Systems Ecologist

ESSA Technologies Ltd (www.essa.com) is looking for a highly motivated individual to join our Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Team in Vancouver. The position involves both working as a quantitative aquatic ecologist on existing projects and developing new initiatives within North America. Over the past 32 years, our team has built a solid reputation for being able to undertake challenging projects, using an appropriate mix of technical facilitation, simulation modeling, decision analysis, experimental design, statistical analysis and adaptive management. Project domains include water and fisheries management, river restoration, climate change adaptation, endangered species management and environmental impact assessment. The successful candidate will help extend and grow our expertise in these and related domains.

Education and Experience

• Minimum of a Master’s university degree (Ecology, Biology, Applied Science, Resource Management).
• Must have a background in aquatic ecology or biology relating to freshwater fish populations.
• A firm understanding of environmental management approaches, especially: decision analysis, conceptualization of models, trade off evaluation and adaptive management.
• A quantitative perspective and skills including one or more of: simulation modeling, statistics and statistical analysis packages. Experience with Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modeling software would be a strong asset.
• Past experience delivering aquatic Environmental Impact Assessment analyses and documentation.
• Experience working with First Nations, or with Traditional Environmental Knowledge, would be an asset.

Othe Skills and Assets

• An entrepreneurial spirit, interested in developing new business.
• Experience writing research grant, not for profit and private sector proposals.
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English: ability to develop and deliver professional presentations and reports within time and budget constraints. Fluency in spoken and written Spanish would be an asset.
• Personable, with a flexible demeanor, very comfortable and confident in small group facilitation settings.
• Effective working independently as well as creatively and cooperatively in teams on pre-existing projects.

Salary and Benefits

Salary is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. ESSA offers a competitive performance based profit sharing system and an extended health benefits package. New employees receive 4 weeks paid vacation per year. ESSA also provides new employees with strong initial orientation support and long-term mentoring to foster achievement of personal goals.

Organization

ESSA Technologies Ltd. was established in 1979 and has a successful track record as a research and consulting firm with an established client base in Canada and the United States. ESSA’s mission is to bring together people, science and analytical tools to sustain healthy ecosystems and human communities. ESSA’s interrelated, multi-disciplinary teams work towards this goal in a manner that builds trust with our clients, and is professionally fulfilling, financially sustainable and personally balanced. At ESSA, we are passionate about what we do and enjoy working with professionals who share our values and mission. Interested applicants may wish to view examples of our work at: www.essa.com/projects/index.html.

Please email a cover letter and copy of your résumé to careers@essa.com with “Systems Ecologist” in the subject line. Closing date is July 7 2011 . Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for an interview. No phone inquiries please.

In accordance with Canadian law, preference will be given to Canadian citizens or Landed Immigrants.