Senior Biologist

Salinas, CA

Full Time

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING + COMPLIANCE

Experienced

Why Join us?
Harris’ growing Environmental, Engineering, and Consulting Division does industry-leading work in environmental planning and compliance, community planning and housing solutions, engineering design, municipal and district finance, and one water solutions. Harris continues to expand the scope of these services while also building new capabilities in planning, climate change/adaptation, hazard mitigation, resilience, and management consulting.

Harris has an opening for a Senior Biologist to join our Environmental Planning and Compliance team in the Biology Group. If you are a passionate and motivated professional looking for a collaborative environment at a firm that invests heavily in your growth, you could be a perfect fit for Harris & Associates.
The successful candidate will have a strong work ethic, positive attitude, and proven record of working collaboratively in a team environment.

What you will do…
•   Lead staff in conducting general and focused biological surveys, including protocol sensitive species surveys and habitat assessments for sensitive species.
•   Lead and manage staff in preparing biological resource documents, serving as primary author or senior reviewer.
•   Serve as subject matter expert or regional expert for sensitive biological resources and habitats.
•   Manage data collection and management tasks and when required, write protocols for data collection for surveys.
•   Oversee biological analyses and develop strategic approaches for clients while ensuring regulatory compliance.
•   Serve as project manager or technical lead on a variety of biological resource projects, focusing on managing scheduling, logistics, budgeting, and agency and client coordination.
•   Mentor junior and mid-level staff, providing species expertise and career development support to foster teamwork and staff growth.
•   Manage small- and large-scale projects, including scheduling, compliance monitoring, and client/agency coordination.
•   Manage subconsultants and ensuring quality control goals are met.
•   Handle project management tasks, including forecasting, budgeting, invoicing, and contract review.
•   Take initiative and resolve issues to assure client needs are addressed.
•   Work closely with staff to develop innovative approaches to resource assessment that meet client needs and can withstand agency and public scrutiny.
•   Support business development, contributing to proposals, client interviews, and team growth by identifying and pursuing new business opportunities.

What you will have...
•   Education & Experience: Bachelor’s in Biology or Ecology with 8+ years as a biologist, including 6+ years in Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties.
•   Experience working in environmental consulting.
•   Deep knowledge of special-status, plants, wildlife, and environmental protections with a CDFW Scientific Collecting Permit and/or USFWS 10(a)(1)(A) for Northern California species highly preferred
•   Skilled in wildlife/plant surveys, habitat assessments, vegetation mapping, and biological reconnaissance.
•   Strong understanding of CEQA, NEPA, permitting processes, and environmental compliance monitoring.
•   Experienced in consulting with regulatory agencies and ensuring compliance with special-status species protections.
•   Ability to provide guidance to junior and mid-level biologists, overseeing project tasks, budgets, and technical reports.
•   Experienced in electronic data collection, large dataset management, and technical report writing.
•   Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to thrive in fast-paced, multi-project environments.

Preferred candidates will have...
•   Experience conducting jurisdictional aquatic resources delineations and assessments.
•   Understanding of regulatory agency application and permitting processes.

Work Environment
The Biologist must be capable of working in temperature extremes for long hours and be able to handle strenuous physical activity and conditions (i.e., hiking for hours a day while carrying equipment).

Compensation & Benefits
The annual salary range offered for this position is $100-150K. Actual pay offered will be dependent on the experience and expertise of the incoming candidate.

In addition to base salary, we also offer:
•   Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
•   ESOP
•   401K Match
•   PTO, 8 Paid Holidays + "1 WorkAversary" paid holiday to celebrate you!
•   Health & Well-Being Allowance
•   Tuition reimbursement
•   Flexible hybrid/remote work plans

Harris & Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability) and provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics.

Harris expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

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Senior Biologist

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