Coastal Ecologist

RPI is a science technology firm with a long tradition of maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity to provide unbiased and rigorous analysis to our clients.

Our domestic and international clients include federal, state and local governments, multinational development agencies, NGOs, and private industry. Based in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, RPI has conducted projects in over 50 countries. Our capabilities for rapidly bringing to bear the appropriate scientific expertise and resources to successfully undertake projects are unmatched.

Position Overview

Research Planning, Inc. (RPI) has an opening in our Columbia, SC office for a Coastal Ecologist. The candidate should have a Master of Science degree in biology, ecology, environmental management, or a related field. Two years of post-graduate school experience is highly preferred. This position will involve coastal resource mapping, oil and chemical spill response, and natural resource projects (literature syntheses, natural resource damage assessments, etc.).

Many potential projects, particularly coastal resource mapping, require the candidate to have strong skills in compilation and organization of large numbers of digital data sets, meeting facilitation, an understanding of coastal ecology (e.g., recognition of common marine and estuarine birds, fish, inverts, reptiles, mammals, benthic marine and intertidal habitats), and the ability to feel comfortable corresponding with a wide range of state, federal, and academic partners at various levels. Knowledge in the following areas would be beneficial, but not required: salt marsh ecology, life histories of coastal and marine fauna, and habitat functions and services. Qualified candidates will be asked to provide academic and/or professional references.

Excellent scientific writing and communication skills are essential. Candidates must provide examples of experience in meeting facilitation, lecturing, or instructing scientific material, and/or presenting research or applied scientific topics in a professional setting. Candidates will be asked to present an academic or professional topic of their choosing to the RPI staff during the interview process and will be asked to provide a writing sample from their M.S. thesis, a publication they are lead author on, or equivalent.

Experience in using Geographic Information Systems is required and must be demonstrated. Candidates should be able to work independently and as part of a team.

Candidates must be willing to travel nationally and potentially internationally. Typical travel is domestic, up to two weeks (potentially, though rarely, longer), occurs several times per year, and may be at short notice, due to the nature of the position as a member of the Scientific Support Team for oil, chemical, and hurricane response. Destinations vary widely and include some exciting, rare opportunities.

Strong field experience is required. Oil and chemical spill and hurricane response involves travel, long hours, a desire to work in the field under a variety of conditions (including riding in trucks, boats, helicopters, airplanes, etc.) and the ability to use basic field and office equipment (e.g., GPS, camera, laptop computers, basic software, etc.). Opportunities for fieldwork and travel are competitive and require demonstrated competence.

Additional Information

The candidate should have an interest in learning new skills, on-the-job, in a fast-paced, emergency response environment. The candidate should have a strong desire to market existing and new clients, write proposals, present at scientific meetings, and publish papers. RPI staff work on very multidisciplinary projects, and there are many opportunities to learn new skills, publish, and grow professionally. We have excellent employee benefits and value our employees as key members of the RPI family. We hope that you are excited about joining our team.

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To Apply

Please click "Apply" below to email your resume, representative publications, and a writing sample to:
Jacqueline Michel, Ph.D.: jmichel@researchplanning.com
Christine Boring, M.S.: cboring@researchplanning.com