About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is an employee-owned company specializing in natural and cultural resource management, environmental planning, and regulatory compliance. SWCA's Chicago, Illinois team is growing and seeks a Project-LevelEnvironmental Scientist. This position offers a collaborative and supportive work environment with a diverse team of scientists working on a wide range of projects, and is based in Cincinnati, OH. The successful candidate will possess a broad range of skills including a well-developed understanding of environmental permitting in the Midwest U.S. across multiple sectors including energy, utilities, and land development, strong technical field skills, and effective communication skills.

This is a full-time, regular status position located in

Cincinnati, OH

, with hybrid work environments encouraged. This position will report into our Chicago, ILL office

Under this job requisition, we may hire the following job position:

Assistant Project Environmental Scientist- Typically with at least 3 years of relevant industry experience and expertise

Associate Project Environmental Scientist - Typically with at least 5 years of relevant industry experience and expertise

Project Environmental Scientist - Typically with at least 7 years of relevant industry experience and expertise

Application deadline: Application is due at 5:00 PM EDT on 6.27.2026

What you will accomplish

Responsibilities for this position include serving as a task manager, overseeing, and directing field activities, and managing small to mid-sized project projects. As part of this position, the Project Environmental Scientist will:

Develop project management and technical lead skills on a variety of environmental and water resource projects.

Manage a variety of tasks, including projects related to wetland science and threatened/endangered species.

Oversee and direct all aspects of environmental permitting related to Clean Water Act (CWA) Sections 401 (Water Quality Certification), 402 (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System), and 404 (Dredge and Fill Material), as well as the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and other state and local laws and regulations.

Collaborate with a team of natural and cultural resources specialists to fulfill a variety of environmental planning and permitting needs for various projects.

Be responsible for multi-disciplinary scope of work and budget development with the natural resources team, as well as tracking scopes and budgets during project execution.

Direct agency and client coordination regarding wetland, rare species, stormwater, and compliance monitoring programs and building trusted relationships with the responsible agencies and stakeholders.

Prepare resource inventory reports, environmental permitting support, and other documents.

Organize, review, and transfer field data, and write technical reports and permit applications related to the CWA, floodplain management, and other state and local water resources regulations.

Coordinate and collaborate with other SWCA scientists, including wetland specialists, ecologists, stormwater specialists, restoration specialists, hydrologists, floodplain specialists, wildlife specialists, etc. for quality assurance for scope of work and project approach development.

Take responsibility for team safety, developing safety plans (when applicable), and anticipating potential safety hazards.

Experience and qualifications for success

Required

A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Wetland Science, Wildlife Biology, Enviro

SWCA Incorporated jobs

Project-Level Environmental Scientist