INTERMEDIATE BIOLOGIST
Wildlife, habitat, field assessments, and environmental consulting, with hands-on project ownership and mentorship to grow your career.
About the opportunity
PRI is seeking an Intermediate Biologist to join our Environmental Services team. This is an applied consulting role for a biologist with solid field and technical experience who is ready to take greater ownership of environmental projects, work directly with clients and regulators, and continue developing their project management and consulting skills.
You will support and independently deliver terrestrial and wildlife ecology work across a range of projects in forestry, renewable energy, municipal, land development, transportation, and resource sectors. Our biologists are consultants first: alongside field and technical work, they contribute to project planning, budgets and schedules, permitting and regulatory processes, technical reporting, client relationships, and proposals.
This is a hands-on, client-facing consulting position, with opportunities to work alongside senior biologists, engineers, scientists, and resource professionals on multidisciplinary projects.
The position is based in Surrey, Kelowna, Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto and involves a mix of field and office work with travel for fieldwork as required.
Who this role is for
This role is for a developing consulting professional who has moved beyond entry-level field work and is ready to take increasing ownership of technical assignments and project delivery.
You are comfortable conducting field programs, interpreting ecological information, preparing technical reports, communicating with clients and regulators, and managing your own workload and deadlines. You may already have experience managing smaller projects or work packages and are looking to build toward greater project-management and client-leadership responsibilities.
We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in terrestrial ecology and wildlife biology, including species-at-risk surveys, habitat assessments, environmental assessments, and regulatory permitting.
Candidates with experience in one province who are interested in expanding their knowledge into other jurisdictions are encouraged to apply. Provincial regulatory experience in BC, Alberta, or Ontario is an asset, but strong consulting fundamentals and the ability to learn new regulatory frameworks are equally valued.
What you'll do
Technical consulting and project delivery
- Conduct and support terrestrial and wildlife field programs, including species-at-risk surveys, habitat assessments, wildlife inventories, and biodiversity monitoring.
- Plan and coordinate field activities, including equipment, logistics, health and safety requirements, and field crews.
- Collect, manage, analyze, and interpret ecological data.
- Prepare technical reports, environmental assessments, impact assessments, mitigation plans, and regulatory submissions.
- Apply sound professional judgment to identify environmental issues and develop practical, defensible solutions.
- Work independently on defined project tasks while seeking guidance from senior professionals when appropriate.
- Support senior biologists and project managers in delivering projects on time, within budget, and to a high technical standard.
Project and client support
- Take ownership of assigned project scopes, tasks, deliverables, schedules, and budgets.
- Support project managers with project tracking, cost control, invoicing, and documentation.
- Communicate directly with clients, contractors, regulators, First Nations, Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
- Participate in project meetings and contribute practical technical advice.
- Support permitting and regulatory processes at the provincial and federal levels.
- Develop an understanding of client needs and contribute to practical, solutions-oriented recommendations.
Business development and team contribution
- Contribute to proposals, work plans, budgets, and cost estimates.
- Support business development activities and help identify opportunities with existing clients.
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships with clients, regulators, and project partners.
- Mentor junior biologists and field staff where appropriate.
- Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary project teams, including engineers, scientists, and resource professionals.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of PRI's technical practices, tools, and approaches.
- Complete corporate, operational, and administrative responsibilities in a timely and professional manner.
Who we're looking for
We are looking for a consulting biologist who combines strong technical skills with the initiative, organization, and communication skills required to succeed in environmental consulting.
Required
- Bachelor's or graduate degree in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, or a related field.
- Approximately 4–8 years of relevant professional experience, preferably with the majority gained in environmental consulting.
- Demonstrated experience conducting terrestrial and/or wildlife ecological field programs.
- Experience with species-at-risk surveys, habitat assessments, wildlife inventories, environmental assessments, or related ecological studies.
- Experience preparing technical reports and environmental/regulatory documentation.
- Working knowledge of applicable provincial and federal environmental legislation, regulatory frameworks, and permitting processes.
- Ability to manage assigned project tasks, schedules, and deliverables with limited supervision.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- A safety-oriented attitude, a valid full driver's licence applicable in the province of employment, access to a vehicle, and willingness to travel for fieldwork as required.
Professional registration
- Professional biology registration or eligibility for registration is an asset, including:
- R.P.Bio. with the College of Applied Biology in British Columbia;
- P.Biol. with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists in Alberta; or
- applicable professional biology qualifications or registration pathways in Ontario, where relevant.
- Candidates working toward professional registration are encouraged to apply, and PRI will support appropriate professional development and registration requirements.
Preferred
- Experience working in environmental consulting in BC, Alberta, Ontario, or other Canadian jurisdictions.
- Experience with provincial or federal environmental permitting and regulatory processes.
- Experience working with First Nations and Indigenous communities.
- Experience with GIS and spatial data, including ArcGIS or similar platforms.
- Experience with technical field equipment, ecological databases, and data-management tools.
- Experience working across forestry, renewable energy, municipal, land development, transportation, or resource-sector projects.
- Experience supporting proposals, budgets, and cost estimates.
- Interest in developing project-management, client-management, and business-development skills.
- Interest in applying new tools and technologies, including AI-enabled approaches, to environmental consulting.
Why PRI
At PRI, we believe exceptional consulting begins with exceptional people. We give intermediate professionals meaningful responsibility while providing the support and mentorship needed to continue developing as consultants.
As an Intermediate Biologist, you'll find:
- A diverse range of environmental projects and clients across BC, Alberta, Ontario, and other jurisdictions.
- The opportunity to take increasing ownership of technical assignments and project scopes.
- Direct exposure to clients, regulators, First Nations, and multidisciplinary project teams.
- Mentorship from experienced senior biologists, engineers, scientists, and resource professionals.
- Opportunities to develop project-management, client-management, proposal, and business-development skills.
- A collaborative environment where technical expertise and practical consulting judgment are valued.
- A firm investing in modern tools and technology, including AI-enabled approaches, to make our people's work better.
- Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and support for ongoing professional development and professional registration.
PRI is a multidisciplinary engineering and natural sciences consulting firm with offices across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, and we particularly encourage applications from Indigenous professionals.
