RES is accepting applications for an Aquatic Ecologist to work collaboratively with a team of fisheries biologists, field ecologists, restoration designers, environmental land operators, and mitigation professionals in our Sacramento or San Francisco, CA office. The role of the Aquatic Ecologist requires technical skills, strong organizational and communication skills, the ability to work independently, collaboratively, and confidently to achieve task goals.

The Mission: You will be conducting all aspects of fieldwork, collecting and organizing data, writing technical reports, preparing permit applications, and assisting with the stewardship of RES’s entire portfolio in the Western Region.

RES is the nation’s largest and most experienced provider of ecological restoration and water resource solutions. To date, we have restored over 686 stream miles, 77,736 wetland acres, and preserved 20,400 acres of endangered species habitats. Our operations include planting over 28 million restorative trees and reducing hundreds of tons of polluting nutrients. RES navigates and streamlines the environmental permitting process with solutions that balance economic development and ecological sustainability.

As a member of the Fisheries and Aquatics team you will play a key role in our mitigation and conservation banking projects. You will join interdisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, project managers, and other technical staff to support the design and implementation of large-scale restoration projects.

This position will be responsible for supporting the development and implementation of restoration and monitoring plans for tidal, lentic, and lotic systems. This may include a wide variety of fieldwork, including fisheries and water quality monitoring, eDNA sampling, habitat assessments, and wildlife surveys.

This team member will also need to be able to collect, manage, and interpret data, and communicate technical information regarding our projects to a variety of stakeholders, including clients, regulatory agencies, internal team members, and other RES technical staff. In this role, you would be collecting and analyzing data to support restoration design decisions and adaptive management of implemented restoration projects. The ability to engage in self-directed learning is critical. This position necessitates the ability to quickly learn and synthesize information through self-directed learning such as reading scientific papers, attending webinars and conferences, and reviewing past work products. 

Project sites are located throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. The majority of the sites and projects are within California and require a thorough knowledge of the ecology of the diverse aquatic systems of California estuaries, rivers, and lakes.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of your job duties.

We would love to talk to you if you have many of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in ecology, biology, environmental science or other related discipline
• A minimum of 4 years of relevant experience with mitigation, habitat restoration, aquatic research, and/or environmental permitting.
• Experience with permitting and/or monitoring of restoration projects.
• Involvement in supporting the design of restoration projects with data you have collected and analyzed.
• Experience working in and knowledge of west coast watersheds, estuaries, and/or the California Bay-Delta.
• Field survey experience including fish (native and non-native), aquatics (mesohabitat mapping, temperature and water quality monitoring), aquatic plants (native and non-native), and/or wetlands (assessments).
• Knowledge of aquatic food web processes.

• Willingness to assist multidisciplinary teams with related fieldwork such as wetland surveys and delineations, bird/bat surveys, endangered species habitat surveys, etc.

• Strong writing ability; must be able to prepare technical documents with limited instruction, seeking input from senior staff for key items.

• The ability to work in physically challenging outdoor situations and lift heavy equipment (up to 25 lb.) in all types of weather and traveling on a regular basis to project sites which may require overnight stays.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, Clean DMV record, and compliance with company safety policies are required.
• Experience with MS Office, Apple iPads, ARCGIS online, and GPS technology.

What will make you stand out?

• Master’s Degree in ecology or a related field.
• Environmental modeling experience; including, but not limited to, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, spatial models in ArcGIS Model Builder, sediment transport models, and linear effects models.  
• Understanding of and experience with a variety of federal and California environmental regulations (federal Clean Water Act 404/401, California Fish and Game Code 1600, federal and California Endangered Species Acts).
• Stream invertebrate taxonomy.
• CRAM training.
• Familiarity with invasive aquatic plants and management techniques.
• Demonstrated field survey experience with amphibians (California red-legged frog, foothill yellow-legged frogs) and reptiles (giant garter snake, western pond turtle).

• Experience presenting at technical conferences, workshops, and/or seminars.

Salary: $69,374.41 - $93,655.63

VEVRAA Federal Contractor

RES is an equal opportunity employer that recognizes the value of a diverse workforce. All qualified individuals will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other criteria protected by federal, state or local law.