Aquatic Biologist

Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, our experts lead their fields with dedication, a creative spirit, and a vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties worldwide and are devoted to fostering a community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. Here, you can apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental professionals on work that’s vital to our clients and the communities they serve.

About the role

Stantec is actively seeking a marine and freshwater senior aquatic biologist to support our Environmental Services team of scientists, engineers, planners, and other environmental professionals in Northern California. This position will support a diverse portfolio of projects throughout the Western United States, including water resources, transportation, energy, restoration, and municipal infrastructure projects. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership for aquatic resource assessments, environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, environmental documentation, and complex scientific analyses. The role offers opportunities to work closely with multidisciplinary teams while mentoring staff, supporting business development efforts, and contributing to the successful delivery of high-profile projects.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership
  • Lead and conduct freshwater and marine aquatic resource investigations, fisheries studies, habitat assessments, and environmental analyses.
  • Interpret and apply scientific principles to evaluate potential project impacts on aquatic and marine ecosystems and fisheries resources.
  • Serve as a technical lead on multidisciplinary projects involving aquatic and marine ecology, fisheries biology, water quality, hydrology, habitat restoration, and environmental compliance.
  • Provide technical review and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of reports, analyses, and regulatory documents.
• Data Analysis and Modeling Support
  • Perform and oversee technical and statistical analyses of biological, habitat, water quality, and fisheries datasets.
  • Interpret results from aquatic habitat, temperature, hydrologic, and ecological models to support environmental planning, permitting, and regulatory compliance.
  • Integrate field data, monitoring results, modeling outputs, and scientific literature into defensible technical conclusions and recommendations.
  • Develop graphics, figures, tables, and data visualizations to support regulatory submittals and technical reports.
• Environmental Permitting and Regulatory Compliance
  • Assist in preparing permit applications and compliance documentation, including:
    • Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certifications
    • Clean Water Act Section 404 Permits
    • California Fish and Game Code Section 1600 Agreements
    • National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) consultations and permitting
    • Endangered Species Act compliance documentation
    • Biological Assessments and Biological Evaluations
  • Coordinate directly with regulatory agencies including USACE, NMFS, USFWS, State Water Boards, CDFW, and other resource agencies.
  • Develop avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and monitoring strategies to support project approvals.
• Environmental Documentation
  • Assist in preparing aquatic and marine-related resources sections and supporting analyses for:
    • California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents
    • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents
    • Environmental Assessments (EA)
    • Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)
    • Environmental Impact Reports (EIR)
    • Mitigated Negative Declarations (MND)
  • Support environmental planning and permitting strategies for complex water, infrastructure, and restoration projects.
• Field Program Management
  • Assist in managing and implementing aquatic field studies and monitoring programs.
  • Coordinate field crews, subcontractors, equipment, logistics, health and safety requirements, schedules, and budgets.
  • Oversee and/or assist in managing collection of fisheries, habitat, water quality, geomorphic, and biological datasets.
  • Ensure technical quality, defensibility, and regulatory compliance of field efforts.
• Project Leadership and Mentorship
  • Mentor, train, and supervise junior and mid-level staff.
  • Provide technical guidance and career development support to team members.
  • Contribute to project planning, scope development, scheduling, budgeting, and resource management.
  • Collaborate effectively with engineers, planners, environmental scientists, and regulatory specialists.
• Business Development
  • Support business development initiatives and client relationship management.
  • Participate in proposal preparation, interviews, and pursuit strategies.
  • Identify opportunities with state, municipal, transportation, water resources, and energy sector clients.
  • Contribute to strategic growth of aquatic sciences and environmental services throughout the Western U.S.

Requirements

• Strong technical credibility and scientific judgment.
• Self-directed and collaborative communication style.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to balance technical excellence with client service and project delivery objectives.
• Passion for mentoring staff and advancing aquatic science practices.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD degree in Fisheries Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Marine Biology, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, Ecology, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of professional experience in aquatic sciences, fisheries biology, environmental permitting, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience preparing technical documents and permit applications, including CDFW and NOAA.
• Strong technical writing, statistical analysis, and data interpretation skills.
• Experience managing field programs and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder coordination skills.
• Ability to travel for field work and meetings.
• Preferred:
  • Experience interpreting habitat, temperature, hydrologic, or ecological models.
  • Proficiency with statistical software (R, Python, SAS, or equivalent).
  • GIS experience (ArcGIS Pro or equivalent).
  • Professional certifications or scientific collection permits relevant to fisheries and aquatic resources.

Pay

• Locations in CO, HI, IL, MD & Various CA, NJ, VA Areas: $80,300.00 - $116,500.00 Annually
• Locations in NYC & CA (Bay Area) & NJ (RP): $92,000.00 - $133,400.00 Annually

In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. The final agreed-upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec, certain roles are bonus eligible. Actual compensation for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on the agreed number of working hours per week.

Benefits

Regular full-time and part-time employees (working at least 20 hours per week) have access to:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Wellness program
• Health saving accounts, flexible spending accounts
• 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase program
• Life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Short-term/long-term disability plans
• Emergency travel benefits
• Tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage
• Paid family leave
• Ten paid holidays per calendar year
• Vacation accrual between 10 and 20 days per year
• Paid sick leave (and if more generous, in accordance with state and local law)

Temporary/casual employees have access to 401(k) plans, employee stock purchase program, and paid leave, in accordance with state and local law. The benefits listed above may not apply to union positions because benefits for such positions are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements.