Position: Senior Environmental Scientist
Location: Alberta (primarily field-based with remote office work)
Term: Full-time or contract work, as preferred.
Compensation: Commensurate with experience.
PIR-a Consulting Corp. is looking for a Senior Environmental Field Specialist to join our dynamic and growing team. This is a hands-on role for an experienced environmental professional who enjoys being in the field, taking ownership of their work, and using their experience and judgment to keep projects moving safely and effectively.
You’ll take a lead role in the field execution of environmental site assessments, remediation programs, groundwater monitoring, reclamation work, and other environmental investigations throughout Alberta and Western Canada. You’ll be trusted to understand the objectives of a field program, anticipate what needs to happen next, recognize when site conditions don’t match expectations, and make sound decisions in real time.
We’re looking for someone who brings strong technical field experience, practical problem-solving skills, and confidence leading people and projects in the field. Just as importantly, we want someone who communicates well, takes pride in the quality of their work, and is willing to share their knowledge and experience with less-experienced members of the team.
If you’re an experienced environmental professional who enjoys being in the field, taking ownership of your work, and seeing the direct impact of the decisions you make, this role offers the opportunity to become a key part of a small, experienced team where your judgment and contribution matter.
While this is primarily a hands-on field position, we also see an opportunity for the right person to grow into a broader project coordination or project management role over time. As PIR-a’s client base and project workload expand, you could take on increasing responsibility for work planning, scheduling, budgets, client communication, and coordinating projects from start to finish. We’re looking for someone who can lead our field programs today and, if interested, help shape the next stage of PIR-a’s growth.
About PIR-a
PIR-a Consulting Corp. is a boutique firm offering environmental consulting services with a mission to blend high-integrity science and modern technology. We are proud to support upstream oil & gas, tourism, and infrastructure clients across Western Canada. We care deeply about doing honest, defensible environmental work, and about making it easier for environmental professionals to do that work through better tools, better processes, and better collaboration. Our remote-first team thrives on flexibility, trust, and collaboration.
We’re not a top-down consulting shop, we value initiative, critical thinking, shared learning, and building tools that make work better for ourselves and our clients. We’re small, nimble, and actively evolving. That means experienced team members have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact not only on the projects they work on, but also on how we execute field programs, train and mentor our people, and continue improving the way PIR-a works.
Role Description
As PIR-a’s Senior Environmental Field Specialist, you’ll take a lead role in the safe, efficient, and technically sound execution of our field programs. You’ll work closely with project managers and technical staff, but we’re looking for someone who can operate with a high degree of independence and take ownership of what happens in the field.
You will:
- Lead and execute environmental field programs, including Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), remediation programs, groundwater monitoring, reclamation assessments, and other site investigations.
- Act as the field safety lead, helping ensure field activities are planned and completed safely and in accordance with client, regulatory, and PIR-a requirements.
- Coordinate ground disturbance planning and field preparation, including utility locates, site access, equipment requirements, subcontractor coordination, and other pre-field logistics.
- Complete and oversee environmental sampling and data collection, including soil and groundwater sampling, field screening, borehole and monitoring well documentation, GPS data collection, photographs, and detailed field records.
- Apply critical thinking and professional judgment in the field. Understand the objectives of the work plan, evaluate conditions as they develop, recognize when findings are unexpected or additional information may be needed, and communicate or adapt appropriately.
- Coordinate and oversee drilling contractors, excavation contractors, laboratories, and other subcontractors and vendors, helping keep field programs safe, organized, efficient, and on schedule.
- Serve as a trusted point of contact in the field and communicate professionally with clients, landowners, occupants, contractors, and other project stakeholders regarding site activities, access, scheduling, and field conditions.
- Maintain strong sample integrity, QA/QC, chain of custody, field documentation, and data quality, ensuring that information collected in the field is complete, accurate, traceable, and defensible.
- Use PIR-a’s proprietary SMA software, digital field tools, and cloud-based systems to efficiently capture, manage, and communicate environmental information from the field.
- Train and mentor junior staff and co-op students, helping them develop strong field practices, technical skills, safety awareness, critical thinking, and an understanding of why the work is being completed - not simply how to complete a task.
- Provide clear and timely updates to project managers and technical staff regarding field progress, observations, changing site conditions, potential issues, and decisions requiring additional input.
- Take ownership of field equipment, supplies, documentation, and logistics so that programs are properly prepared before mobilization and effectively closed out following fieldwork.
- As field schedules allow, contribute to work plan development, project scheduling and coordination, data review, project documentation, and technical reporting. There may be opportunities to assume greater project management responsibilities as the role evolves.
Qualifications
We’re looking for an experienced environmental professional with a strong practical foundation, sound judgment, and the ability to independently lead environmental field programs from mobilization through field completion.
You ideally have:
- Approximately 8–10+ years of directly related environmental field experience, preferably within environmental consulting and the upstream oil and gas sector.
- A degree, diploma, or technical certification in Environmental Science, Environmental Technology, Geosciences, Biology, Reclamation, or another related discipline.
- Extensive hands-on experience with Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessments, remediation programs, soil and groundwater investigations, and environmental monitoring.
- Demonstrated experience leading field programs independently, including coordinating daily activities, adapting to changing site conditions, and keeping work aligned with project objectives.
- Strong working knowledge of Alberta environmental regulations, guidelines, and industry practices, particularly as they relate to contaminated sites and upstream oil and gas.
- Experience with ground disturbance planning and execution, including utility locating, safe-work requirements, site access, and coordination with contractors and equipment.
- Experience coordinating and overseeing drilling contractors, excavation contractors, laboratories, subcontractors, and field crews.
- Strong understanding of environmental sampling procedures, QA/QC, chain of custody, field documentation, and data defensibility.
- Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret field observations in the context of the project objectives and recognize when conditions warrant a change in approach or additional investigation.
- The confidence and professionalism to communicate directly with clients, landowners, contractors, and project team members in the field.
- Experience training, supervising, or mentoring junior environmental professionals, with an interest in helping others develop strong field skills and professional judgment.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage field logistics, competing priorities, and changing conditions without losing attention to detail.
- Comfort using digital field tools, environmental databases, GPS systems, Microsoft Office, and cloud-based collaboration tools, with a willingness to learn and work within PIR-a’s SMA software and data-management systems.
- The ability to work independently while remaining communicative, accountable, and connected to a remote project team.
- A valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel regularly for field assignments throughout Alberta and potentially elsewhere in Western Canada.
Professional designation, experience with work plan development or project management, and experience improving field procedures or operational systems are considered assets. For the right person, there is also an opportunity to develop these skills as the role grows.
How to Apply
Send your resume and a short cover letter or intro email to info@pir-a.com with the subject line:
Senior Environmental Scientist Application – [Your Name]
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, and are committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive work environment. We especially value individuals who bring initiative, adaptability, leadership, and a desire to grow in a modern consulting environment.
