Shape Canada’s Fisheries Outcomes on Complex, High‑Impact Projects
ERM is seeking a Principal Technical Consultant, Fisheries Biologist to provide senior technical leadership on some of Canada’s most complex mining and energy projects. Based in one of ERM’s western Canadian offices (Vancouver, Calgary, Whitehorse, or Smithers), this role blends deep technical expertise with strategic oversight—guiding fisheries assessments, offsetting programs, and permitting for large‑scale capital projects across diverse and often remote environments.
As a trusted technical authority within ERM’s Fisheries and Aquatics team, you’ll influence project outcomes that matter—supporting responsible development, advancing regulatory approvals, and helping clients address evolving environmental and sustainability challenges. You’ll collaborate with an exceptional, multidisciplinary group of scientists and engineers in Canada and across ERM’s global network, while mentoring the next generation of fisheries professionals.
Why This Role Matters
Canada’s mining and energy sectors are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny, societal expectations, and environmental complexity. In this role, you serve as a senior fisheries advisor—setting technical direction, ensuring scientific rigor, and helping clients design and implement solutions that protect aquatic ecosystems while enabling project progress. Your expertise will directly influence environmental assessments, offsetting strategies, and long‑term aquatic management outcomes nationwide.
What Your Impact Is
Lead and shape fisheries and aquatic programs that support major capital projects from planning through operations
Provide senior technical oversight that ensures defensible, high‑quality deliverables aligned with federal, provincial, and territorial requirements
Act as a trusted advisor to clients, regulators, and internal teams on fisheries biology, habitat management, and offsetting strategies
Mentor and develop junior and intermediate staff, strengthening ERM’s fisheries capability for the future
Contribute to ERM’s national and international fisheries and aquatics technical communities
What You’ll Bring
Required
B.Sc. in Fisheries Biology, Natural Resource Management, or a related discipline.
Registered Professional Biologist (or equivalent)
6+ years of environmental consulting experience
Demonstrated experience mentoring and managing junior staff
Extensive field experience in fish and fish habitat assessment and aquatic biology
Strong knowledge of federal, provincial, and territorial regulations and guidelines as they apply to the mining and oil & gas sectors
Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, schedules, and quality of technical deliverables
Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision in dynamic, fast‑paced environments
Strong commitment to health and safety, including adherence to established H&S procedures
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Willingness to travel and conduct fieldwork in remote locations
Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area.
Preferred
M.Sc. in Fisheries Biology, Natural Resource Management, or a related discipline.
10+ years of environmental consulting experience
Experience designing and overseeing fisheries field programs in remote locations, including complex logistics and multi‑team coordination
Experience supporting mining and/or oil & gas projects
Experience working with Indigenous communities, government agencies, and public stakeholders
Experience delivering fisheries projects within multidisciplinary teams, including environmental assessments, offsetting plans, in‑stream flow assessments, and monitoring programs
Key Responsibilities
Oversee the design and implementation of fish and fish habitat field programs in freshwater ecosystems across Canada
Lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of fisheries offsetting and compensation programs
Draft, review, and provide technical oversight for high‑quality environmental assessments, baseline studies, offsetting plans, and permitting documents
Provide senior technical review and quality control for fisheries data collection, analysis, and management
Compile, manage, analyze, and contribute to databases related to fish habitat, community, and biological data
Provide expert guidance and technical advice to clients and internal project teams
Deliver field leadership and technical support for complex fisheries projects
Contribute to proposal development, including technical scopes and cost estimates, in alignment with ERM policies and processes
Manage project phases as required, including task delegation, subcontractor oversight, health and safety management, and client engagement
Actively participate in ERM’s national and international fisheries and aquatic technical networks
