Associate Project Aquatic Ecologist

SWCA Environmental Consultants is looking for an Associate Project Aquatic Ecologist - Fisheries to join our growing Pacific Northwest subregion. The selected individual will be part of the Natural Resources team supporting various projects in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. We work to support our client's needs across multiple service areas including generation, water infrastructure and utilities, and ecological restoration.

This position is a regular (with benefits), full-time, hourly position that will involve species-specific consultation, field data collection, impact analysis planning and authoring, permitting, research and statistical modeling, and technical report writing and documentation. Interactions with both regulatory agencies and clients is expected.

The position will be based out of our offices in either Portland, OR; Corvallis, OR; or Whitefish, Montana with hybrid work environments encouraged. Highly qualified candidates in remote (= Distributed) locations within the Pacific Northwest will also be seriously considered.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until 9/16/2025. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission. This

• Manage or lead a variety of aquatic resources field studies including protocol-level, species-specific surveys, habitat evaluations, biological assessments/evaluations, and population monitoring.
• Participate in the design of river restoration and floodplain projects by working collaboratively with an interdisciplinary design team consisting of engineers, geomorphologists, fisheries biologists, and project managers.
• Mentor junior aquatic biologist and/or fisheries staff in the areas of aquatic resources field studies.
• Serve as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers.
• Follow sampling protocols, field data management best practices, and coordinate with other applicable SWCA staff. Use topographic maps, aerial photographs, GPS units, and other maps and scientific tools and equipment under sometimes arduous field conditions.
• Prepare reports and permit documents as the primary author and conduct quality assurance/quality control for a variety of project types and sizes.
• Take responsibility for team safety, develop safety plans (when applicable), and anticipate potential safety.
• Work closely with SWCA's other resource scientists, planners, on natural and cultural resource projects throughout the company.
• This person will encompass excellent organizational and analytical skills, strong writing proficiency, and a demonstrated aptitude with relating biological data to broader ecological, restoration, or management issues.

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree in biology, natural resources, fisheries, or a related field.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in Fisheries and Wildlife, Biology, Ecology, Botany, Zoology, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, or a related life science. Experience should include completing fieldwork, data analysis, technical reports, and impact assessments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of freshwater / riverine fisheries ecosystems, statistical analysis, population studies, stream ecology, issues and policies in the Pacific Northwest or similar geographies/ecosystems.
• Proven experience solving technical problems by utilizing professional judgment, creativity, science, research, and innovation.
• Excellent organizational and verbal/written communication skills.
• Excellent data management skills including fluency with Microsoft Excel and Access.

Preferred Requirements:

• Graduate degree in biology, natural resources, fisheries, or a related field.
• Experience with ecological or habitat restoration, stream/wetland mitigation, or transportation and/or other linear projects.
• Demonstrated business development success, including proposal writing, budget development, and client interaction.
• Desire to learn and grow into increased project-management and supervisory responsibilities.
• Working knowledge of natural resource regulatory laws including Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act.
• Understanding of permitting and mitigation requirements for Clean Water Act Sections 401 and 404, Oregon Department of State Lands, Washington Department of Ecology, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Experience with GIS software and iPAD or similar field collection units and ability to use technology for data collection.
• Experience with conducting statistical analysis using software such as R or similar.

Additional Information

• Ability to conduct field work on a weekly as-needed basis with some potential for overnight mobilizations. Travel is estimated at approximately 10% to 25% of a full-time position.
• Ability to travel to a location, walk and conduct fieldwork for long hours, sometimes in inclement weather, rugged terrain, high heat and humidity.
• Ability to carry equipment and supplies weighing up to 40 pounds is required.

Why Work at SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in thisposition can expect the following rates:

• Portland, OR-based: $32.76 - $42.04/hour
• Corvallis, OR - based: $31.20 - $40.04/hour
• Whitefish, MT-based: $31.20 - $40.04/hour

Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA's Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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