Mid-level Environmental Biologist - Santa Barbara

Position Overview

Dudek’s journey began in 1980 with a vision to serve Southern California’s water and wastewater agencies. Today, we are a 100% employee-owned firm supporting clients nationwide and delivering projects that improve and protect the built and natural environments of communities throughout the United States. Our work has been recognized by leading industry organizations, and we’ve been honored with multiple national Top Workplace Awards. Our employee-owners are unified by a singular commitment to supporting projects that address key societal issues, such as the transition to renewable energy, infrastructure hardening and repair, environmental protection, and community resilience.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Aid in the collection of detailed field data, work in remote field locations, hike steep slopes over uneven terrain, and work full days in all types of weather, including but not limited to the following tasks:
• Aquatic resource delineations.
• Identification of California flora to species and subspecies or variety.
• Assist or lead field surveys for rare, threatened, and endangered plants and wildlife.
• Auxiliary in large scale or small-scale vegetation surveys, invasive plant surveys, and habitat assessments.
• Manage small-scale biological resource projects and biological tasks on larger multidisciplinary projects, including scheduling, budgeting, client coordination, and quality control.
• Prepare reports summarizing methodology, field survey results and recommendations with oversight from senior-level staff.
• Prepare Aquatic Resources Delineation Reports with senior-staff guidance.
• Support the preparation of documents supporting environmental permit applications and CEQA/NEPA biological evaluations with senior-staff oversight.
• Serve as a mentor to junior-level staff and assist in building proficiency of technical skills.
• Work as a member of a team and independently to make decisions and complete tasks on time and within budget.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, botany, environmental science or related natural resources field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in biological resource consulting (or equivalent experience in a regulatory agency setting) with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Proven experience managing biological tasks or projects, including client communication, deliverable oversight, and team coordination.
• Knowledge and understanding of special-status plant species, vegetation communities, and sensitive vegetation resources that occur in the Southern California region.
• Knowledge of state and federal statutes, regulations, and permitting requirements relating to biological resources, in particular, the federal Clean Water Act, state and federal Endangered Species Acts, California Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, and California Fish and Game Code.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Willingness to travel for work, including overnight stays in hotels.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and have active personal automobile liability insurance by first day of employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in biology, ecology, botany, environmental science or related natural resources field.
• Some demonstrated experience with management of projects involving biological impact analyses, special-status species, and mitigation planning, particularly experienced in the regulatory environment of Southern California.
• Proficient in wildlife identification and impact evaluation skills throughout California.
• Strong customer service emphasis and solution-oriented project delivery approach.
• Conscientious and detail-oriented with demonstrated accuracy and attention to detail.
• Exercises good judgment and sound decision-making skills.
• Familiarity with using a handheld GPS unit (e.g. Garmin or similar) and experience using advanced software and mapping tools such as ESRI FieldMaps, Survey123, and Collector.
• Possess or actively pursuing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Section 10(a)(1)(A) recovery survey permits and/or California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Scientific Collecting Permits (SCPs) for regionally relevant species including, but not limited to, coastal California gnatcatcher, Quino checkerspot butterfly, southwestern willow flycatcher, burrowing owl, and Crotch’s bumblebee.
• Possess or actively pursuing a CDFW Plant Voucher Collecting Permit to collect voucher specimens of state‑listed rare, threatened, endangered, or candidate plant species.

Compensation

$80,000-$90,000 annually*

Final agreed-upon compensation will be based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, an individual’s related experience, education, certifications, skills, and work location.

Successful candidates must pass a pre-employment drug test and background check prior to beginning employment.

Physical Requirements

• Working on a computer, sitting, or standing for long periods of time in an office or remote office setting.
• Employees must be capable of bending, squatting, climbing ladders, and lifting up to 35 lbs. unassisted; 50lbs in a team lift (two or more employees).