Aquatic Resources Project Manager

Overview Location(s): Northern California Practice/Department: Biological Work Environment: Hybrid Compensation: $110,000-120,000/annually* Dudek’s journey began in 1980 with a vision to serve Southern California’s water and wastewater agencies.  Today, we are a 100% employee-owned firm supporting clients nationwide and delivering projects that improve and protect the built and natural environments of communities throughout the United States. Our work has been recognized by leading industry organizations, and we’ve been honored with multiple national Top Workplace Awards.   Our employee-owners are unified by a singular commitment to supporting projects that address key societal issues, such as the transition to renewable energy, infrastructure hardening and repair, environmental protection, and community resilience.  Learn more about our  award-winning culture , the  benefits and perks  of being a Dudekian, and the  projects  you will have the opportunity to shape.  Position Overview Who You Are   As an  employee-owner , you embrace accountability, working safely, and collaboration while thinking resourcefully and independently.   Like all Dudekians, you are curious and  solution-oriented , with the ability to adapt quickly to changes and approach challenges with a spirit of  innovation .  How You’ll Make an Impact Dudek is seeking a full-time Aquatic Resources Project Manager to join our biological resources team. The successful candidate will support and manage projects involving aquatic resource management, water quality, invasive species, environmental compliance, and permitting. The role emphasizes preparation and quality control of regulatory documents, management of project scope, schedule, and budget, and responsive coordination with clients, agencies, subcontractors, and multidisciplinary technical teams. This position will combine office-based project delivery with periodic meetings and field or facility visits. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with staff throughout Dudek’s California offices and will help strengthen long-term relationships with water agencies, irrigation and flood-control districts, utilities, and other public-sector clients. Duties and Responsibilities  Regulatory Documentation and Compliance Prepare, coordinate, and quality-control regulatory documents, including permit applications, permit enrollment packages, Aquatic Pesticide Application Plans, monitoring plans, quality assurance and quality control plans, annual and periodic compliance reports, technical memoranda, standard operating procedures, and agency correspondence. Review permit conditions and regulatory requirements and translate them into clear project tasks, schedules, monitoring requirements, and deliverables. Coordinate document review, comment resolution, drafts revisions, and submittal with clients, technical staff, and regulatory agencies. Support environmental documentation and permitting efforts under applicable state and federal water-quality, aquatic-resource, and biological-resource requirements. Maintain organized, traceable project records and confirm that deliverables are complete, accurate, internally consistent, and responsive to client and agency comments. Track relevant regulatory changes and communicate potential effects to clients and internal project personnel. Project Management Manage technical projects or defined project tasks from authorization through closeout, with responsibility for scope, schedule, budget, staffing, quality, and deliverables. Prepare scopes of work, assumptions, fee estimates, schedules, work plans, and task assignments for aquatic-resource, water-quality, permitting, and compliance projects. Coordinate multidisciplinary teams and outside laboratories, vendors, and subcontractors. Coordinate and/or lead internal project meetings, maintain action-item tracking, and provide concise progress reporting to project teams and clients. Support invoice review, change management, contract compliance, and documentation of work completed. Client and Agency Management Serve as a day-to-day point of contact for assigned clients and develop a clear understanding of each client’s operational, regulatory, and decision-making needs. Build and maintain productive working relationships with clients, potential clients, regulatory agencies, and project partners. Communicate complex technical and regulatory information clearly in written, oral, and graphical formats. Anticipate client needs, follow through on commitments, and elevate scope, schedule, budget, or compliance concerns promptly. Support proposal production, recommending follow-on work, and other business-development activities. Technical Leadership and Team Development Provide technical support for aquatic resource management, invasive species response, water-quality monitoring, aquatic pesticide permitting, and environmental compliance programs. Coordinate field and laboratory activities to support regulatory compliance and project activities. Provide quality assurance and quality control review of data summaries, technical reports, permit documents, and client deliverables. Mentor junior staff in technical writing, document organization, project coordination, data quality, and client service. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in biology, environmental science, ecology, animal sciences, water resources, chemistry, environmental engineering, or a related natural-resources field. 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in environmental consulting, water quality, aquatic resources, environmental compliance, or a related field. Demonstrated experience preparing or managing regulatory documents, permit applications, compliance reports, technical memoranda, work plans, or standard operating procedures. Demonstrated experience coordinating projects, including scope, schedule, budget, staffing