Principal Environmental Scientist to join our growing Environmental Practice! This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring regular attendance at our Columbus, OH office.
What you'll be challenged to do:As a Principal Environmental Scientist, you will serve as a project-level environmental lead for transportation infrastructure projects throughout Ohio, with responsibility for managing environmental scopes, coordinating regulatory compliance, and delivering high-quality environmental documentation and permits. The role focuses on NEPA compliance, natural resources, protected species and habitat considerations for complex transportation projects including rail, transit, roadway, bridge, and transportation facilities.
This position requires an experienced practitioner who can independently manage small to mid-sized environmental projects, interface directly with transportation agencies and regulators, and integrate environmental requirements into planning, design, and construction.
In this capacity, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following:- Lead, conduct, and review natural resource baseline inventories and impact assessments for transportation corridors and facilities, including effects to wetlands, waterways, wildlife habitat, and threatened and endangered species.
- Prepare and manage permitting and compliance efforts under Clean Water Act Sections 401/404, Endangered Species Act (Section 7), and applicable Ohio and local permits.
- Oversee field investigations such as wetland delineations, habitat assessments, and species surveys, including coordination of subconsultants.
- Serve as the Ohio extension of the GFT Environmental Business Line reporting and collaborating with the national leaders and team members for NEPA, Natural Resources, and Permitting.
- Track environmental commitments and mitigation measures and support their integration into design documents and construction-phase activities.
- Serve as the environmental task lead or project environmental lead for transportation projects, responsible for scope definition, schedule adherence, budget management, team collaboration, and deliverable quality.
- Manage environmental components of transportation projects subject to NEPA including joint federal-state review processes.
- Coordinate and oversee preparation of Categorical Exclusions (CEs), Environmental Assessments (EAs), Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and supporting technical studies.
- Act as a primary environmental point of contact with transportation owners and agencies, including ODOT, FHWA, FTA, USACE, and USFWS.
- Support coordination with municipalities, tribal entities, and other stakeholders as required for transportation environmental review and permitting.
- Prepare and lead agency coordination materials, technical correspondence, and meetings.
- Provide day-to-day technical direction to junior and mid-level environmental staff and review their work for quality and regulatory compliance.
- Perform QA/QC reviews of environmental documents to ensure defensibility, consistency, and adherence to agency requirements.
- Contribute project-level input to proposals, scopes of work, staffing plans, and cost estimates for transportation pursuits.
What you will bring to our firm: - Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Biology, Ecology, Natural Resource Management, or a related field
- 15 years of progressive experience in natural resources documentation, impact assessments, and regulatory coordination for permit approvals supporting transportation infrastructure projects
- Demonstrated experience leading environmental scopes and coordinating NEPA documentation and permitting for public agency clients.
- Experience working in multidisciplinary transportation project teams.
- Strong understanding of environmental regulations as applied to linear transportation projects, active transportation facilities, water utilities
- Proven ability to manage budgets, schedules, and deliverables for environmental project components.
- Excellent technical writing and review skills for NEPA documents and permit applications.
- Strong communication and leadership skills, with confidence working directly with clients and regulators.
What we prefer you bring:- A Master's degree in a closely related field.
- Relevant professional certification (e.g., Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS), Certified Ecologist, or similar) is an asset.
Compensation:The salary range for this role is
$140,000 - $165,000; Salary is dependent upon experience and geographic location.
Featured Benefits:- Hybrid (in-person and remote) work environment.
- Comprehensive benefits package including wellness programs, parental leave, and pet insurance, in addition to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
- Tax-deferred 401(k) savings plan.
- Competitive paid-time-off (PTO) accrual.
- Tuition reimbursement for continued education.
- Commitment to professional development, access to internal and external training programs, and support of active participation in professional organizations.
- Incentive compensation for eligible positions.
Location: Columbus, OH
Working Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM
Employment Status: Full-time
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Application deadline 8/1/2026
