Description
- Location: Richmond, California
- Program: Clean Water
- Type: Full-time
- Min. Experience: Mid-Level Experience
- Education: MS and 9+ years or PhD and 2+ years work experience
- Position Type: Permanent
- Salary: $107k - $135k depending on experience
- Workplace: Hybrid
- Application closing date: May 6, 2026
- Apply to: https://www.sfei.org/about/employment-opportunities
Position Description
The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) seeks an Environmental Scientist/Engineer or Senior Scientist/Engineer to join an interdisciplinary team to support or lead projects investigating contaminant sources and loadings in watersheds and their impacts on water quality. The goal of this work is to support policy development that prevents or minimizes impairments to beneficial uses. This work will be carried out in support of the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) and other Clean Water Program efforts to address pivotal pollution issues with regional, state, and national implications.
- This is a full-time, Bay Area-based, hybrid office position for a candidate wishing to advance their career in environmental research. Responsibilities for this position include
- Leading design and implementation of contaminant monitoring studies within a collaborative team environment
- Analyzing data and preparing written reports
- Communicating findings to local stakeholders and the broader scientific community
- Working with stakeholders to build consensus and articulate priority information needs and
- Leading or strongly contributing to fundraising
The position responsibilities will include conducting stormwater fieldwork during winter rainstorms.
Requirements
Qualifications
Required Skills and Experience
- Education and relevant work experience in environmental chemistry, environmental science, environmental engineering, or another related scientific field. Experience in environmental monitoring, environmental study design, conceptual and mechanistic models, environmental statistics, or fate and transport processes.
- PhD and 2+ years work experience or MS and 9+ years work experience.
- Experience leading scientific teams on complex environmental projects, including field work to collect environmental samples, synthesizing peer-reviewed literature, data analysis, and report writing for scientific and public audiences.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and writing skills, and the ability to effectively communicate technical details to scientific and public audiences.
- A team player who inspires staff and is enthusiastic about the Institute’s mission of providing science to inform decisions.
- Ability to do fieldwork that may involve driving; a valid Driver’s License is required.
Desired Additional Skills and Experience
- Technical experience with pollutants in urban stormwater.
- Experience managing multiple projects at once and juggling multiple deadlines.
- Experience in stakeholder governance and meetings, meeting facilitation, and working with a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Experience doing field work that may involve working unusual hours (e.g., late nights, early mornings, and weekends) and carrying 40-pound field equipment for short durations.
If you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may still be the right candidate for this, or one of our other roles.
