Senior Scientist

We are Herrera

Envision yourself at a growing, employee-owned company that inspires and empowers you to deliver your best performance while making a difference in the world. 

We are Herrera, a science, planning, and design consulting firm dedicated to working with clients to develop holistic solutions that provide social and environmental benefit. We protect the environment every day by providing a diverse range of consulting services to cities, counties, state and federal agencies, Tribes, non-profits, and private clients throughout Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and western Canada. 

For over 45 years, Herrera has cultivated a collaborative, caring, and values-driven culture that empowers our employee-owners to achieve excellence while ensuring we have fun along the way. By providing our employee-owners with the autonomy to pursue their professional interests and through encouraging them to grow, we benefit from high employee-owner retention that contributes to our longstanding partnerships with clients. 

Our Values

• Treat everyone with respect and dignity, always. 
• Insist on integrity, objectivity, and social and environmental ethics in our work. 
• Act as stewards of the environment upon which we depend. 
• Research and outreach, learn and teach.
• Employee owners, employee leaders.

Your Opportunity

We are seeking a senior-level Scientist to support existing projects and client relationships and continue to expand market presence in the Los Angeles region. In this role, you will be responsible for networking with new and existing contacts in the industry; sharing Herrera's unique expertise and strong portfolio of work; and identifying new markets, opportunities, and client needs. As a leader at Herrera, you will be expected to foster an inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives and experiences, puts people first, and attracts and retains top talent.

Who You Are

• You have a bachelor's degree in environmental science, ecology, environmental studies, life science, or a related field (master's or PhD a plus).
• You bring:
  • 15+ years of experience in driving strategic business development and growing revenue in new geographic markets.
  • Focused technical expertise in urban ecology, stormwater management, surface water quality, restoration, or environmental planning.
• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​You have a deep understanding of business operations, financial principles, and market conditions in California; align with Herrera’s goals, structure, and external environment; and can align actions with strategic priorities.
• You demonstrate a strong commitment to understanding client needs, delivering high-quality solutions, and cultivating supportive and reliable partnerships.
• You communicate clearly (verbally and in writing); listen actively; and foster an environment where diverse perspectives are valued, everyone feels respected and heard, and differences are embraced.
• You prioritize strong relationships with other leaders across all disciplines including corporate/shared services.
• You apply your expertise to projects involving habitat restoration, green infrastructure, urban forestry, biodiversity, and ecological resilience.

What You Will Do

• Maintain and expand relationships with clients and partners.
• Identify and drive key pursuits and develop and execute effective, strategic business development and marketing strategies.
• Promote cross-practice, cross-function, and cross-region collaboration in support of multidisciplinary projects and a 'one team' mentality.
• Manage urban ecology projects from planning through completion, including scope, schedule, budget, deliverables, and quality.
• Lead interdisciplinary project teams and coordinate work across staff, clients, subconsultants, and agency partners.
• Develop project approaches, technical analyses, reports, and recommendations that address client goals and regulatory requirements.

We are proud to support our employee-owners by offering the following compensation and benefits.

• This position is salaried and exempt from overtime; the annual salary range for this position is $128,000-$169,600 
• Flexible hybrid work culture
• Medical/prescription drug/dental/vision insurance for employees and dependents; employees covered at no cost on base plan with buy-up options available; company contribution for dependents
• Section 125 flexible benefits plans – healthcare and dependent care
• Company-paid life insurance for employees; option to purchase additional life insurance for employees and dependents at employees’ expense
• Company-paid long term disability insurance for employees; option to purchase short-term disability insurance at employees’ expense
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) 
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid vacation, accrued bi-weekly, equivalent to 15 days per year for a 40 hour/week employee and prorated for employees working 24-39 hours/week
• Paid sick leave, accrued bi-weekly, equivalent to 10 days per year for a 40-hour/week employee and prorated for employees working 24-39 hours per week
• Flexible paid holidays (10)
• Paid volunteer time (8 hours annually)
• Company-paid annual membership dues for one professional organization
• Professional development / continuing education allowance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Transit benefit

To learn more, please visit our website at: www.herrerainc.com.
Reliable internet service is required for remote work, with acceptable types including cable, DSL, or fiber and minimum speeds of 30 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload. A wired Ethernet connection is strongly preferred. Dial-up, satellite, wireless bridges, range extenders, and outdated or weak Wi-Fi connections are not supported.