Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontology

Lead Paleontological Consulting Excellence Across the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains ERM is seeking a highly motivated Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontologist to join our Cultural and Paleontological Resources Services team. This full-time, salaried position can be based from a local ERM office or remotely within the Great Basin or Rocky Mountain regions. Why This Role Matters? In this senior leadership role, you will provide technical oversight, mentorship, project leadership, and regulatory expertise while supporting major energy and infrastructure projects across the United States. You'll help clients navigate complex paleontological resource requirements while contributing to the growth and success of ERM's multidisciplinary consulting practice. What Your Impact Is: As a Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontologist, you will serve as a recognized technical leader responsible for ensuring high-quality paleontological consulting services, regulatory compliance, and successful project delivery. Your expertise will support critical environmental reviews, agency coordination, mitigation planning, and resource management efforts while developing the next generation of paleontological professionals. What You'll Bring: Required Graduate degree in Paleontology, Geology, Biology, Anthropology, or a closely related field of study. 6-8 years of related mitigation and environmental due diligence experience, or equivalent experience. Ability to be listed as Principal Investigator on BLM Paleontological Resources Use Permits, state permits, and similar authorizations within the Great Basin and/or Rocky Mountain subregions. Candidates who have served as a BLM Field Agent (Field Director) on permits are also encouraged to apply. Demonstrated field experience and principal-level project oversight within the Great Basin or Rocky Mountain subregions, including inventory, survey, salvage, and data recovery efforts. Experience serving as primary author and/or third-party reviewer of agency-reviewed technical reports, including paleontological resource reports, mitigation plans, and environmental review documents prepared to meet federal, state, and local regulatory requirements. Experience working directly with regulatory agency personnel while representing clients. Ability to work effectively within teams of cultural heritage specialists and multidisciplinary technical professionals. Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to project sites throughout Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and other locations. Previous experience using mapping and field technologies, including GPS equipment, ArcGIS Field Maps, Survey123, and related applications. Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area. Preferred Experience serving as Field Director or Principal Investigator on cultural resources federal and state permits throughout California and the Southwestern United States. Previous laboratory analysis, fossil screening, plaster jacketing, and curation processing experience. Previous experience supervising personnel and direct reports. Demonstrated business development experience and success growing client relationships and project portfolios. Experience managing complex, multi-disciplinary environmental consulting projects. Key Responsibilities: Serve as Permit Administrator and/or Principal Investigator on BLM Paleontological Resources Use Permits and applicable state permits, and provide technical-level quality assurance and quality control of deliverables prepared by qualified paleontologists and resource specialists. Oversee a team of paleontologists conducting desktop studies and field investigations, including reconnaissance and pedestrian surveys, fossil salvage and collection efforts, and construction monitoring. Lead, manage, mentor, and develop mid-level and junior paleontologists and cultural resources specialists, including participation in hiring, mentorship, engagement initiatives, and coordination across the broader cultural and paleontological resources practice. Collaborate with Paleontology Principal Investigators, Regional Leads, the Consulting Director for Archaeology, Area Managers, and Managing Partners to drive technical excellence and team success. Serve as primary author, senior reviewer, or task manager for paleontological resource studies supporting large-scale capital projects, ensuring work is completed within scope, budget, schedule, and quality expectations. Manage projects ranging from multi-state linear infrastructure developments to smaller site-specific investigations. Strengthen existing client relationships and develop new client partnerships that contribute to significant revenue growth. Identify opportunities to cross-sell cultural and paleontological resources services to existing and prospective clients. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including environmental planners, archaeologists, biologists, wetland specialists, GIS specialists, and engineers to deliver integrated solutions for energy-sector clients. Represent ERM in communications and meetings with clients, regulatory agencies, stakeholders, teaming partners, and subcontractors. Identify subcontractor needs and manage subcontractor quality, schedules, and deliverables supporting cultural and paleontological resource services. Applications accepted through October 4, 2026. For the Principal Technical Consultant, Paleontology position, the anticipated annual base pay is $110,000–$161,000 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible). We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off (vacation, sick, and floating holidays), parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k), and other applicable benefits to eligible employees. Who We Are: As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level. Please submit your resume and brief cover letter. ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes. ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Thank you for your interest in ERM! #LI-CVC #LI-Hybrid At ERM, sustainability is our business. We are the world’s largest advisory firm focused solely on sustainability, offering unparalleled expertise across business and finance. ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, through our unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. Our diverse global team of experts works with the world’s leading organizations to help them set clear sustainability targets, measure progress and operationalize strategy through deep implementation and business transformation. With more than 50 years of experience, our ability to integrate sustainability solutions and our depth and breadth of technical knowledge are why organizations choose to partner with us as their trusted advisor. Every one of us firmly believes in the potential to create value for our clients through an integrated approach to sustainability (because we have personally seen it and professionally achieved it). Our team members are passionate about client service. We work closely with our clients to help them operationalize their sustainability goals and meet their environmental, health and safety objectives while advancing ERM’s purpose through delivering tangible progress in what the United Nations coined The Decade of Action. Organizing our people across globally integrated communities of technical and strategic talent positions ERM to be a “boots to boardroom” leader in bringing that value creation to our clients, partners, and the world. We recruit exceptional professionals with a personal and professional passion for sustainability and nurture them to even greater success as specialists. We prepare our consultants to bring integrated, innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients and provide opportunities for ongoing development across a variety of subject areas related to technical, business, and personal growth. At ERM, effort pays off and becomes career defining work that leaves a positive imprint on our planet. ERM Homepage Explore All Open Roles Explore Early Careers Roles Explore Experienced Professional Roles Explore Partnership Roles Processing Notice

Salary : $110,000 - $161,000