Biological Resources Business Group Director

We are seeking a highly motivated Regional Business Group Director with the vision and entrepreneurial drive to lead and grow our dynamic team of biological resources and land management consultants in the Pacific Northwest. This is a senior-level opportunity to lead our team of environmental project managers, biologists, environmental scientists, conservation planners, and associated technical experts who support clients in community development, water, surface transportation and maritime ports, airports, energy, and natural resources management throughout the Pacific Northwest. These clients include ports, Tribal Nations, state and federal agencies, local government municipalities, nonprofits, and other Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms we partner with on contracts. The position will focus on leading and growing our team of talented environmental professionals to sustain and strengthen our reputation, as well as developing staff, meeting financial performance expectations, sustaining a robust pipeline, engaging at a high level with clients, and promoting a dynamic and inclusive work environment.

We are passionate about improving the sustainability of our communities and our natural environment, providing outstanding client service, and tackling complex challenges while creating opportunities for our employee-owners to learn and advance their careers. We value creative thinking, diversity, and multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement. You’ll love our company culture which fosters ownership and collaboration in a flexible and fun work environment that supports your professional growth and success.

Who You Are

• You are an experienced environmental professional looking for an opportunity that is focused on collaboration, quality and technical excellence, outstanding client service, and leading a team with a passion to do great work and have fun together. More specifically, you bring a minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience where you’ve enjoyed being a people leader and have experience in business operations such as developing, tracking, and meeting financial targets. You value people and staff development; you seek out ways to make meaningful contributions to the careers of others through staff supervision or participation in mentoring and training programs. You enjoy leading and growing your team by working collaboratively with them, clients, and interdisciplinary teams to help deliver projects on time and within budget. Your experience includes at least 10 years’ experience targeting, procuring, and retaining clients. You have prepared business plans, strategic plans, and capture plans; and have comprehensive knowledge of project management, financial management, and industry best practices.
• You are a collaborative, approachable leader who advocates for your team of employee-owners at all levels and embraces the recruitment and retention of key talent. As a people or group manager, you have served as supervisor and overseen workload distribution, implemented business plans, and overseen project delivery on time and within budget. You are financially astute and a problem solver with initiative. You promote a culture of accountability within your team and know how to motivate your team to meet performance goals. You are emotionally intelligent, an effective oral and written communicator, an active listener, and are clear and concise when presenting complex information, individually or in groups. You are committed to diversity and inclusion and recognize that our differences contribute to our success.
• You embrace marketing and strategic business development, and excel at building and fostering relationships with clients and partners. You understand how to develop and execute successful marketing strategies, including the development and implementation of client or project capture plans, and have experience developing a project backlog. You have significant technical experience that may involve wetlands, streams, marine/estuarine/nearshore environments, and terrestrial habitats and species. You have experience supporting staff who are highly skilled at conducting inventories and evaluations; assessing impacts including climate impacts; preparing environmental documents; conducting ecological sampling; modeling and monitoring; preparing endangered species documentation; and preparing recovery plans, mitigation plans, and habitat restoration plans. You may also have expertise in some of these skillsets. You have in-depth knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental policies and regulations and have coordinated and managed complex permitting and regulatory compliance efforts.
• You hold a bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, or a related field; a master’s degree is preferred. You have at least 15 years of experience contributing to technical work, administering quality assurance/quality control over document deliverables, managing projects, and leading teams delivering on work with private clients, land managers, restoration practitioners, Tribal Nations, public works departments, and parks and recreation providers.

What You Will Do for ESA

•  Within ESA, Regional Business Group Directors are a senior level position leading the operations of a technically-focused consulting services group. As a regional leader in ESA’s Pacific Northwest Region you are leading and providing strategic direction for our Pacific Northwest Biological Resources and Land Management Group and will be a collaborative partner with leaders of other technical practice teams and regionwide leadership. Within your group, you will contribute to advancing ESA’s 5-year Strategic Plan and will develop and implement the group’s annual business plan. You will ensure that the group has clear expectations to meet performance goals and financial targets. You will support, promote, and implement ESA’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) program within your business group and throughout the region.
• On a more granular basis, you will work with project managers to determine staffing requirements for current and future projects and ensure a thoughtful distribution of work to keep the group appropriately focused on projects while providing training and professional development opportunities. You will ensure that your team consists of high-performing biologists, environmental scientists, fisheries biologists, conservation planners, permitting specialists, project managers, and supporting technical staff to complete work safely, on schedule, and profitably. Where necessary to meet client needs and achieve planned performance goals, you will work with our HR team to recruit new talent to the group to meet the needs of our clients and projects. With an eye to esprit-de-corps within your group, you will foster a respectful, collaborative, and inclusive environment with a team that values diversity of thought and experience.
• You will lead and direct the marketing and business development pursuits of the group, including building and maintaining a robust opportunity pipeline, and ensure that individual and group contract acquisition targets are met to grow the practice and Pacific Northwest Region. You will work collaboratively with ESA’s Market Leaders, Practice Leaders, and other leaders in the region to develop an overall strategy and capture plans for key pursuits and strategic clients that achieve marketing goals in an efficient and effective manner. You will ensure that the team is sufficiently engaged with clients and professional associations to maintain a strong professional network and industry presence that bolsters ESA’s competitiveness in the marketplace.
• While your focus will be on your group, success in ESA’s collaborative environment and matrix organization requires effective coordination and collaboration with Biological Resources and Land Management and Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences leadership in other ESA regions, as well as with technical experts and leaders from across the company. To ensure the delivery of high-caliber technical work, you will promote an environment in your group that supports inter-practice collaboration and cross-regional and cross-practice project execution. You will ensure that company QA/QC policies and procedures are implemented and followed at the project and group level. Where appropriate, you will review reports prepared by others and set a positive example by ensuring that constructive feedback is provided to staff at all levels.

Who We Are 

We are a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm who values diversity and inclusion and celebrate the differences that make each of us unique. Our culture is built on mutual respect, recognizing that our variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives leads to better solutions, which fosters our continued success for our employee-owners and clients. 

In accordance with ESA’s duty and responsibility to provide and maintain a safe workplace that is free of known hazards and to minimize the exposure to potential hazards, any employee who works from an ESA office or conducts any other in-person ESA work-related activity is required to submit their proof of vaccination status or have received an approved exemption and accommodation in states which this applies. 

ESA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. (EOE M/V/F/D)