Kickstart your environmental consulting career with hands-on field experience and real-world impact from day one.
ERM is seeking a motivated Consulting Associate, Biologist to join our growing Capital Project Delivery (CPD) team in Nashville, TN. This is a unique opportunity for an early-career professional to contribute directly to impactful environmental projects across renewable energy, oil and gas, power, and technology sectors. In this role, you’ll gain exposure to fieldwork, data analysis, regulatory processes, and client-facing project delivery—while building the foundation for a long-term career in environmental consulting within a collaborative, global organization.
Why This Role Matters?
This role plays a critical part in supporting sustainable development by ensuring environmental considerations are thoughtfully integrated into major infrastructure and energy projects. Your work will help clients navigate regulatory requirements, protect ecosystems, and make informed decisions that balance development with environmental stewardship.
What Your Impact Is:
- Contribute to environmental permitting, due diligence, and impact assessments that enable responsible project development
- Support the identification and protection of wetlands, waterways, and sensitive habitats
- Deliver high-quality field data and technical insights that inform regulatory and client decisions
- Help shape sustainable infrastructure projects across the Midwest and southeastern US
- Build expertise across multiple sectors, setting the stage for advancement in technical or project management career paths
What You'll Bring:
Required:
- BS in environmental science, biology, natural resources, or related discipline; or equivalent experience
- Recent graduate to 1+ years of relevant environmental experience or professional internships
- Familiarity with leading field survey techniques and WOTUS delineations, including working knowledge of sub-meter accuracy GPS technologies and Digital data collection platforms such as ARC GIS Field Maps, Survey 123, and/or Bio App
- Familiarity completing Hydrologic Determination Data Sheets and Stream Quantification Tool
- Experience conducting Hydrologic Determinations with TDEC and Jurisdictional Determination with USACE
- Strong commitment to safety
- Willingness and desire to support field assignments between 50% and 80% of the time during the field season (April to October)
- Working knowledge of field techniques for plant identification and their facultative rating, the 50/20 rule, soil sampling, hydric soil identification using the most current version of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Field Indicators of Hydric Soils, and wetland hydrology indicators is required
- Detail-oriented with excellent critical thinking and troubleshooting/problem-solving skills
- Effective written/verbal communication and strong organization/analytical skills
- Experience recording/writing detailed technical data and reports and building tables and spreadsheets (including tabulation and manipulation of data)
- Ability to engage in multifaceted and dynamic situations and collaborate with a team of experts across the project lifecycle
- Ability to multi-task, maintain flexibility, and work independently with minimal supervision
- Demonstrated attributes to become a strong consultant: team player, eagerness to learn and grow, self-starter who takes initiative, versatile, and service-oriented mentality
- Highly organized with keen attention to detail while maintaining a broader project perspective
- High level proficiency in Microsoft Office programs
- 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
- Ability to pass pre-hire background check and drug test
- Ability to tolerate summer and winter weather conditions while working in the field
- Ability to walk long distances in potentially rough terrain
- Ability to lift and carry up to 40 lbs
- This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.
Preferred:
- Experience and/or interest in performing protected species assessments
- Experience using federal and state databases to research rare, threatened, and endangered (RTE) species
- Interest in managing environmental data and writing technical reports to support land development projects
Key Responsibilities:
- Perform wetland delineations using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manuals (1987 and 1989) and Regional Supplements
- Provide technical analyses with appropriate guidance, contributing within your specialization and supporting multidisciplinary work
- Support a wide range of projects including NEPA environmental assessments and impact statements, environmental due diligence, RTE habitat assessments, WOTUS delineations and reports, Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, and related environmental documentation
- Conduct field surveys, collect and organize field data, perform research/literature reviews, and prepare technical reports and client recommendations
- Complete tasks related to environmental assessments such as land use planning/facility siting, pipeline and/or transmission line routing studies, renewable energy environmental assessments (desktop and field-based), permit matrices, and risk assessments
- Assist in developing project-specific compliance management plans aligned with federal, state, and local regulations
- Perform multi-media permitting and compliance documentation with agencies including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and state/local agencies
- Work within quality, budget, and schedule expectations while developing foundational project management knowledge
- Support ERM Partners-in-Charge and Project Managers in delivering high-quality client outcomes
- Collaborate as an integral member of the Impact Assessment team to support broader team objectives
Who We Are:
As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.
At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.
Please submit your resume and brief cover letter.
ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.
ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Thank you for your interest in ERM!
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