Senior Biologist & Permitting Specialist

Market Environmental

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Jacobs’ Honolulu office is seeking a Senior Biologist & Permitting Specialist who can provide leadership and support for public and private sector infrastructure projects throughout Hawaii. At Jacobs, we see our job as more than environmental consulting – we are helping our clients secure our world’s natural resources. We want you to bring your passion and expertise to our dynamic interdisciplinary team of biologists, environmental planners, cultural resources experts, geomorphologists, stream restoration engineers, and beyond. Together, our team helps deliver some of the most exciting and transformative infrastructure projects in the region, from fish passages projects to wetland and stream mitigation, to sustainability initiatives and more.

This is your opportunity to act as a technical support resource specialist in the field of wetland ecology, mitigation, biology, regulatory compliance, National and Hawaii Environmental Policy Act analyses and documentation, and other federal, state, and local permitting. Work will include managing complex projects across the region, leading teams of specialists, and performing both office and field work. Duties will include project/task management, field work, interagency/interdisciplinary coordination, business development, and opportunities to build a team and mentor staff. You’ll also have the flexibility afforded to all Jacobs employees to continue growing your career in the direction you choose, even as you deliver critical project work.

Key responsibilities of this position include:

• Collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, planners, and other professionals to assemble regulatory compliant environmental plans, reports, and permits. This includes permitting at the local, state (i.e., Coastal Zone Management Act Federal Consistency Reviews, Conservation District Use Permits, Natural Resource Conservation Plans, and Special Management Area (SMA) permitting), and federal (i.e., Dept. of the Army Permitting, Clean Water Act Sections 10, 404, and 401) level.

• Leading fieldwork efforts (aquatic resource, habitat, and vegetation surveys) in Hawaii following state and federal protocols.

• Assisting with preparation of environmental documents for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Hawaii Environmental Policy Act (HEPA) analyses and documentation including environmental resource reports, Environmental Assessments (EA) and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS).

• Supporting proposal preparation, client maintenance, and business development activities.

• Preparing scopes of work and estimating level of effort for task completion.

• Acting as a biology or permitting project manager and/or task lead on projects.

• Maintaining excellent communication with clients, regulatory agencies and local government officials, employees, subcontractors.

• Providing management support and fostering the career growth of junior-level environmental staff.

Here's what you'll need

• BS or MS in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science or related scientific discipline or technical field.

• 10+ years of environmental consulting or agency experience emphasizing your understanding of aquatic resource delineations, endangered species act compliance, fish surveys and recovery, and/or permitting experience.

• Knowledge of state and federal permitting programs such as the Clean Water Act and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 404/401 wetland permitting process.

• Ability to lead aquatic resource surveys, requiring strong knowledge of native vegetation, soils, wetland community types, and stream characteristics.

• Experience utilizing handheld GPS equipment and software is highly desired.

• Experience preparing for and participating in meetings with stakeholders.

• Project management or environmental task lead experience

• Demonstrated experience working successfully in a team environment, interest in mentoring junior staff and team building.

• Ability to succeed in a consulting environment, handling multiple project assignments, meeting strict deadlines, and traveling to client facilities as needed.

Ideally, You'll Also Have:

• Ability to work outdoors in adverse conditions across Hawaii; must be available for occasional travel.

• Experience writing Biological Assessments

• Certification as a Professional Wetland Scientist from the Society of Wetland Scientists

• Native plant identification experience

• Demonstrated stakeholder (i.e., client, regulatory official, community, and subcontractor) relationship skills

• Ability to travel as needed for project assignment

Posted Salary Range: Minimum 119,400.00 Posted Salary Range: Upper 186,550.00

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, one floating holiday, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $119,400.00 to $186,550.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Job posted on December 23, 2025. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via .