Avila and Associates is a small, San Francisco Local Business Enterprise, woman-owned business, primarily working on restoration, and various land management projects for public agencies. The environmental services group is a small, tight-knit team of biologists who work collaboratively to deliver high-quality work that impacts client decisions about how to best manage sensitive resources and habitats. The successful candidate will have the biological, wildlife, botanical, and ecological skill-set required and be excited to work on a dynamic, supportive team where collaborative decision-making is the norm. Offices are located in Pleasanton, Concord, and San Francisco CA; field sites in the greater Bay Area and California
This position will be responsible for and work with a team of other consultants and clients to:
- Perform biological monitoring such as nesting bird, bat roost, invasive plant, and rare plant surveys ahead of and during projects
- Oversee crews removing nonnative invasive plants or installing native vegetation
- Perform reconnaissance level botanical surveys and implement monitoring plans
- Contribute to technical reports and memoranda
- Contribute to the documents required to obtain permits and agreements required by local, state and federal regulatory agencies
- Assist in field studies, small projects, or portions of larger projects as part of a group
- Provide quality checks and oversee subcontractor performance on small projects
- Provide support to project leads
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Experience identifying common plants and wildlife in a wide variety of habitats in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
- Keep detailed and accurate field records. Comfort with ESRI Field Maps, Microsoft Suite, and Google Suite
- Comfort working around heavy machinery such as chainsaws, chippers, excavators, and skidsteers.
- Participate in field activities often under inclement conditions – drizzle, cold, and extreme heat are common.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
- Communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders including the public and regulatory agency staff.
- Work collaboratively with Avila staff and with diverse and multi-disciplinary teams and resolve differences effectively.
- Ability to be a self-starter and work independently.
Wildlife & Biological Experience (Desired)
Candidates should demonstrate experience with special-status wildlife species and sensitive habitats through permitted work, agency-approved experience, formal training, or field surveys.
Highly desirable experience includes:
- Permits or authorization to work with listed species (e.g., Recovery Permit, 10(a)(1)(A), Scientific Collection Permit)
- Field survey or monitoring experience with special-status species, including:
- California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, western pond turtle
- Foothill yellow-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, Alameda whipsnake
- San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, marbled murrelet, burrowing owl
- Ridgway’s rail, black rail, snowy plover, salt marsh harvest mouse
- Monarch, silverspot, and Mission blue butterflies; western and Crotch’s bumble bees
- Nesting bird surveys (California/Bay Area experience preferred)
- Bat habitat assessments and surveys
- Bullfrog removal experience or training