APTIM, a professional solutions firm specialising in environmental, sustainability, resilience, and infrastructure work, is hiring an Environmental Biologist based in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. The role supports the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) and the System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) water quality work, which track how Louisiana’s wetland restoration projects perform over time. It is a role for a scientist who wants to spend real time in the marsh and on the water. The split is roughly 60 percent field and 40 percent office. In the field, you’ll conduct vegetation surveys, hydrographic measurements, soil accretion monitoring, and water quality sampling across swamp, freshwater, intermediate, and brackish marsh; operate boats, towing vehicles, and field equipment; travel to remote coastal and open-water sites; and help maintain vessels, trailers, trucks, and instruments. In the office, you’ll process, review, and quality-check scientific data with established protocols, and prepare equipment and logistics for the next field trip. The role requires a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a related science, four or more years of environmental field experience, and a valid driver’s licence with trailering and watercraft experience. The good-faith pay estimate is $26 to $30 per hour.
About APTIM — Environmental and Infrastructure Solutions
Company: APTIM, specialising in environmental, sustainability, resilience, and infrastructure
Clients: Government agencies, commercial and industrial clients, and energy customers
Location of Role: Louisiana only, no relocation provided
Programmes: CRMS, which uses probabilistic sampling and multiple reference sites, and SWAMP water quality monitoring
Benefits: Health, life, and disability cover, a 401(k) plan, paid time off, and a benefits marketplace
Environmental Biologist Role — Wetland Monitoring, Field Science & Data Quality
Department: Coastal Monitoring Programmes
Primary Focus: Vegetation surveys, hydrographic and accretion monitoring, water quality sampling
Scope: Southern Louisiana wetlands across marsh types
Mission: Measuring how coastal restoration works, so Louisiana’s wetlands can be protected
Environmental Biologist Position Overview
The Environmental Biologist role is part of the effort to rebuild and protect Louisiana’s coast. Wetland restoration projects across the state aim to restore, create, enhance, and protect the landscape, and the monitoring behind them shows whether each project is doing what it was meant to do, as well as how all the projects combine. This position helps collect that evidence. Much of the work happens outdoors. Field activity takes up about 60 percent of the time, and it begins with the ecological measurements that the monitoring programmes depend on: vegetation surveys to record the plants present, hydrographic readings to track water levels and flow, soil accretion measurements to see how the land is building up, and water quality sampling to check the health of the water. You’ll work across the full range of southern Louisiana wetland types, from swamp and freshwater marsh to intermediate and brackish marsh, each of which needs a different approach. Getting to the sites is part of the job. You’ll operate boats, towing vehicles, and field equipment, travel to remote monitoring locations on coastal waterways and open water, and follow the company’s safety procedures and training requirements at every step. Keeping equipment ready is also yours to handle, including routine maintenance of vessels, trailers, trucks, and scientific instruments, along with some light construction and operations work when needed. The remaining time is spent in the office, where you’ll process and quality-check data using established protocols and standard software, and prepare equipment and supplies for upcoming deployments. Throughout, you’ll work as part of a small, multidisciplinary team in a cooperative and safety-focused environment.
As Environmental Biologist, you’ll build hands-on skill in wetland ecology, field data collection, and coastal monitoring, while growing your ability to convey technical information clearly. The ideal candidate holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a related science, and has at least four years of relevant environmental field experience, including ecological monitoring, natural resources work, or environmental data collection. A valid driver’s licence and experience trailering and operating watercraft in coastal or inland waters are required. Candidates must be able to lift and move equipment weighing 30 to 50 pounds on their own, and heavier items as part of a team. The work involves exposure to heat, cold, insects, and changeable weather, so physical resilience and steady reliability in small teams are essential. Strong written and verbal communication is important. Experience with airboats is preferred, though training is available for candidates willing to learn, and experience in coastal wetlands and knowledge of Louisiana wetland plants, including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species, are valued. For scientists in southeast Louisiana who want a career that gets them out on the marsh and into the data, this role offers meaningful, practical work.
Why This Role Matters: As Environmental Biologist with APTIM in Belle Chasse, you help measure how Louisiana’s coastal restoration projects are performing, collect the vegetation, water, and sediment evidence that guides future decisions, work on the water and in remote marshes, handle the boats and instruments that make field science possible, and build a career in coastal ecology and wetland monitoring.
Key Responsibilities & Field Duties
Field Monitoring
- Conduct vegetation surveys across wetland sites
- Take hydrographic measurements
- Monitor soil accretion
- Carry out water quality sampling
- Support scientific field data collection in southern Louisiana
- Work across swamp, freshwater, intermediate, and brackish marsh
Watercraft & Vehicle Operations
- Operate boats following company safety procedures
- Operate towing vehicles and field equipment
- Travel to remote coastal and open-water monitoring sites
- Complete required training for field operations
- Navigate safely in changing water and weather conditions
- Check vessels and trailers before each deployment
Equipment, Maintenance & Operations
- Maintain vessels, trailers, trucks, and instruments
- Keep operational readiness of field equipment
- Perform light construction and operations work as needed
- Carry out routine maintenance tasks on schedule
- Report equipment faults promptly
- Maintain tools and supplies for field teams
Office & Data Work
- Process scientific data using established protocols
- Quality-check data before it is used
- Use standard software tools for data review
- Prepare equipment, supplies, and logistics for field deployments
- Keep data records complete and organised
- Support reporting of monitoring results
Safety & Team Collaboration
- Follow all health, safety, and environmental policies
- Work within a small, multidisciplinary field team
- Collaborate across organisational levels
- Communicate technical information clearly
- Maintain high reliability and accountability in the field
- Look out for teammates in demanding conditions
Qualifications & Requirements
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science
- Bachelor’s degree in a related science field
Experience
- 4+ years of relevant environmental field experience
- Experience in ecological monitoring, natural resources, or environmental data collection
- Experience trailering and operating watercraft in coastal or inland waters
Licence & Physical
- Valid driver’s licence
- Ability to lift and transport equipment weighing 30 to 50 pounds individually
- Ability to work in heat, cold, insects, and adverse weather
Personal Skills
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Ability to convey technical information clearly
- Ability to work effectively in small field teams
- High reliability, accountability, and professionalism
Preferred
- Airboat operation experience (training available)
- Experience in coastal wetlands and marshes
- Knowledge of Louisiana wetland vegetation, including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species
Career Development & Growth Opportunities
Professional Advancement
- Pathway toward Senior Environmental Scientist or Project Lead roles
- Opportunity to lead field crews and monitoring projects
- Growth within a professional solutions firm
- Experience across government and commercial environmental work
Learning & Development
- Investment in personal and professional development
- Safety training for boat and field operations
- Airboat operation training for willing candidates
- Hands-on experience with coastal restoration monitoring
Benefits & Compensation
- Estimated pay of $26.00 to $30.00 per hour, depending on experience and location
- Medical, vision, and dental insurance through the benefits marketplace
- Company-paid and optional life insurance
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance
- Accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity coverage
- Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave
- 401(k) through a pooled employer plan
About APTIM — Resilient Communities and Healthy Environments
APTIM provides environmental, sustainability, resilience, and infrastructure solutions to government agencies, commercial and industrial clients, and energy customers. The company describes its purpose as enhancing the quality of the environment, the wellbeing of people, and the resilience of communities, and it invests in its employees’ development and in the flexibility they need to live full lives inside and outside work.
Career Excellence in Coastal Science: Join an environmental firm in Louisiana, monitor wetland restoration across southern marshes, collect the vegetation and water data that guides coastal decisions, operate boats and field equipment safely, and build a career in wetland ecology and environmental science.
Who Should Apply?
- Environmental Scientists: Seeking field-based coastal work
- Wetland Ecologists: Interested in Louisiana restoration monitoring
- Field Biologists: With watercraft experience
- Natural Resources Professionals: Moving into coastal monitoring
- Boat Operators with Science Backgrounds: Ready for research work
- Louisiana Residents: Looking for environmental work near New Orleans
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