{"id":3531251,"url":"https://alion.io/job/gft-principal-environmental-scientist","title":"Principal Environmental Scientist","company":{"id":17220,"name":"GFT","domain":"gftinc.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/gftinc","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"iCIMS","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":100,"open_postings":4,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":19,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Science & Research","role_family":"Science & Research","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Columbus, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":50,"max":55,"currency":"USD","period":"hour","gross":null,"usd_annual":110000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-30T16:07:30Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T19:56:02Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"GFT is seeking a Principal Environmental Scientist to join our growing Environmental Practice! This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring regular attendance at our Columbus, OH location.\nGFT’s Environmental team delivers integrated planning, permitting, and compliance solutions that support infrastructure development across North America. With more than 140 professionals in 22 offices, the team guides clients through NEPA and permitting processes, ecological and regulatory assessments, and environmental remediation efforts. Their expertise spans transportation, power, water, and facilities markets - working alongside agencies at federal, state, and local levels. From stream restoration to complex environmental impact statements, GFT helps clients protect resources, manage risk, and meet regulatory requirements with confidence.\nWhat you’ll be challenged to do:\nAs a Principal Environmental Scientist, you will serve as a project-level environmental lead for transportation infrastructure projects throughout Ohio, with responsibility for managing environmental scopes, coordinating regulatory compliance, and delivering high-quality environmental documentation and permits. The role focuses on NEPA compliance, natural resources, protected species and habitat considerations for complex transportation projects including rail, transit, roadway, bridge, and transportation facilities.\nThis position requires an experienced practitioner who can independently manage small to mid-sized environmental projects, interface directly with transportation agencies and regulators, and integrate environmental requirements into planning, design, and construction.\nIn this capacity, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following:\nLead, conduct, and review natural resource baseline inventories and impact assessments for transportation corridors and facilities, including effects to wetlands, waterways, wildlife habitat, and threatened and endangered species.\nPrepare and manage permitting and compliance efforts under Clean Water Act Sections 401/404, Endangered Species Act (Section 7), and applicable Ohio and local permits.\nOversee field investigations such as wetland delineations, habitat assessments, and species surveys, including coordination of subconsultants.\nTrack environmental commitments and mitigation measures and support their integration into design documents and construction-phase activities.\nServe as the environmental task lead or project environmental lead for transportation projects, responsible for scope definition, schedule adherence, budget management, team collaboration, and deliverable quality.\nManage environmental components of transportation projects subject to NEPA, including joint federal-state review processes.\nCoordinate and oversee preparation of Categorical Exclusions (CEs), Environmental Assessments (EAs), Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and supporting technical studies.\nAct as a primary environmental point of contact with transportation owners and agencies, including ODOT, FHWA, FTA, USACE, and USFWS.\nSupport coordination with municipalities, tribal entities, and other stakeholders as required for transportation environmental review and permitting.\nPrepare and lead agency coordination materials, technical correspondence, and meetings.\nProvide day-to-day technical direction to junior and mid-level environmental staff and review their work for quality and regulatory compliance.\nPerform QA/QC reviews of environmental documents to ensure defensibility, consistency, and adherence to agency requirements.\nContribute project-level input to proposals, scopes of work, staffing plans, and cost estimates for transportation pursuits.\nWhat you will bring to our firm:\nBachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Biology, Ecology, Natural Resource Management, or a related field \n15 years of progressive experience in natural resources documentation, impact assessments, and regulatory coordination for permit approvals supporting transportation infrastructure projects, and public utility projects preferably in Ohio or the northeastern U.S.\nDemonstrated experience leading environmental scopes and coordinating NEPA documentation and permitting for public agency clients.\nExperience working in multidisciplinary transportation project teams.\nStrong understanding of environmental regulations as applied to linear transportation projects, active transportation facilities, water utilities\nProven ability to manage budgets, schedules, and deliverables for environmental project components.\nExcellent technical writing and review skills for NEPA documents and permit applications.\nStrong communication and leadership skills, with confidence working directly with clients and regulators.\nWhat we prefer you bring:\nA Master’s degree in a closely related field.\nRelevant professional certification (e.g., Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS), Certified Ecologist, or similar) is an asset.\nCompensation:\nThe the hourly raange for this role is $50 - $55 per hour; Salary is dependent upon experience and geographic location.\nFeatured Benefits:\nHybrid (in-person and remote) work environment.\n\nComprehensive benefits package including wellness programs, parental leave, and pet insurance, in addition to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.\n\nTax-deferred 401(k) savings plan.\n\nCompetitive paid-time-off (PTO) accrual.\n\nTuition reimbursement for continued education.\n\nCommitment to professional development, access to internal and external training programs, and support of active participation in professional organizations.\n\nIncentive compensation for eligible positions.\n\nAt GFT, a privately held AEC firm, we innovate where transportation, water, power and buildings converge. We call this the Infrastructure of Life. We measure our success by the strength of our relationships - that’s why we’re the employer of choice for 5,000+ of the industry’s brightest engineers, planners, architects, inspectors, designers, and more.Our clients choose us for our expertise and prefer us for our nimble approach, creativity, and personal touch. Backed by over a century’s experience, together we’re building a lasting legacy for future generations: stronger communities, a healthier planet, and better lives. GFT: Ingenuity That Shapes Lives™\nGFT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veterans’ status or other characteristics protected by law.\nUnsolicited resumes from third party agencies will be considered the property of GFT.\nLocation: Columbus, OHWorking Hours: 8 AM - 5 PMEmployment Status: Hourly\n#LI-ST1\n\"California Applicants\"\nApplicants in the County of Los Angeles - Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.\nApplicants in the State of California - Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.\nGannett Fleming does require the successful completion of a criminal background check for all advertised positions.\nApplication deadline 12/1/2026","description_format":"text","description_chars":7373,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Hybrid work","Life insurance","Parental leave","Professional development","Wellness"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Civil & Structural Engineering","Architecture","Engineering Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-30T16:07:30Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":19,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":110000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/gft-principal-environmental-scientist","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/gft-principal-environmental-scientist.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T21:02:06Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":33036,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":17220},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=17220"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fgft-principal-environmental-scientist"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fgft-principal-environmental-scientist"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fgft-principal-environmental-scientist"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/gft-principal-environmental-scientist\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fgft-principal-environmental-scientist"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3531251}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"gftinc.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3531251},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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