Environmental/Ecology Scientist

~ SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies. ~

• Established in 1938
• SNC-Lavalin acquired Atkins on the 3rd July 2017
• 18,308 employees worldwide (Staff number at 31 March 2017)
• Revenue: £2,081.5m (Full year ended 31 March 2017)
• Atkins President: Nick Roberts

SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies.

• 3rd in the top 225 international design firms (ENR 2018)
• Fourth largest engineering and architectural consultancy in Europe (Svenska Teknik & Designföretagen Sector Review 2016)
• One of the top 10 firms in the Middle East and the United States (ENR 2016)
• UK's largest engineering consultancy (NCE Consultants File 2015)

Position Overview

SNC-Lavalin Atkins business seeks an energetic and highly motivated self-starter to join our Atlanta, Georgia Southeast Ecology group as an Environmental Scientist.

The selected candidate for this position will apply their ecological and environmental knowledge and experience toward the assessment of project sites, along with preparation of reports and regulatory applications. This position will support projects and manage tasks in the field and in the office, performing and leading natural resource surveys collecting and analyzing data, preparing and reviewing reports, and interacting with clients, subcontractors, and regulatory agencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and conduct natural resource field investigations, including but not limited to: identification and delineation of waters of the United States and wetlands; functional assessments; habitat assessments; and protected species presence/absence surveys.
• Plan field work and serve as safety lead while in the field, including the preparation of safety documents and adherence to company safety protocols and procedures.
• Utilize GPS equipment, post-process data, and utilize GIS to analyze data and produce figures for reports.
• Performs work which involves conventional methods and requires the use of analysis, interpretation, and deductive reasoning to achieve and meet project expectations.
• Coordinate with design professionals and overall project team for accurate depiction of natural resources on construction plans and to identify opportunities for avoiding and minimizing potential impacts.
• Prepare technical reports and provide quality reviews of reports prepared by others.
• Prepare special provisions and permit applications for various regulatory agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• B.S./B.A. or M.S. in a field of Science to commensurate with hiring discipline.
• This level may be achieved by Scientists with minimum three years' experience since Bachelor's degree or 2 years' experience with Master's degree; typical incumbent has 5 years' experience.

Special Skills:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience is desired, and 1 or more years of GDOT related experience is highly desired. 
• A minimum of 2 years of field lead experience is preferred.

Professional Registrations:

• None required; however, ability to pursue professional certification/registration is preferred.

Additional Requirements:

• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, self-motivating, technical writing, computer and communication skills including public speaking.
• Proficiency with the MS Office suite of software, ArcGIS, Trimble GPS, and Pathfinder
• Office/TerraSync. 
• The ideal candidate would have experience in the following: Piedmont and/or coastal plain.
• ecology; identification of waters of the United States (including wetlands); Section 404/401 permitting; wildlife and/or botany surveys; wetland and stream condition assessment and mitigation; GIS skills; and GPS equipment proficiency. 
• The successful applicant must have a general understanding of the following industries: infrastructure, transportation (GDOT), state and local governments, water quality, and/or regulatory/compliance.
• Experience with review and interpretation of construction plans is preferred.
• Prior GDOT experience and prequalification training is highly desired. 
• USFWS scientific permits or ability to obtain permits would be a plus.
• Routine travel for field work is a requirement of the position. 
• The candidate must be confident working in harsh and inhospitable outdoor climates in the southeast US during all times of the year.
• The role requires a keen awareness to safety protocols in the field and in the office. 
• The candidate must have a valid driver’s license. 
• The role will require operating a company truck or rental vehicle for field work.