Senior Terrestrial Biologist - ESC
Requisition ID # 153048
Job Category: Engineering / Science
Job Level: Individual Contributor
Business Unit: Shared Services
Work Type: Hybrid
Job Location: West Sacramento
Department Overview
The Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)Environmental Management Gas and Electric Projects Team includes a staff of approximately 150 interdisciplinary environmental management professionals. Our team is dedicated to providing environmental leadership, project support and compliance services, and promoting environmental stewardship of PG&E’s properties and natural resources while ensuring the safe and reliable flow of gas and electrical service to PG&E customers.
Within the Transmission Projects Team, the Environmental Management Transmission Group includes a staff of approximately 70 environmental professionals who provide support to the work being performed by the Gas and Electric Transmission lines of business.
Transmission Biologists work closely with many aspects of utility work, including performing environmental assessments, environmental planning and permitting, construction monitoring, restoration, and emergency response. PG&E Biologists act as the Biological Project Manager for their assigned Projects. They perform and direct biological studies and surveys, oversee construction monitoring, and perform restoration on projects assigned. Biologists are a key component of our multi-disciplinary gas and electric teams to ensure project compliance with state and federal regulations pertaining to natural resources.
Position Summary
The PG&E Senior-level Terrestrial Biologist position is the next step up in the job progression for the Terrestrial Biologist from the Journey-level Terrestrial biologist and requires mastering of the PG&E Journey-level Terrestrial Biologist job duties. In this role, people and other resources are managed directly as a part of a project team. This position will typically manage large project and complex task-level work consistent with technical background, and will often lead aspects of the development and implementation of assigned projects.
The Senior-level Terrestrial Biologist takes a lead role for project work assignments. The position requires an extensive knowledge of the biological issues associated with utility projects and requires the individual to leverage experience gained together with client relationships to help meet PG&E goals and objectives.
The Senior-level Terrestrial Biologist demonstrates excellent project management skills, a growing reputation as a subject matter expert and problem solver, extensive contract management skills, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and sound judgment to independently resolve complex problems with only general direction.
The position supports others on programmatic solutions outside of assigned projects, process improvements, regulatory relations, contracting strategies, and very large and/or complex projects. Assignments regularly provide an opportunity for creative or non-standard approaches. Work may be reviewed upon completion; solutions may provide an opportunity for future creative/non-standard approaches. Responsibilities may include privileged and confidential work.
This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and an assigned work location (headquarters) based on business need.
The assigned work location for this position will be in West Sacramento, CA. Travel is estimated to be about 25-30% of the time throughout PG&E's service territory, depending on business need.
This is an Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC) represented exempt classification currently subject to collective bargaining.
PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreements, and internal equity. Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed towards the middle or entry point of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.
A reasonable salary range is:
California Minimum: $117,060
California Maximum: $159,228
Job Responsibilities
Performs functions of the Journey level biologist, but for more complex, larger budget, and higher profile projects. Jobs duties will include but are not limited to:
1. Safety
• Performs all work in accordance with PG&E safety goals and practices:
• Completes all required safety training
• Promotes safety awareness
2. Project Planning and Workload Management
• For all applicable projects ensures that work scope, schedule and cost are accurately defined and approved by the business partner before work proceeds on the project.
• Provides timely input to project schedules identifying known or likely requirements for seasonal biological fieldwork and seasonal work constraints due to environmental issues
• Plans scope, schedules, and budgets for all surveys, monitoring and compliance work to meet regulatory requirements
• Ensures that project workload (including in-house and contract labor) is tracked and specific classification level targets are met.
• Ensure the proper coordination, staff utilization and satisfactory completion of all assigned work
3. Project Communication
• Ensure that consistent cost and schedule are provided to all team leads for each project supported
• Ensures that business partners are aware of potential cost over /under runs and that potential schedule delays are identified as early in the project planning and implementation process as possible
4. Relationship Management
• Represents the company in agency/stakeholder interactions and negotiations to best meet the goals and objectives of PG&E while maintaining compliance with all state and federal guidelines and laws
• Works closely with business partners and other specialists within the department to develop appropriate permitting/licensing and mitigation strategies
• Develops and/or reviews agency or public meeting presentations for projects you are assigned and ensure that the presentation is factually accurate and based on sound scientific principles
• When requested assists in communications and negotiations on sensitive environmental issues with stakeholders
5. Technical Project Management
• As a member of a multidisciplinary project team, develops scope, schedule, and budget as the technical lead for biological work assignments.
• Provides strategic permitting and licensing guidance to business partners, other technical staff in the department and contractors
• Develops project biological study plans and evaluates for cost effectiveness
• Manages and provides technical oversight to contractors
• Plans and manages implementation of studies and assessments associated with specific biological work scopes associated with licensing and permitting
• Manage studies in support of licenses, permits and compliance
• Provide guidance and oversight for the preparation/collection of needed data to support the development of licensing and permitting applications
• Provides technical expertise for responses to agency/NGO comments or requests for data
6. Technical Project Performance
• Conduct or direct technical work, as required to meet project goals, using the highest standards of scientific investigation and analysis.
• Design or collaborate with contract scientists in design of technical studies; identify/analyze project impacts; and develop/recommend protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures.
• Prepare or oversee preparation of technical reports and input for licensing and permitting documents.
• Work collaboratively with agencies and non-governmental organizations to resolve licensing and permitting issues.
• Review and comment on regulatory agency or third-party environmental documents as requested.
7. Technical Quality Assurance
• Ensures that all technical work (contractor or self-generated) meets the standards required by the regulatory agency guidelines, and as may apply utility standard practices, policies and guidelines concerning natural resources protection
• Provide technical quality assurance for contract work
• Supports a consistent adherence to technical and professional standards in the performance of all biological work
8. Cost/ Schedule Management
• Manages cost commitments within the project budget
• Ensures project budgets are estimated and submitted as required by business partners.
• Provides technical and contract administration oversight for all assigned work
• Ensures that all schedule and deliverable commitments are met on or before the planned due dates
9. Contractor
• Develops technical scope of work and submit requests for proposals
• Conduct proposal evaluations and selection of successful bidder, or may initiate a sole source award with written justification
• Supports company strategic sourcing and diversity supplier initiatives
Qualifications
Minimum:
• BS/BA degree in Natural Resources, Botany, Biology, Ecology, or related sciences with an emphasis on terrestrial ecosystems.
• 8-10 years relevant professional work experience.
• Must possess a valid California Driver's License
Desired:
• Documented experience performing biological surveys in the Sacramento and North Valley regions and/or Mohave desert region.