Biologist or Environmental Planner (Indigenous Community Focus)

Overview

We are currently seeking a Biologist or Environmental Planner who specializes in Indigenous Rights and Community Engagement to join our Natural Resource Management team. In this role, you will lead and support a diverse portfolio of projects at the intersection of science and Indigenous Knowledge (IK). You will be instrumental in shaping comprehensive territorial stewardship plans, advancing Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas plans, developing community-led Environmental Management Plans, and guiding complex regulatory and cumulative effects assessments. Our team, working alongside our planning and other technical teams, specializes in protecting and enhancing the natural resources that sustain our communities, focusing on sustainable land use, aquatic and terrestrial habitat conservation, environmental compliance, and respectful, reciprocal collaboration and capacity building with Indigenous communities.

This is a new position and is based at our Downtown Vancouver office, but will require travel to communities. We offer flexible work hours and hybrid work arrangement options to help balance the competing demands of work and personal life.

About Dillon

Dillon Consulting Limited (Dillon) is a proudly Canadian, 100% employee-owned professional consulting firm specializing in planning, engineering, environmental science, and management. With over 25 offices and more than 1100 employees across Canada, we offer a wide range of services related to building and improving facilities and infrastructure, protecting the environment, and developing communities.

At Dillon, we strive to remain at the forefront of technology and innovation and thrive on interdisciplinary collaboration, empowering our people to challenge conventional thinking and build careers focused on creating a lasting impact in our communities. We are committed to ongoing professional development and celebrate the unique perspectives that each team member brings to the table.

Employee ownership is available to all Dillon team members, and over 60% of our employees own shares in Dillon. Through employee ownership, we return the financial benefit created by our project work to the very people who created that value. Because we are an employee-owned firm, your voice will be an essential part of our shared success.

Responsibilities

Technical Development

• Integrate IK and Indigenous law alongside science to inform environmental planning and natural resource management projects.
• Evaluate and address cumulative effects on lands and waters, balancing industry impacts with environmental and community values.
• Utilize geospatial tools and data to help inform land use planning, environmental decision-making, and habitat conservation strategies.
• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risk at a level appropriate to your experience.
• Support and lead permitting and approvals acquisition activities at the local, provincial, and federal level (e.g., [former] Species at Risk Act, Fisheries Act, Canadian Environmental Assessment Act).
• Prepare high-quality technical reports, environmental impact studies, proposals, and regulatory applications.
• Bring together planning, environmental science, and engagement perspectives to help clients and communities make clear, defensible decisions.

• Provide oversight to project team members including biologists, scientists, and community planning and Indigenous Rights staff.
• Work collaboratively and respectfully with Indigenous communities, demonstrating a deep understanding of Indigenous rights and title.
• Business travel upon request.

Learning and Development

• Understand what communities and clients are trying to achieve, not just what is written in the scope, and help translate those needs into practical solutions.
• A commitment to self-development and ongoing learning and professional development.
• Input to the career development of junior staff, including technical direction, training recommendations, coaching and mentoring.
• Contribute to Dillon’s corporate profile through active participation in professional associations and committees.

Qualifications

• A diploma or certificate in a related environmental sciences field. An undergraduate degree in biology, ecology or a related environmental sciences field would be an asset.
• Mandatory: Registered with a professional accredited regulatory body such as a Professional Biologist (R.P.Bio) in good standing with the College of Applied Biology.
• Professional experience in an environmental consulting, industrial, regulatory, or directly for a First Nations community in BC.
• Valid driver’s license.

Experience

• Extensive experience working directly with Indigenous communities, demonstrating practical knowledge of integrating IK and navigating Indigenous law, rights, and title.
• Experience working at a territorial scale is considered a strong asset.
• Familiarity with using geospatial data (e.g., GIS) to inform land use planning and natural resource management is highly preferred.
• Proven experience as a project manager, environmental lead, or key project team member delivering Environmental Assessments, impact and cumulative effects studies, permitting, and approvals.
• Strong background in project management, proposal writing, technical reporting, and budget/scope management.
• A strong working knowledge of the legislation, regulations, policies, guidelines, permitting processes, and approval requirements relevant in BC.
• Experience with regulatory approvals, industry proponents, and cumulative effects assessments.
• Excellent oral and written communication, report writing, critical thinking, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in the preparation of regulatory applications resulting in the successful acquisition of permits and approvals.

Compensation$80,000-$130,000At Dillon, we believe in transparency. The following salary range is what we expect to offer for this position. It will be dependent on the successful applicant’s education, experience, and skills, in addition to internal equity and geographic region. Dillon reserves the right to pay outside of the posted range, contingent on factors unrelated to an applicant’s gender or other status protected by provincial and/or federal law.

In addition to a competitive base salary, Dillon offers:

• Flexible work hours and hybrid work arrangement options to help balance the competing demands of work and personal life
• Employee share purchase plan
  • Dillon is 100% employee-owned, and share ownership is open to all employees.
  • Our annual share dividends have historically outperformed the market average
• Dillon’s Overtime Directive.
  • This Management Directive establishes a firm-wide 40-hour weekly overtime threshold, after which premium pay applies, ensuring consistent and fair compensation across all Canadian offices.
• Competitive benefits package, including:
  • Comprehensive health benefits
  • Generous retirement savings plan with employer matching up to 5.5%
  • Student loan repayment assistance
  • Wellness allowance and enhanced mental health benefits
  • Ample paid vacation
  • Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
  • Goodlife Fitness Corporate Membership rates
• Early Career Development (ECD) program
  • At Dillon, we build careers. Designed for technical professionals with less than three years of consulting experience, the ECD program accelerates the transition into entrepreneurial consultants through monthly ‘Level Up’ sessions that build both technical and consulting capabilities. Own your success; we provide the blueprint.

Health & Safety at Dillon

Prospective employees are expected to fully align with Dillon's core commitment to Health & Safety. This includes active, ongoing engagement with our Health & Safety processes and platform, and the active, ongoing identification and reporting of health and safety hazards.

Employment Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Dillon

Dillon is committed to employment equity and an inclusive, diverse workplace where opportunities are based on skills and abilities. If you require accommodation during the interview process, please let us know.

Technology enablement and the use of AI at Dillon

Please be advised that Dillon uses AI-assisted tools to support aspects of our recruitment process to increase efficiency and fairness. While AI supports the process, all hiring decisions are made by our human recruiting team. By applying, you acknowledge and consent to this use.

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