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Plant Ecologist / Botanist

H. T. Harvey & Associates, an ecological consulting firm with four offices in Northern California and one in Hawaii, is looking for a botanist / plant ecologist for a full-time position in the botany group in our San Francisco Bay Area office (Los Gatos, Santa Clara County). This position offers significant opportunities for growth within the botany team and the Bay Area office. 

What it’s like to work with us
H. T. Harvey & Associates has a strong reputation for deep scientific expertise and a high caliber of work. When joining the company, new employees become part of a well-respected team of ecologists with unparalleled expertise with the region’s species, habitats, regulatory environment, and habitat plans. As a member of the botany group, you’ll work closely with Dr. Kelly Hardwicke, principal of the group, and have opportunities to lead projects and be part of multidisciplinary project teams with wildlife and restoration ecologists as well as landscape architects. 

Our scientists spend time both in the field and in the office (Los Gatos office and home offices). When in the field you might work on plant community mapping, conduct rare plant surveys and wetland assessments and delineations, assess impacted ecosystems, and identify opportunities for restoration. When not doing field work, you’ll contribute to and write biological resource reports and natural resource management plans, habitat restoration plans, and develop regulatory agency permit application packages. Completion of these tasks are guided by the expertise and training of senior team staff, and in collaboration with our other groups (wildlife, fish and aquatic ecology, landscape architecture, and more). 

What are some of the important types of projects and habitats the botany group works on?
  • Providing botany expertise to large scale conservation projects, including in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Coyote Valley.  
  • Performing rare plant work in serpentine habitats, oak woodlands, riparian corridors, and the marshlands of the San Francisco Bay.
  • Assisting with complex ecological restoration projects along the San Francisco Bay shoreline and throughout the region
  • Contributing to open space, park, trail, and campus habitat planning 
  • Minimizing ecological impact of redevelopment projects and creating new habitats to support native species
  • Developing native habitat and pollinator guidelines
  • Supporting renewable energy projects 

Competencies, skills, and experience
We aim to hire team members who strive for excellence in their everyday work and who are interested in continually improving their scientific knowledge and collaborating with experts in other fields of ecology. Other core competencies include curiosity and a commitment to continual learning. 

In addition to strong technical expertise, we seek team members with a combination of some or all of the following:
  • A bachelor’s degree combined with sufficient directly relevant experience (advanced degree preferred)
  • Strong scientific background with emphasis in botany and/or plant ecology 
  • Experience in some or most of the following areas: plant identification, quantitative field surveys, plant community/association mapping, wetland delineation, environmental impact analysis, regulatory permit preparation, GPS usage, and general GIS, Google Earth, and/or ArcMap familiarity
  • Completion of, or interest in, a 40-hour wetland delineation course or equivalent experience
  • Understanding of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)  
  • Interest in regulatory agency permitting 
  • Familiarity with Habitat Conservation Plans, such as the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan
  • Exceptional and demonstrated technical writing ability
  • Good organizational and data handling skills 
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills 

If you don’t have all the items above, but have experience with a good portion of them, we still welcome you to submit your application so we can learn more about you and see if it’s a good fit! 

A few other nitty gritty details
This position requires the future employee to:
  • Follow best practices for field safety
  • Hold a valid driver’s license with no major traffic violations or multiple minor violations
  • Walk over varied terrain for surveys and work in inclement weather

How to apply
To start the application process, please submit your resume and a cover letter through our applicant portal. In your cover letter please share your thoughts about what gets you blooming about plants, why you want to work for us, or what you want to get out of your next position, or whatever else you’d like to share that isn’t obvious from your resume.

Ultimately, we’ll ask for references and potentially a work sample and academic transcripts, but if you don’t have them handy now, they can be submitted later. 

Please combine your cover letter and resume into one file and apply here

Employment Package, Benefits, and Work Culture
We strive to support employees' career goals and their health and wellness. Our employment package includes a competitive salary and personal incentive bonus as well as a generous benefits package.

Health insurance
H. T. Harvey & Associates has always placed a strong emphasis on health and wellness. At the center of these offerings is our top-notch medical coverage (Cigna PPO and Kaiser Permanente HMO plans) along with Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Savings Account (FSA) options. For full-time employees who opt in to one of our plans, we cover 100% of the premiums for that employee. Additional options include 50% premium coverage for spouses, domestic partners, and children. The package also includes dental and vision coverage at no cost to the employee. Pro-rated plan options are available for those who work at least 50% time. 

Retirement benefits
We offer a 401(k) plan with an employer match (an especially high percentage for a company of our size!). The plan offers nearly 50 fund choices including a notable number of socially responsible investment fund options. 

Time off
In addition to paid time off, employees receive 10 more paid company holidays, including Martin Luther King Day for voluntary participation in a National Day of Service.

Professional development
We support ongoing professional development with peers and senior leadership and through external training. We encourage participation and membership in scientific and professional associations and offer presentation, poster, and publication bonuses. 

Flexible work arrangements
We offer flexible scheduling options during the work week, with employees working from both company and home offices. Our goal is to facilitate collaboration and accommodate business needs while providing flexibility to employees. 

About H. T. Harvey & Associates 
H. T. Harvey & Associates is an ecological consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with four offices in California and one in Hawaii. The Los Gatos headquarters office is listed as a Santa Clara County Green Business. Our core areas of expertise are wildlife ecology, plant ecology, aquatic ecology, restoration ecology, and landscape architecture. We hire people who strive to be the best in their fields and provide training, support, and work opportunities to grow their expertise. This year we are celebrating more than 50 years of cultivating excellence in our staff and work in pursuit of our mission to create ecologically sound solutions to our clients’ complex natural resource challenges. 

H. T. Harvey & Associates is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law. We encourage people of all backgrounds and abilities to apply.