Senior Vegetation Ecologist

Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST), founded in 1990, has grown to be one of the premier environmental and statistical consulting firms in the United States and Canada. With over 200 scientific publications, WEST provides a unique blend of scientific inquiry with environmental consulting and has published on a variety of environmental topics. In North America, WEST is well known for its work in the renewable energy industry, having worked on thousands of projects since 1990 as well as writing and developing industrial protocols, procedures, and analyses that have since become industry standards.

In 2017, WEST expanded into Canada by opening an office in Calgary, Alberta, and has since expanded into Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. WEST and WEST staff have worked on over 200 renewable energy projects in Canada, including: British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Currently, these projects involve constraints analyses, pre- and post-construction surveys, environmental assessment, monitoring, mitigation, expert testimony, and research for wind, solar, battery, and power line clients.

In our continued drive to provide outstanding professional consulting services and original solutions to a wide range of natural resource problems, we are looking for an experienced Senior Vegetation Ecologist.

Number of positions available: 1

Positions Type: Permanent/Full Time

Location: Calgary, AB

Tentative Start Date: January 6, 2025

Job Closing: Open until filled

Pay: $90,000 - $100,000+ (CAD)

Benefits: WEST Benefits

Job Description:

The Senior Vegetation Ecologist will be primarily responsible for coordinating and managing our vegetation scope for Alberta projects, but also other Canadian projects. The ideal candidate will have experience and expertise in vegetation study design, project management, environmental consulting, and business development.

Primary duties may include:

• Conduct ecological site evaluations, including site-wide vegetation surveys.
• Work with clients in the energy industry (primarily solar) to develop ecologically-minded and comprehensive solutions for development site restoration, including IMSAs, vegetation management plans, and agrivoltaics plans.
• Develop site vegetation restoration plans for upland and wetland sites, including identifying appropriate seed mixes, site preparation methods, and monitoring protocols
• Develop weed management plans
• Coordinate and manage on-site restoration, weed control, or monitoring projects through overseeing field staff and subcontractors
• Promote WEST’s core values of quality client service and a collaborative team approach while maintaining a positive and respectful work atmosphere.
• Summarizing and entering data.

This position consists of approximately 70% office-based work and 30% field based work (fieldwork occurring mostly under snow free conditions), and travel between the field and the Calgary office. Fieldwork will require long days (8-12 hours), in a range of temperature extremes and wind speeds. Candidates must be comfortable with hazards typical of rural environments (e.g., driving a four-wheel drive vehicle, dust, mud, snow, extreme heat, cold, working around cattle). Candidates must promote WEST’s core values of quality client service and a collaborative team approach while maintaining a positive and respectful work atmosphere. Fieldwork can also occur in remote locations, which will require candidates to be comfortable and able to work and operate vehicles in rugged, steep terrain within areas with large carnivores. Lastly, fieldwork often occurs in areas with little to no cellphone signal. Candidates must be comfortable using satellite and radio devices for regular communication.

Staff may work independently or in small crews and must be able to communicate and coordinate effectively with site management and WEST supervisors.

This is a general description of the functions for this position and is not inclusive of all the duties that may be associated with this position.

Job Requirements:

• Legally allowed to work in Canada.
• A completed bachelor’s degree or higher in the biological sciences, environmental sciences, or a related discipline and at least 10 years of relevant experience.
• Possession of a valid driver’s licence with no restrictions.
• Able to obtain a driver’s abstract that meets WEST’s minimum criteria to operate a motor vehicle on behalf of the company.
• Ability to rent a vehicle from a rental agency (e.g., Enterprise).
• Ability to work long days (up to 12 hours) in the field and sometimes long shifts (up to 7 - 24 days) and lift up to 25 lbs.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Capacity to work independently and interact positively with project managers, supervisors, clients, field partners, and landowners.
• Ability to work well under time constraints and meet deliverable targets and deadlines, with high personal accountability, and minimal supervision.
• High level of initiative and ability to think critically to solve challenging problems.
• Highly developed ability to follow protocols and work efficiently in the field and office.

Desired Skills:

• Experience conducting soils and/or wetland surveys.
• Experience with construction or environmental monitoring.
• Experience conducting wildlife surveys.

Successful candidates must be able to provide a driver’s abstract that meets WEST’s minimum criteria to operate a motor vehicle on behalf of the company. Successful candidates must also be able to pass a drug and alcohol test that meets the minimum criteria of WEST and our clients. Candidates must be capable of adhering to all health and safety requirements, outlined by WEST and our clients, for the duration of their employment.

WEST provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, mental or physical disability, marital status, family status or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, or local law.