Job Description and Duties

The California Coastal Commission is seeking an experienced Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) to join its Technical Services Unit (Ecology Group). The Commission is a small State agency that is charged with protecting coastal resources and managing coastal development in California. The Commission’s mission is to implement the Coastal Act and to protect, restore, and enhance coastal and marine resources for the continuing benefit of current and future generations. The Ecology Group supports Commission staff with review and analysis of proposed development regarding potential adverse impacts on coastal resources and conformance with Coastal Act natural resource policies, including those certified in Local Coastal Plans (LCPs) and similar plans.

The Commission values diversity at all levels of the organization and is committed to fostering an environment in which employees from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences are welcomed and can thrive.  We believe the diversity of our employees and their unique ideas inspire innovative solutions to further our mission of protecting and enhancing California’s coast and ocean for present and future generations.

Duties will include but will not be limited to:

• Coordinating with the Commission’s technical staff (in ecology, water quality, geology, engineering and mapping), transportation staff, coastal analysts, legal staff, enforcement staff, energy and ocean resources and federal consistency staff, and management, on a wide variety of planning and regulatory projects;
• Leading the advance mitigation program for habitat, particularly with respect to Caltrans transportation planning. A key role of this position is to ensure that the Commission’s commitments are met under the Caltrans and Commission Interagency Agreements, State Advanced Mitigation Initiative MOU, and the Master Process Agreement for Planning and Developing Advance Mitigation throughout California for Caltrans’ Advanced Mitigation Program. Tasks include reviewing and commenting on State and Regional Advanced Mitigation Needs Assessments, participating in the development of potential mitigation banking and in-lieu fee proposals, and assisting with the review, preparation and presentation of related staff reports before the Commission.
• Contributing to the improvement and facilitation of biology-related consultations with other state and federal agency staff, including from Caltrans, CA State Parks, CA Fish and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife, NOAA and others to support cross-agency collaboration and consistency and to assure that proposed development includes positive environmental outcomes and adequate compensation for habitat, wetland, and other coastal resource impacts in a manner that meets the State’s conservation priorities consistent with the Coastal Act;
• Reviewing and analyzing technical documents (biological reports, environmental impact reports, habitat mitigation/restoration and monitoring plans, etc.) associated with proposed development projects and performing independent analysis against natural resource policies in the Coastal Act and other planning documents including certified Local Coastal Programs, Long Range Development Plans, Public Works Plans, and Port Master Plans;
• Conducting site visits to evaluate on-the-ground ecological conditions;
• Writing technical memoranda to support and accompany Commission staff reports;
• Assisting development of natural resource permit condition recommendations and reviewing the corroborating natural resource policy sections of legal findings;
• Providing early input into compensatory mitigation or restoration project requirements, goals, and proposed work as well as opportunities for advance mitigation and mitigation banking;
• Reviewing and analyzing mitigation/restoration and monitoring plans for regulatory compliance, with an eye toward guiding adaptive management;
• Serving as an internal ecological consultant to Commission staff.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Working Conditions

This position is located in the San Francisco or Arcata office. The California Coastal Commission is a hybrid workplace and offers telework for all employees. Telework is available for this position in accordance with the California Coastal Commission’s Telework Policy and Procedures with a minimum of 2 in-office days per week. This Telework Policy is subject to change.

Application Instructions