WRA’s an employee-owned environmental consultancy. We are a tenacious team of planners, engineers, and scientists, and we aim to leave the lands we love better than we found them.

Our clients and partners hire us because we’re skilled at navigating through challenging projects involving wildlands, parks, community spaces, and infrastructure. We bring over four decades of expertise, long-standing relationships, and connections to our local communities to make sure that projects are pursued in responsible ways where both people and the environment thrive. 

As an organization, we believe that independence and interdependence are not mutually exclusive. We invest in systems, processes, and employee programs to support our staff’s collective engagement and success. At the same time, we encourage our employees to operate with an ownership mindset, taking responsibility for outcomes and being true to our commitments. 

We’re currently hiring for a Botanist/Wetlands Specialist to join our close-knit team. At WRA, you will be at the forefront of managing a variety of projects including back country invasive weed surveys, rare plant and sensitive wildlife habitat surveys up and down the coast, assisting data collection for cutting edge modeling to help habitats resist the effects of climate change, habitat restoration in the most biodiverse counties in the continental US: Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino. This opportunity will be exciting for someone who has some hands-on experience with fieldwork, botanical surveys, wetland delineations, and enjoys being part of a collaborative team. Do you want to grow your career as a professional consultant with a company full of individuals at the top of their field, who are passionate about cultivating a sustainable future? If so, come join our team!

This role will need to be based within commuting distance to San Diego/Los Angeles, as regular field work and site visits will be necessary.

In this role, you will:

• Prepare wetland delineation jurisdictional requests, biological technical reports, restoration/mitigation monitoring reports, and botanical/rare plant survey reports
• Support/Lead aquatic resource permitting efforts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the California Coastal Commission
• Conduct CEQA analysis, including existing condition evaluations, impact assessments, and mitigation recommendations, for IS/MNDs and EIRs
• Making ecological management recommendations based on results of ecological surveys and monitoring data
• Managing both small-scale and medium-scale projects for a diverse array of clients in the development sector, open space/parks sector, and habitat restoration sector
• Work closely with a Team of experts who will provide mentoring and on the job training opportunities in a diverse set of habitats and localities

• A Bachelor’s degree in biology, vegetation or wetland ecology
• 2-3 years of environmental consulting experience
• Experience conducting field surveys at remote and challenging-to-access field sites
• A desire to continue learning and adding to your technical knowledge and skills
• Technical knowledge of wetland delineations, field identification and habitat assessment of plant species, botanical survey protocols, vegetation and habitat mapping
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Resourcefulness, thoroughness, and attention to detail
• High quality writing and editing skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, G-Suite: Email, Docs, Drive, Calendar, etc.
• The ability to walk, hike, and work outside for long periods of time
• The ability to travel throughout Southern California for regular fieldwork, periodic overnight travel is necessary

WRA has an established internal leveling system for our staff that maps to salary bands that have been informed by market data. Our leveling system is dependent on years of relevant industry experience, education, and the level of responsibility and autonomy at which you’re expected to operate.

The salary range for this position is $66,000-$90,000 which represents 2 job levels that WRA is open to considering for this role. In your first conversation with our recruiter, we will discuss leveling and compensation with you to make sure that expectations are aligned. 

Who are we?

WRA’s company vision is to cultivate a sustainable future where people and the environment thrive, and that effort starts first with our staff. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment, and we have developed flexible policies, internal practices, and are investing in programs that prioritize learning and sustainability. We aim to create conditions that allow employees to prioritize their families, lead healthy and balanced lives, and to bring their authentic selves to work every day. We believe that by creating an exceptional workplace, our employees will be able to do their best work and be able to meaningfully contribute to the sustainability of the environment and the communities in which we live.

WRA is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to creating a diverse environment. We recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.