Senior Environmental Scientist

ABOUT THE POSITION

Senior Environmental Project Manager| Richmond, Williamsburg, or Virginia Beach, VA

VHB's growing Mid-Atlantic Environmental Services practice is seeking a Senior Environmental Project Manager with a strong background in natural resources and a passion for team leadership, client service, and business development.

In this strategic, client-facing role, you will help lead and grow our Natural Sciences team of environmental scientists and GIS analysts across Virginia, Metro DC, and North Carolina. You will mentor staff, guide environmental strategies, strengthen client relationships, and support market growth across the transportation, real estate, institutional, and energy sectors.

We are looking for a collaborative, entrepreneurial professional who thrives in a multidisciplinary environment and is committed to delivering high-quality environmental solutions from project planning through construction.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage natural resource inventories, wetland and stream delineations, jurisdictional determinations, alternatives analyses, impact assessments, and environmental permitting efforts.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to environmental staff, supporting their professional development, consulting skills, and project delivery.
• Collaborate with planning, engineering, architecture, and design teams to integrate environmental considerations throughout the project lifecycle.
• Serve as a trusted representative of VHB with clients, regulatory agencies, and project stakeholders.
• Support client engagement and market growth by identifying opportunities, maintaining existing relationships, and developing new partnerships.
• Lead or contribute to strategic pursuits, proposals, presentations, and business development plans that expand environmental services across Virginia and North Carolina.
• Manage project tasks, scopes, schedules, budgets, and deliverables while maintaining VHB's high standards for quality and client service.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong technical knowledge of wetland and stream delineations; NEPA compliance; federal, state, and local environmental permitting; and rare, threatened, and endangered species surveys.
• Knowledge of Section 404/401 permitting, state environmental regulations, regulatory coordination, and environmental strategy development.
• Proficiency in plant identification, vegetation inventories, and Mid-Atlantic flora, including use of Flora of Virginia and other regional references.
• Experience with GPS, mobile data collection, environmental data management, GIS, geodatabases, and map production.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct environmental research, analyze data, and prepare clear, defensible technical reports and permit documentation.
• Proven project management, proposal preparation, client relationship management, and business development capabilities.
• Strong critical-thinking, communication, interpersonal, and technical writing skills.
• Detail-oriented, adaptable, and collaborative, with a client-focused and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Comfortable working independently in challenging outdoor conditions and traveling as needed, including occasional overnight or extended field assignments.

Minimum Qualifications

• 11+ years of professional experience in environmental science, natural resources, or a related field.
• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Biology, Fisheries and Wildlife, Ecology, Natural Resources, or a related discipline; master's degree preferred.
• Professional Wetland Delineator (PWD) and/or Virginia State Waters Delineator (VSWD) certification preferred.
• Relevant coursework in plant identification, ecology, wildlife biology, wetland science, aquatic habitats, or related subjects.
• Significant field experience across diverse natural habitats.

The full-time annual base salary range for this position, located in Virginia is $110,000 to $150,000. The base salary offered will be determined based on job-related factors, including geographic location, internal equity, experience, credentials, skills, education, work schedule, and other factors permitted by law. The posted salary range reflects base pay only. Additional compensation and benefits available to eligible employees are outlined in our Total Rewards Program.

Annual base salary is one component of VHB's Total Rewards package. In addition to base pay, eligible employees may receive annual incentive compensation bonuses, spot bonuses, and merit-based salary increases, providing opportunities to increase earnings beyond base pay. VHB also offers a differentiating work experience, including a comprehensive benefits package that includes eligibility to participate in the VHB 401(k) plan, medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, wellness programs, tuition reimbursement, and recognition programs.

Details on VHB's benefits package can be found here: Benefits Checklist

Building what's next, together.

Our people make the difference. We foster a technology-empowered, peopledriven, futureready culture where agility, innovation, and collaboration shape how we work every day.

When you join VHB, you'll find:

• Meaningful work on complex projects with real community impact
• A collaborative, inclusive culture that values curiosity and shared success
• Support to grow your skills and lead through change
• Learning and development supported by evolving tools and technologies, including AI
• Best-in-class benefits and a flexible, hybrid work environment

We're growing across the East Coast and are consistently recognized as a great place to work. Ready to shape what's next? Learn more about what sets our employee experience apart and connect with us.

VHB is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Since our founding, we have intentionally fostered a culture of inclusion and belonging, supported by deep-rooted core values, one of which is diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

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