Water Quality Scientist

We are Herrera

Envision yourself at a growing, employee-owned company that inspires and empowers you to deliver your best performance while making a difference in the world.

We are Herrera, a science, planning, and design consulting firm dedicated to working with clients to develop holistic solutions that provide social and environmental benefit. We protect the environment every day by providing a diverse range of consulting services to cities, counties, state and federal agencies, Tribes, non-profits and private clients throughout Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and western Canada.

For over 40 years, Herrera has cultivated a collaborative, caring culture that empowers our employee-owners to achieve excellence while ensuring we have fun along the way. By providing our employee-owners with the autonomy to pursue their professional interests and through encouraging them to grow, we benefit from high employee-owner retention that contributes to our longstanding partnerships with clients.

Our Values

• Treat everyone with respect and dignity, always.
• Insist on integrity, objectivity, and social and environmental ethics in our work.
• Act as stewards of the environment upon which we depend.
• Research and outreach, learn and teach.
• Employee owners, employee leaders.

Your Opportunity

We are seeking a Water Quality Scientist to join our team and help deliver a diverse range of water resource related services. This includes projects for cities, counties, state and federal agencies, Tribes, and private clients throughout the west coast and Rocky Mountains. This position will support our Water practice area for water quality, stormwater and sediment related projects, regulatory compliance, and planning. Typical projects involve the development of quality assurance project plans, coordination of field sampling, management and analysis of compiled data, and preparation of summary reports. Projects may also involve development of management strategies for a wide range of water bodies and environmental settings (e.g., develop lake management plans).

In this role we will count on you to:

• Manage projects related to field investigations for water quality, stormwater, and sediment quality, including the preparation of sampling and analysis plans (SAPs) and quality assurance project plans (QAPPs)
• Oversee implementation of monitoring projects to characterize pollutant concentrations, and determine the efficacy of related control or treatment strategies and best management practices
• Coordinate field sampling activities for staff engaged in water, stormwater, and sediment sampling
• Oversee implementation of quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) reviews and manage compiled sample chemistry and flow data
• Prepare summary reports for field studies

• Provide support to clients for compliance with National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and other stormwater and discharge regulatory permits
• Compare water and sediment data to applicable Water Quality Standards and Sediment Management Standards
• Conduct limnological studies and assess lake treatment strategies
• Assist in the development of management strategies for improving water quality of receiving waters, stormwater, and sediment quality
• Conduct business development collaboratively with coworkers

Minimum Qualifications

Education, Experience, & Licensure/Certifications

• 4+ years of relevant water quality, stormwater, and sediment experience
• Bachelor's Degree in environmental science, environmental studies, hydrology, limnology, geology, or similar field

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Commitment to staying current with technical and regulatory developments
• Strong team collaboration, clear written and verbal communication abilities, and excellent organizational skills
• Ability to interact with clients, contractors, and other consultants

• 8+ years of relevant experience
• Experience managing lakes, including planning, water quality monitoring, nutrient cycle assessment, aquatic plant and algae control, and stakeholder engagement.
• Business development experience

We are proud to support our employee-owners by offering the following compensation and benefits:

• This position is salaried and exempt from overtime; the annual salary ranges by level are:
  • Level III: $85,706 - 107,542
  • Level IV:$100,173- $143,845
  • Level and salary are determined during the interview process and will vary based on multiple factors, including but not limited to position, years of experience, type/relevance of experience, skillset, and fit for the role
• Flexible hybrid work culture
• Medical/prescription drug/dental/vision insurance for employees and dependents; employees covered at no cost on base plan with buy-up options available; company contribution for dependents
• Section 125 flexible benefits plans – healthcare and dependent care
• Company-paid life insurance for employees; option to purchase additional life insurance for employees and dependents at employees’ expense
• Company-paid long term disability insurance for employees; option to purchase short-term disability insurance at employees’ expense
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) – we are 100% employee owned!
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid vacation, accrued bi-weekly, equivalent to 10 days per year for a 40 hour/week employee and prorated for employees working 24-39 hours/week
• Paid sick leave, accrued bi-weekly, equivalent to 10 days per year for a 40-hour/week employee and prorated for employees working 24-39 hours per week
• Flexible paid holidays (10)
• Paid volunteer time (8 hours annually)
• Company-paid annual membership dues for one professional organization
• Professional development / continuing education allowance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Transit benefit

To learn more, please visit our website at:

We Are Committed to Equal Opportunity, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Herrera, we celebrate our differences as much as our similarities. We know the best outcomes come from interdisciplinary, diverse, and inclusive teams. Our values are ever-present in the people, culture, and work we do, they are not just a few sentences on our website. We treat people with respect and act with integrity and objectivity. Our employment decisions are based on knowledge, skills, and abilities, and have nothing to do with your race, color, gender, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, medical history, reproductive health decisions, political ideology, veteran status, or physical appearance. As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, we encourage women, minorities, veterans, disabled veterans, and individuals with disabilities to apply for our open positions. We are also a member of E-Verify. To learn more about E-Verify, read the E-Verify Notice and the Right to Work Notice .