Biologist - Santa Cruz

Dudek • Full-time • Santa Cruz, CA • 3w ago

Who We Are
Dudek is a leading environmental, planning, and engineering firm that help public and private clients plan, design, and build projects that improve communities’ built and natural infrastructure. Founded in 1980, Dudek has grown steadily to more than 800 professionals across the U.S. and received the Top Workplace Award for 2024.

As a 100% employee-owned company, Dudek’s culture rewards smart, productive team members with ownership, professional development, and financial benefits. We seek creative, pragmatic problem-solvers working at the intersection of science, engineering, regulations, and multiple stakeholders’ interest to help clients achieve project goals.
We encourage collaboration, sustainability, and innovation.

At Dudek, we abide by shared values:
Trust: We trust each other to use good judgment.
Respect: We act professionally and treat each other fairly.
Teamwork: We come together, share openly, and apply diverse perspectives.
Fun: We take our work seriously…not ourselves.
Well-Being: We care about each other’s health, safety, and total wellness.

Our culture is the foundation of who we are and how we work. We empower our employee-owners to invest in our local communities and themselves through initiatives that make Dudek a great place to work! Our cultural programs include:
•   DuGreen: Our sustainability initiative, which works to improve our environmental footprint
•   DuGood: Our philanthropic initiative, which seeks to support the communities in which we live and work through fundraising challenges, office-based giving and opportunity to take a paid volunteer day each year.
•   eDUcate: Our educational outreach program where we aim to foster interest in our work and careers in the environmental and engineering field by participating in educational events in our communities.
•   DuWell: Our wellness initiative, aimed at providing education on wellness, benefit resources, and preventive care.

At Dudek, we recognize that different perspectives, inclusivity, trust and belonging build a stronger culture and add value to our firm. Dudek's Employee Resource (ERGs) operate as diversity champions within Dudek and create a safe space for underrepresented employees and their allies to support, collaborate, network, and brainstorm ways to make Dudek’s work community more inclusive. We proudly support our 4 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs):
•   Women at Dudek
•   Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community
•   Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) employees
•   Disabled employees (all disabilities, seen / unseen)
Learn more about our culture.

About The Job
Dudek is currently seeking a full-time mid- to senior-level Biologist to join our biological resources team. The successful candidate will help grow Dudek’s biological resources practice locally in the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay region and surrounding area; manage and implement a wide variety of projects involving biological resources, with a focus on botanical surveys and aquatic resource delineations; and work collaboratively with other Dudek staff based out of our northern and southern California offices. This position will necessitate both in-office and field-based work out of Dudek’s Santa Cruz office.

Learn more about the projects you will have the opportunity to shape. .

Who You Are
To thrive at Dudek, you should be comfortable with accountability, collaboration, flexibility while being a resourceful and independent thinker. We look for curious, solution-focused people who can adapt quickly to an ever-changing industry. There is no single way to solve a problem, so we encourage innovation.

Duties and Responsibilities (may include some or all of the below):

Lead 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:
- Identify California flora to species and subspecies or variety;
- Lead field surveys for rare, threatened, and endangered plants and wildlife;
- Lead vegetation surveys, invasive plant surveys, and habitat assessments; and,
- Lead aquatic resource delineations;
Prepare and oversee preparation of reports summarizing methodology, field survey results and recommendations;
Prepare and oversee preparation Aquatic Resources Delineation Reports;
Prepare and oversee preparation of documents supporting environmental permit applications and CEQA/NEPA biological evaluations;
Lead or assist resource agency permitting;
Prepare scopes of work and cost estimates for biological resource survey work;
Manage projects from inception to completion, ensuring timely and efficient delivery;
Lead, mentor, and support project teams with the goal of maximizing performance and efficiency;
Mentor junior staff in collaboration with other senior staff;.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, botany, environmental science or related natural resources field;
A minimum of 12 years’ of experience in biological resource consulting (or equivalent experience in a regulatory agency setting) with increasing levels of responsibility, including a minimum of 6 years of project management and supervisory experience;
Extensive 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;
Demonstrated experience with management of projects involving biological impact analyses, special-status species, and mitigation planning;
Strong written and oral communication skills;
Familiarity with and experience using MS Office Suite;
Willingness to travel for work, including over-night stays in hotels;
Must possess a valid driver’s license and have active personal automobile liability insurance by first day of employment.

* As a federal contractor, successful candidates are required to pass a pre - employment drug test and background check.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in biology, ecology, botany, environmental science or related natural resources field;
Expert-level knowledge and understanding of special-status plant species, vegetation communities, and sensitive vegetation resources that occur in Santa Cruz County and surrounding counties;
Expert-level knowledge of California aquatic resource types and systems;
Proficient in wildlife identification and impact evaluation skills throughout California;
Leadership and strong ability to work in a collaborative environment;
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.

Physical Requirements
Working Conditions:

This job operates in a remote or office-based environment and this role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, printers, etc.
This job requires occasional project site visits-based outdoors which can include excessive noise, uneven walking surfaces, extreme weather, moving vehicles and equipment.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met in order to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.

This job requires working on a computer, sitting or standing for long periods of time in an office or remote office setting.
This job requires attending meetings, both in person and virtually as well as speaking on the phone with peers, clients, etc. Speaking, hearing and listening are required.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Proposed Salary Pay Range: $90,000 – $150,000*
*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.

Perks of Being a Dudekian
At Dudek we will provide you with a competitive salary in an environment that promotes growth, career development, and a flexible work–life balance. Dudek offers an array of benefits, from medical, dental, and vision coverage, to the discretionary bonuses, based on firmwide, divisional, and individual performance.

We also offer a yearly merit review, an employee stock ownership program, and dog friendly offices! To honor our key value of well-being, Dudek provides generous Paid Time Off (PTO) packages for both salaried and hourly employees. If you’re tired of an overly bureaucratic decision-making process and want to be part of a work culture that puts its employees first, speak with your recruiter to learn more about the great perks of being a Dudekian.

Dudek is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by applicable law.

Dudek is a U.S.-based employer. All positions are based in the U.S. and require U.S. work authorization.

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