As-Needed Mid-Senior Botanist

Who We Are 
Dudek is a leading environmental, planning, and engineering firm that help public and private clients plan, design, and build projects that improve communities’ built and natural infrastructure. Founded in 1980, Dudek has grown steadily to more than 800 professionals across the U.S. and received the Top Workplace Award for 2024.  
As a 100% employee-owned company, Dudek’s culture rewards smart, productive team members with ownership, professional development, and financial benefits. We seek creative, pragmatic problem-solvers working at the intersection of science, engineering, regulations, and multiple stakeholders’ interest to help clients achieve project goals. We encourage collaboration, sustainability, and innovation.  
At Dudek, we abide by shared values: 
Trust: We trust each other to use good judgment. 
Respect: We act professionally and treat each other fairly. 
Teamwork: We come together, share openly, and apply diverse perspectives. 
Fun: We take our work seriously…not ourselves. 
Well-Being: We care about each other’s health, safety, and total wellness. 
Our culture is the foundation of who we are and how we work.  
Learn more about our culture. 
About the Job
Dudek is seeking as-needed/on-call mid- to senior-level botanists to perform resource inventories of vegetation communities and plant species, with a focus on Central and Southern California, but potential for work elsewhere in California. These positions will support a variety of projects. Number of hours and duration of employment will be dependent on project needs; this position does not guarantee 40 hours per week.
Who You Are 
To thrive at Dudek, you should be comfortable with accountability, collaboration, flexibility while being a resourceful and independent thinker. We look for curious, solution-focused people who can adapt quickly to an ever-changing industry. There is no single way to solve a problem, so we encourage innovation.  
Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsibilities will consist primarily of fieldwork such as vegetation mapping using A Manual of California Vegetation, habitat characterization for sensitive biological resources, plant species inventories, special-status plant mapping, long-term monitoring for vegetation communities and/or special-status plants.
• Leading and supporting large-scale general botanical or rare plant surveys
• All work will be conducted under the guidance of Dudek senior staff, and complete background information and instructions will be provided for each project and site. Equipment needed for data collection may be provided by Dudek or biologists may use their own devices if it has the iOS operating system and cell service (i.e., iPhone and iPad).

Minimum Requirements

• At least 3 years of botanical field experience
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in biological sciences, botany, wildlife, environmental sciences, or related field
• Experience with California flora
• Experience in plant species identification using the Jepson Manual
• Experience with field collection applications, such as ESRI Field Maps, Survey123, etc.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Ability to conduct fieldwork in challenging terrain and weather conditions as necessary
• Willingness to travel to project locations and stay overnight for multi-day field efforts
• Must possess strong communication skills to manage field staff and communicate proactively with the project manager

As a federal contractor, successful candidates are required to pass the following pre-employment requirements prior to beginning employment: pre - employment drug test and background check.
Preferred Qualifications

• College coursework and/or a degree with botanical identification
• Experience conducting long-term monitoring for vegetation communities and/or special-status plants;
• Experience conducting vegetation mapping;
• Familiarity with California wetland types and systems;
• Basic project/field management skills such as scheduling, troubleshooting data and logistical problems in the field, managing team workload and estimating time to complete surveys

Physical Requirements
Working Conditions:

• This job operates in a outdoor or office-based environment and this role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, printers, etc.
• This job requires project site visits-based outdoors which can include excessive noise, uneven walking surfaces, extreme weather, moving vehicles and equipment.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met in order to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.

• This job may require working on a computer, sitting or standing for long periods of time in an office or remote office setting.
• This job requires attending meetings, both in person and virtually as well as speaking on the phone with peers, clients, etc. Speaking, hearing and listening are required.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Outdoor activity may involve walking/trekking in uneven terrain over long distances in extreme weather conditions for extended periods of time. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Proposed Salary Pay Range: $33 - $65/Hour*
*Final agreed upon compensation will be based on a variety of factors including but not limited to an individual’s related experience, education, certifications, skills, and work location.
Perks of Being a Dudekian 
At Dudek we will provide you with a competitive salary in an environment that promotes growth, career development, and a flexible work–life balance. Dudek offers an array of benefits, from medical, dental, and vision coverage, to the discretionary bonuses, based on firmwide, divisional, and individual performance.
We also offer a yearly merit review, an employee stock ownership program, and dog friendly offices! To honor our key value of well-being, Dudek provides generous Paid Time Off (PTO) packages for both salaried and hourly employees. If you’re tired of an overly bureaucratic decision-making process and want to be part of a work culture that puts its employees first, speak with your recruiter to learn more about the great perks of being a Dudekian.
As-Needed and part-time employees are eligible for our 401(k) pla, sick leave, and our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). As-Needed and part-time employees have the option of additional benefits like medical benefits and ESOP participation provided they meet minimum hours worked during the 12-month look back measurement period. Speak with your recruiter to learn more.
Dudek is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by applicable law. 
Dudek is a U.S.-based employer. All positions are based in the U.S. and require U.S. work authorization.