Help protect California's wildlife, habitats, and natural resources while shaping the future of clean energy!

The California Energy Commission is looking to fill a unique and vital role for a Senior Staff Biologist in our Siting, Transmission, and Environmental Protection Division’s Biological Resources Unit. Under the general direction of the Biological Resources Unit Supervisor, the Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) will serve as a lead scientific expert for biological resources and natural resources conservation associated with the certification, environmental review, and compliance verification of the most highly complex and extremely sensitive energy facility projects, policy, and planning studies in accordance with the Warren-Alquist Act and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) is a subject matter expert and independently plans and conducts complex, critical environmental evaluations; reviews and interprets biological surveys, studies, and reports; conducts technical research; assesses potential impacts to species and habitats; and develops mitigation measures, monitoring requirements, and recommendations. The Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) formulates and develops solutions to extremely difficult and controversial issues on a wide range of projects.

The Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) prepares technically accurate environmental analyses, communicates complex scientific information to technical and non-technical audiences, and works collaboratively with agencies, stakeholders, industry representatives, consultants, and multidisciplinary teams to resolve complex environmental issues. The Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) may also act as a working team leader or as a lead person over a group of technical specialists or on the most complex projects.

Required Qualifications: 

• You can find the eligibility requirements for the Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) job classification here: https://eservices.calhr.ca.gov/enterprisehrblazorpublic/Public/ClassSpec/ClassSpecDetail/0765

Desirable Qualifications:

• Extensive knowledge and experience working with federal and state laws adopted for the protection of natural resources, including CEQA, the U.S. Endangered Species Act, U.S. Clean Water Act, and the California Endangered Species Act.
• Experience collaborating with federal and state agencies (including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the State Water Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards) in evaluating potential impacts to natural resources and developing mitigation strategies to eliminate or reduce those impacts.
•  Experience conducting biological resources surveys and field studies.
• Experience conducting project compliance inspections to confirm adherence to permit conditions and assuring compliance with adopted project Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting requirements pursuant to CEQA.