenous communities, government agencies and public stakeholders.
• Experience delivering fisheries projects within multidisciplinary teams, including environmental assessments, offsetting plans, in‑stream flow assessments and monitoring programs.

Annual base pay $117,540–$174,235 (CAD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance and business needs; pay may fall outside this range. This role may…