Consultant, Acoustic Bat Biologist (Construction)

ERM is seeking an experienced Consultant, Acoustic Bat Biologist to play a key role in growing our business in our Overland Park, KS office. The ideal candidate will have experience leading bat acoustic analysis tasks related to renewable energy, transmission, pipelines, or other capital project developments. This is an excellent opportunity to advance your career with ERM's experienced consulting teams in renewable energy permitting, with additional opportunities to contribute to onshore wind, electrical transmission, oil & gas, and technology infrastructure projects.

As an Consultant, Acoustic Bat Biologist, you will manage acoustic detectors and other associated equipment, analyze call data, provide management in bat acoustic tasks including field surveys, develop survey protocols and level of effort, and in-office data analysis. You will also be part of teams conducting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 & 10, state-level equivalent reviews, and environmental permitting for large-scale capital projects in the Great Plains, Midwest, and beyond.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintaining, managing, and deploying bat acoustic equipment. Deployment of equipment often requires travel and is seasonal in nature.
• Collecting, organizing, managing, and analyzing acoustic data, including but not limited to: noise removal, species identification, and activity index calculation
• Equipment diagnostics and troubleshooting.
• Writing technical acoustic reports for client and regulatory agency review.

REQUIREMENTS: 

• Bachelor's degree in biology or related field from an accredited institution. Or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years (3+ years preferred) of experience with bat acoustical data, monitoring, and management.
• Demonstrated experience with, and knowledge of, bat acoustic analysis, including manual vetting and identification of Endangered Species Act-listed species (e.g., Indiana bat [Myotis sodalis]).
• Demonstrated aptitude with R program.
• Working knowledge of bat survey techniques, conservation issues, and distribution and habitat requirements.
• Diligent observation skills and a willingness to learn new skills while conducting fieldwork in rural or wilderness settings, and flexibility in work assignments
• Ability to develop basic reports from field notes and data.
• Ability to work at a desk or in the field for long periods of time.
• Aptitude to follow instructions from project managers and other task managers, interact effectively with coworkers, and to accept guidance and constructive criticism.
• Precise and thorough data management and organization.
• 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.  
• Prior to employment with ERM, this position will require the successful completion of a drug screening.
• This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Master's degree in biology or related field from an accredited institution.
• Experience in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and surrounding regions.
• Experience using bat call analysis software (e.g., Kaleidoscope Pro and AnalookW Sonobat, BCID).
• Experience conducting bat mist-netting and fadio-telemetry surveys.
• Experience with collecting known call data.
• Familiarity with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
• Familiarity with digital data collection methods such as ArcGIS Survey123 and ArcGIS Field Maps.

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