Environmental Scientist

At GHD, we don’t just believe in the power of commitment, we live and breathe it every day.

That’s why we pledge to empower all of our people to make a positive impact. Combining our deep technical expertise with the capabilities of our clients and partners, we respond to some of the most complex challenges facing our planet today.

See where your commitment could take you. 

Our pledge to you
Join GHD

That’s the #PowerOfCommittment

There’s no pledge more important than the one we make to look after our environment, and we’re committed to helping you do exactly that. 

Join us as we strive to ensure a sustainable future for our communities and the world we live in.  

Become part of our global network of skilled engineers, scientists, auditors, planners and environmental specialists, all working together to leave this world better than we found it.

Are you ready to lead a dynamic team of Emergency Response/Preparedness and environmental professionals in tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing our environment today? 

 Who are we looking for?   

As a Project Manager at GHD, you will not only mentor and guide the team but also take the reins in environmental emergencies, collaborating closely with clients and agencies to ensure effective response and resolution. 

Your role will extend beyond project management to include business development and client expansion activities, where your expertise in environmental engineering, geology, or related fields will shine. With 5+ years of project management experience under your belt, including a proven track record in emergency response, client relationship management, and business development, you'll bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. 

From conducting environmental sampling and monitoring to spearheading regional visibility initiatives, your passion for environmental stewardship and problem-solving will drive our success. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, possess exceptional communication skills, and are committed to making a difference, join us in shaping a sustainable future. Apply today and Join our Emergency Management (GHD FIRST) team. 

This opportunity can be based out of the Chicago office. 

Who is GHD FIRST:

GHD Fast Incident Response Services Team (GHD FIRST) delivers turnkey, 24/7/365 incident response and management services throughout North America. The GHD FIRST team provides the following core services:

• Emergency Preparedness, Planning, and Drills
• Environmental/ Remediation Services
• Incident Management / Incident Command System (ICS)
• Air Monitoring/ Industrial Hygiene 
• Waste Management
• Toxicology/ Risk Assessment 
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/ Database
• Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Technique (SCAT)
• Digital Technology/ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Services
• Construction/ Construction Management Services
• Crisis Communication and Community Engagement 
• Litigation Support

GHD has more than 100 offices across North America with over 500 staff trained in emergency response and emergency management procedures. Listed below is a management role currently open to grow and further develop the GHD FIRST business sector within GHD. 

Working with an energetic and high performing team, this position offers a variety of work and will see you involved in: 

Accountable for one or more medium-sized projects of low to moderate complexity with a small- to medium-sized team. Focus on the creation of the project vision and planning documents and manage the implementation, reporting, and performance of the overall project with the expectation of delivering on time, within budget, and to scope.

• Document Preparation: Prepare moderately complex documents using a variety of applications for technology devices, such as standard office software. Also responsible for gathering and summarizing data for reports.
• Stakeholder Management: Plan and deliver stakeholder engagement activities to develop effective working relationships for projects and to ensure that stakeholder needs and concerns are identified and met.
• Personal Capability Building: Develop own capabilities by participating in assessment and development planning activities as well as formal and informal training and coaching; gain or maintain external professional accreditation, where relevant, to improve performance and fulfill personal potential. Maintain an understanding of relevant technology, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing education, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute to reviewing existing operations in own area of work, and generate new ideas to assist in identifying continuous improvements.
• Work Scheduling and Allocation: Assign short-term work schedules to a team of subordinates in order to achieve expectations while following established timelines.
• Project Assurance: Conduct assurance reviews within the project, facilitate the delivery of assurance reviews by independent third parties, and take appropriate action to resolve any issues identified, so that senior stakeholders have confidence that the project can deliver according to time, budget, and quality.
• Project Scope Definition: Manage the delivery of research, workshops, and other activities to support the specification and agreement of project deliverables.
• Project Planning: Produce workstream or project plans, ensuring that all activities are identified, are appropriately organized to deliver project objectives, and comply with the organization's project management framework.
• Project Reporting and Review: Draft project review reports and presentations, including key information, commentary, and recommendations, to support the review process and enable stakeholders to evaluate progress and agree on change.
• Project Resource Management: Manage the deployment of project resources, proactively managing project costs, providing forecasts, and presenting variances with narrative at appropriate review points to ensure effective utilization.
• Project Risk and Issue Management: Identify and evaluate risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints associated with the project, escalating matters where appropriate. Where necessary, develop, agree on, and implement solutions to overcome these concerns.
• Project Closeout and Handover: Draft elements of product documentation and user training to support handover to business as usual. Contribute to post-project reviews and identification of lessons learned.
• Project Team Management: Lead a small project team; communicate the necessary outcomes and the direction required to achieve them; coordinate team actions on project tasks; request additional team member support when needed; and identify areas of improvement to build the capability of the team through training, coaching, and mentoring.
• Requirements Management: Coordinate the identification and elicitation of requirements; conduct analysis of those requirements for completion and alignment; document and manage requirements throughout the life of the project; and coordinate the verification of the end deliverable. Generally done at the level of project phases.
• Willingness to respond to call outs during non-routine working hours
• Act as the first point of contact for clients for new emergency projects, with ability to delegate tasks and request support as required from GHD FIRST team.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering, Geology, Environmental Science or a related field

Experience

• General Experience: Experience enables job holder to deal with the majority of situations and to advise others (Over 3 years to 6 years)
• Managerial Experience: Experience of general supervision of more junior colleagues (7 to 12 months)
• Experienced in emergency preparedness, air monitoring, environmental assessment/sampling, ICS, SCAT, PHMSA
• Experience with railroad and pipeline related emergencies a plus

#LI-JS1

Benefits:

• 401K - Employees are eligible to participate on the first day of the month following 3 months of service

• Paid time off – Our PTO benefit is designed to provide eligible employees with a period of rest and relaxation, sick, and personal time throughout the year. PTO starts at 16 days per year and increases with years of service

• Holiday Pay - Holiday pay is provided for eligible employees. GHD observes 9 holidays per year. Holiday pay will be based on the regular set schedule for the employee

• Wellness Benefit- Regular full-term employees are eligible to participate in the wellness reimbursement  program. GHD will reimburse 50% of the cost of the following to maximum of $250.00 reimbursement annually for such items as: Health club membership fees, Home exercise equipment purchases, Bicycles, Race, run & marathon entrance fees, Smoking cessation programs, Weight loss programs (i.e.—Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig), Fitbits and Fitness Tracking devices

Salary: $72,019 - $120,011, varies based on location and experience.

Take on some of the world’s toughest challenges - with everyone at GHD backing you every step of the way.

We'll give you control over your career, empower you to find innovative solutions and help you create a lasting impact.

See where your commitment could take you with GHD.

As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and recognize the strength of a diverse workforce. GHD is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, genetic information, national origin, sex (including same sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, age, disability or handicap, citizenship status, service member status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.