Chief Biodiversity and Wildlife
Requisition ID: 144857
Location:
Phoenix, AZ, US, 85040
Category: Environmental
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Why You Should Apply For This Job:
Why You Should Apply for This Job
At Freeport-McMoRan, we are committed to providing an employment package that recognizes excellence, encourages safe production and a culture supported by our core values. Here, you'll find a collaborative environment where safety is a top priority, all opinions are valued, and people are empowered to grow in their career. Apply Today!
Where You Will Work???
Our global headquarters is in Phoenix, Arizona. Several hundred employees support global operations in finance, human resources, information technology, planning and more from the main office, satellite offices or online. As a Hybrid employee, you'll engage in virtual collaboration as well as attend in-person meetings at our Collaboration Hub in Phoenix or at one of our site locations. The Collaboration Hub provides an open, flexible workspace for individuals and teams to come together for various business needs. Amenities at the Hub include a working café, phone booths and meeting rooms with technology tools for virtual and in-person collaboration.?In-person attendance may vary based on the position and department requirements.
Phoenix is the capital of the Grand Canyon State and enjoys mostly bright skies throughout the year. It is the perfect place if you enjoy the outdoors, love sports, concerts and other big city amenities or technology. There are great neighborhoods around Phoenix, with easy access to a major city, nature, the arts and many more amenities.?
What You Will Do
Provides technical authority for wildlife and biodiversity to ensure defensible regulatory compliance, credible application of the mitigation hierarchy, and effective integration of biodiversity considerations across the lifecycle of Freeport operations. Leads scientific and methodological work supporting compliance with wildlife regulations, No Net Loss commitments, and corporate policies, while adapting approaches as regulatory expectations, business needs, and ecological science evolve.
In this role, you serve as the technical authority for interpreting, applying, and defending regulatory and policy requirements governing wildlife, habitats, and ecosystem services of conservation concern across jurisdictions (ESA, MBTA, and NEPA), ensuring regulatory compliance by leading technical analyses, documentation, and reporting, supporting timely submittals, and enabling effective agency engagement across the lifecycle of operations.
As the Chief Biodiversity and Wildlife, you lead and contribute to biodiversity technical work across the full lifecycle of operations from early-stage exploration and project development through operations, remediation, and closure to integrate biodiversity considerations into project planning, permitting, implementation, and assurance, conducting and overseeing technical assessments, analyses, and plan development to address potential impacts, risks, and regulatory considerations in project design, execution, and closure activities.
You steward the application of the mitigation hierarchy and No Net Loss approach by developing and maintaining methodologies, calculations, and guidance to assess impacts, determine residual effects, and identify appropriate mitigation and offset actions, ensuring consistent, defensible application aligned with regulatory requirements, corporate commitments, and evolving scientific practice.
You ensure the quality and defensibility of wildlife and biodiversity work products by establishing expectations for studies and analyses, reviewing and validating technical outputs, supporting the effective use of consultants, and confirming scopes of work, assessments, and plans meet regulatory, scientific, and corporate standards before being relied upon.
You also advance the scientific foundations of biodiversity work by developing and refining baselines, methodologies, metrics, and analytical tools to assess impacts and monitor performance, ensuring approaches remain scientifically credible and fit for purpose while incorporating evolving regulatory expectations, corporate commitments, external standards, emerging technologies, and sharing technical knowledge and best practices across the organization.
What You Bring To Freeport
Bachelor's degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, conservation biology, natural resource management, or a closely related field and seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in wildlife, biodiversity, or natural resources management roles, including experience providing technical authority or senior advisory support on complex or high-risk issues; OR
Master's degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, conservation biology, natural resource management, or a closely related field and five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in wildlife, biodiversity, or natural resources management roles, including experience providing technical authority or senior advisory support on complex or high-risk issues.
Deep technical knowledge of wildlife ecology, biodiversity conservation, habitat management, and species-at-risk considerations, including the ecological functions that support species persistence.
Strong understanding of regulatory and policy frameworks governing wildlife, habitats, and ecosystem services, and the ability to interpret, apply, and defend those requirements in varied regulatory @contexts such as ESA, MBTA, and NEPA.
Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex, high-risk situations, synthesize scientific information, and provide clear, defensible technical guidance with a customer service focused mindset.
Experience reviewing, validating, and improving technical analyses, assessments, and plans prepared by others to ensure scientific rigor and regulatory defensibility.
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively to internal teams, regulators, and external stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.
Proven capacity to mentor, guide, and transfer technical knowledge while retaining accountability for final technical judgment.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working with international or cross-sector standards and frameworks related to biodiversity and conservation, including the application of the mitigation hierarchy, biodiversity impact assessment, and approaches for addressing residual impacts (e.g., offsets or compensatory measures) in complex project @contexts.
Experience in resource-intensive, land-use, infrastructure, or extractive sectors where biodiversity considerations intersect with environmental and social impact assessments, large-scale project development, and long-term operational impacts.
Direct experience supporting or engaging with regulatory agencies or authorities on wildlife and biodiversity matters, including review or defense of impact assessments, mitigation approaches, or compliance strategies in one or more jurisdictions.
Experience advising on time-sensitive or high-consequence issues.
Advanced academic training or professional recognition in a biodiversity, ecology, or conservation-related discipline.
What We Offer You
The estimated annual pay range for this role is currently? $112,000-$160,000. This range reflects base salary only and does not include bonus payments, benefits or retirement contributions. Actual base pay is determined by experience, qualifications, skills and other job-related factors. This role is eligible for additional incentive compensation considerations based on company and individual performance.? Additionally, this position is currently eligible for annual long-term incentive consideration.? Long-term incentives are contingent upon authorized approval under the terms and conditions of the Company's plan and award agreements.? More details will be shared during the hiring process.?
Click here to view a sample of Total Rewards Estimate for this role.??
Affordable medical, dental and vision benefits?
Company-paid life and disability insurance?
401(k) plan with employer contribution/match?
Paid time off, paid sick time, holiday pay, parental leave?
Tuition Assistance?
Employee Assistance Program?
Discounted insurance plans for auto, home and pet?
Internal progression opportunities?
Learn more (https://jobs.fcx.com/content/Our-Benefits-FM/?locale=en_US) about our competitive and comprehensive benefits package!?
What We Require
Freeport-McMoRan promotes a drug/alcohol-free work environment using mandatory pre-employment drug testing as allowed by applicable laws.?
Equal Opportunity Employer
Please be advised Freeport-McMoRan will never request payment for job-related expenses from applicants. If you receive any suspicious emails, please disregard them, and report the incident to HRSC@fmi.com.
