Restoration Ecologist
H. T. Harvey & Associates, an ecological consulting firm based in Northern California, is looking for a restoration ecologist for a full time position in our restoration ecology group in our San Francisco Bay Area office (Los Gatos, Santa Clara County). Anticipated start date for this position is June–July, 2020.
What you’ll do
Over the course of a typical week, H. T. Harvey & Associates restoration ecologists spend time both in the field and in the office. Field work includes: collecting baseline information to support restoration planning; performing field monitoring of restoration maintenance activities; and conducting post-construction restoration monitoring. In the office, restoration ecologists contribute to and write restoration plan documents; participate in multi-disciplinary restoration planning meetings with senior staff; craft restoration site maintenance recommendations; analyze post-restoration ecological monitoring data; and contribute to annual long term monitoring reports. The restoration team at H. T. Harvey & Associates is a highly-collaborative group that provides training and mentorship to staff and actively seeks out opportunities for professional growth. Most projects involve collaborative work with other firm experts (e.g., wildlife, restoration, fish and aquatic ecology, landscape architecture, rangeland management, soil science, arboriculture) as well as with teaming partners (restoration hydrologists, engineers, restoration contractors, and others).
What are some of the important projects that H. T. Harvey & Associates restoration group works on in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Our mission is to help clients address their complex ecological challenges. As a result of our 50 year history in the region and the recognized local and unique expertise of our staff, our restoration group works on a variety of interesting and challenging projects. For example we are:
- working on riparian/river restoration projects, including restoration design and research on the vulnerable Sycamore Alluvial Woodland habitat in the Bay Area, as well as creative integration of riparian forest restoration with flood protection projects.
- at the cutting edge of developing and designing ecosystem adaptations to sea level rise throughout the San Francisco Bay, working on multi-benefit projects that provide habitat for bayland threatened and endangered species (e.g., California Ridgway’s rail and salt marsh harvest mouse), assisting with the integration of bayland habitat restoration with flood protection, and fostering baylands ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change.
- designing freshwater and pond restoration projects to provide habitat for the federal and state threatened California tiger salamander and for the federal threatened California red-legged frog.
Who works at H. T. Harvey & Associates?
Our ecologists have been working on restoration projects in the San Francisco Bay Area for more decades and have unparalleled expertise with the region’s habitats, species, and regulatory environment. A position working for H. T. Harvey & Associates is not for everyone–it is for those who strive for excellence in their everyday work, their science, and their long term careers and for those who are interested in continually improving their scientific knowledge, learning from others, and collaborating with experts in other fields of ecology.
If that sounds like you and you meet the requirements below, we look forward to learning more about your ecological interests and skills during the application process!
Required experience
- Strong academic background in restoration or plant ecology
- Experience in some or most of the following areas: habitat restoration design; plant ecology; wetland and/or riparian ecology and hydrology; soil science; statistical design and analysis; and plant taxonomy
- Exceptional and demonstrated technical writing ability
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- Good organizational and data handling skills
Candidates with an M.S. or a Ph.D. are preferred, but applicants having a B.S. or B.A. combined with directly relevant experience will be considered.
Desired qualifications
- California flora identification skills
- Experience with regulatory agency permitting
- Hands on restoration project planning or restoration monitoring experience
This position requires the future employee to:
- Hold a valid driver’s license with no major traffic violations or multiple minor violations
- Work occasionally on nights, weekends, and early morning hours
- Walk over varied terrain
- Work in inclement weather
- Perform soil sampling in the field
- Lift and carry up to 50 pounds
- Follow best practices for field safety
- Potentially travel within California for fieldwork
How and Where to apply:
First and foremost we will evaluate your technical skills and experience, and we will also closely evaluate your communications skills. We ask for a cover letter, resume, academic transcripts, references, and a technical writing sample. In your cover letter we’d appreciate it if you share some thoughts about what you enjoy about restoration or what you are looking to get out of your next position. We really do read your cover letters–it’s an opportunity to share with us some of the things that might not come through in a traditional resume.
Please apply through our jobs page on our website.