Mid-Level Biologist

Job description

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 currently have ERGs for:

• 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 an As-Needed mid-level Biologist to join our biological resources team. The successful candidate will assist our team in preparing resource agency permits and contribute to report preparation under the direction of core Dudek staff.  Occasional field surveys for botanical, wildlife and aquatic resources may be necessary.  Periodic overnight and out-of-region travel may be necessary.  This position will necessitate both desk- and field-based work. This position can be considered fully remote or a hybrid work arrangement depending on the candidate’s home location.

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

Who You Are

To thrive at Dudek, you should be comfortable with freedom and accountability. We value collaborative, resourceful, and independent thinkers. We look for curious, solution-focused people who are able to adapt quickly to an ever-changing industry. There is no single way to solve a problem, so we support your creative approaches to solve problems.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Technical tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Support wildlife-focused survey efforts;
• Complete Aquatic Resources Delineation Reports;
• Organize and schedule field surveys;
• Prepare reports summarizing methodology, field survey results and recommendations;
• Prepare written documentation to support environmental permit applications and CEQA/NEPA biological evaluations;
• Assist or lead with 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.
• Collect detailed field data, work in remote field locations, hike steep slopes over uneven terrain, and work full days in all types of weather;
• Identify California flora to species and subspecies or variety;
• Conduct/lead field surveys for rare, threatened, and endangered plants and wildlife;
• Conduct/lead vegetation surveys, invasive plant surveys, and habitat assessments;
• Conduct aquatic resource delineations;

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, botany, environmental science or related natural resources field;
• A minimum of 10 years of experience with biological resources surveys, impact analyses and mitigation identification/planning;
• Understanding of regulatory permitting processes in California for aquatic resources and special-status species;
• Attention to detail, ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• 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 the following pre-employment requirements prior to beginning employment: pre-employment drug test and background check.

Preferred Qualifications

• College coursework and/or a degree with wildlife identification, botanical, natural resources, or conservation, etc.;
• Experience with plant ID botanical skills in California;
• Proficient in wildlife identification and impact evaluation skills throughout California;
• Proficient in surveying for special-status species (plants or wildlife) of California;
• Proficient with plant identification using dichotomous keys, such as the Jepson Manual, in California;
• Proficient in conducting long-term monitoring for vegetation communities and/or special-status plants;
• Proficient with conducting vegetation mapping;
• Proficient identifying wildlife and sign in the field;
• Experience with field collection applications, such as ESRI Field Maps, Survey123, etc.;
• Familiarity with California wetland types and systems;
• At least 5 years of project management experience;
• Comfortable working collaboratively with project planners, engineers, GIS staff, and other resource specialists.

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.
• Outdoor activity may involve walking/trekking in uneven terrain over long distances in extreme weather conditions for extended periods of time.

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

Proposed Salary Range:$34 - $48 per hour*

*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

Dudek is committed to creating a workplace where all employees, regardless of their background, feel valued, respected, and have equal opportunities to succeed. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to our business success, and we are dedicated to fostering a culture where everyone can thrive. We are committed to fair and equitable processes, based on merit, free from any discrimination.

Dudek is genuinely committed to equal employment opportunities within our company and on our project teams. Dudek is also committed to compliance with all applicable laws providing equal employment opportunities. This commitment applies to all persons involved in Dudek’s operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee of Dudek, including supervisors and coworkers. Equal employment opportunities will be extended to all persons (including those with disability and veteran status) in all aspects of the employment relationship, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, discipline, layoff, recall, and termination. Any employee who violates this policy and Dudek’s commitment to equal employment opportunities will be subject to disciplinary action.

*As-needed and part-time employees are eligible for our 401(k) plan, sick leave, and our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). As-needed and part-time employees have the option of additional benefits like medical benefits and ESOP participation provided they meet minimum hours worked during the 12-month look back measurement period.  Speak with your recruiter to learn more.

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