Careers
Ascent Environmental, Inc. is a forward-looking environmental and natural resources consultancy with offices in Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. Ascent offers a supportive, fun, and intellectually challenging work environment and excellent benefits. We invest in our employees’ careers and welfare and have been recognized as a 2011 and 2012 A+ Employer by the Sacramento Business Journal and we received the 2011 Sacramento Workplace Excellence Leader award. We offer flexible work hours, opportunities to work on important and challenging projects, opportunities to contribute and give back to our local communities, recognition and performance awards. Let Ascent be your career employer.
Project Accountant
Ascent Environmental, Inc. is seeking a Project Accountant to join our environmental consulting firm based in Sacramento, California. Responsibilities of this position will include assisting the Finance Manager to record and retrieve financial details of the company, including maintaining financial records, processing payments, billing, invoicing, and responding to client inquiries. The Project Accountant will start out part-time (benefit-eligible) and may evolve to full-time.
Key responsibilities:
Working closely with the Finance Manager and key staff to ensure smooth operation of all finance matters regarding contract documents, change orders and other contract modifications, approvals, and any additional services related to billing; reviewing draft invoices for appropriate labor, expense charges, billing rates, fee maximums, and making appropriate changes and reclassifications with Project Managers for accuracy and adherence to the project budget; reviewing and understanding the terms of prime and consultant contracts associated with assigned projects; preparing final invoice package containing draft and final invoices for all billable projects, including all applicable backup; providing accurate and timely invoices to clients per contract terms, monitoring accounts receivable and assisting with collection efforts; responding in a timely manner to vendors, consultants and staff; researching any unbilled issues to optimize the billing possibilities for the billing period; making transfers of employee billable hours and/or expenses; providing year-end support of auditor requirements, which may include research and reconcilement.
Education/Experience:
The successful candidate will have a thorough knowledge and understanding of standard contract terms, including lump sum, milestone, and time and materials progress billings and how they are applied in the billing process. Knowledge of Deltek Vision software desirable. Candidates should also possess intermediate to advanced computer literacy, including experience in word processing, spreadsheets, and accounting software. Must be able to work independently, take initiative, set priorities, and see projects through to completion, as well as work as part of a team with multiple tasks, priorities, and deadlines. A Bachelor’s Degree or some college courses in accounting or business preferred.
Environmental Planner
We are seeking a CEQA/NEPA professional to help prepare technical analyses for a variety of interesting and complex environmental projects. The position requires strong CEQA/NEPA knowledge, ability to prepare technical analyses for a variety of environmental issues on a diverse range of projects. This is an opportunity to work with experts in the environmental planning field. Strong analytical, computer, communication, and writing skills are required. Project opportunities are mostly in northern California, the Sierra Nevada, and the Central Valley, but may include work elsewhere in California.
Education/Experience:
Qualified candidates will have a BS/MS in planning, environmental studies, geography, natural resources, or related field and 2- to 4-years of experience, including CEQA/NEPA expertise, and strong interpersonal skills.
Senior Regulatory Specialist
We are seeking a senior-level regulatory specialist to join our natural resources practice based in Sacramento, California. The candidate will be working on interesting and complex projects located throughout California. Responsibilities include developing permitting strategies and performing technical work involving reviewing wetland delineations, Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 permitting, CWA Section 401 certification, federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and California Endangered Species Act (CESA) permitting, and California Department of Fish and Game Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreements pursuant to California Fish and Game Code Sections 1600–1607. Mitigation and conservation planning experience is needed. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain client relationships, manage a portfolio of ongoing biological projects, and mentor entry level biological professionals.
Key responsibilities:
Manage and provide technical and regulatory support for complex and challenging projects; work directly with clients to provide strategic advice and project management throughout all stages of the regulatory permitting process; prepare budgets and identify tasks while carrying out project work within agreed time frames and budgets; lead teams of technical specialists to support the permitting process; create technical documents and provide senior review of technical documents that support regulatory submissions; contribute to and lead business development activities, including proposals, pre-qualifications, and relationship building with clients and prospective clients; communicate and collaborate with other environmental staff to ensure consistency in project execution and contribute to the development of junior staff; and contribute to CEQA and/or NEPA documents related to wetland and endangered species regulatory issues and resultant environmental effects.
Education/Experience
The qualified candidate will have at least a BS in Biology, Ecology, Natural Resource Management, or a related field and a minimum of 10 years of experience as a regulatory specialist. Strong knowledge of CWA Sections 404 and 401, California Fish and Game Code Sections 1600–1607, ESA Sections 7 and 10, and CESA Section 2081 is important, including understanding of agency guidance, recent court rulings, interpretations, and preparation of permit applications. Excellent reputation and relationship with regulatory agency staff is desired. Must possess excellent written and verbal communication abilities.