Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Terrestrial Qualified Environmental Professional

🎯 Role Definition

The Terrestrial Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) is a senior field and technical specialist who leads ecological and terrestrial assessments across development, remediation, and conservation projects. This role is accountable for delivering high‑quality terrestrial field surveys (vegetation, wildlife, amphibians, reptiles), wetland delineation, Species at Risk (SAR) assessments, habitat restoration planning, environmental permitting, and regulatory consultation. The QEP serves as the primary client contact for ecological deliverables, mentors junior staff, coordinates multidisciplinary teams, and ensures compliance with federal, provincial/state, and municipal environmental regulations. Ideal candidates have demonstrated experience in terrestrial ecology, strong technical report writing, GIS proficiency, and the ability to manage complex projects from field mobilization through permitting and mitigation implementation.

Keywords: Terrestrial Qualified Environmental Professional, QEP, ecological surveys, species at risk, wetland delineation, habitat restoration, environmental permitting, EIA, GIS, field surveys, environmental compliance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Terrestrial Field Technician / Environmental Field Assistant
Junior Ecologist / Wildlife Technician
Environmental Consultant (Entry/Mid-level)

Advancement To:

Senior Terrestrial Ecologist / Senior QEP
Project Manager – Environmental Services
Technical Lead – Ecology and Natural Heritage

Lateral Moves:

Wetland Specialist
Environmental Planner / Permitting Specialist
Restoration Ecologist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead and execute comprehensive terrestrial field surveys, including vegetation community mapping, botanical inventories, breeding bird surveys, small mammal and herpetofauna surveys, and amphibian calling surveys, ensuring data collection conforms to current regulatory protocols and seasonality requirements.
Plan, conduct, and report wetland delineations and classifications in accordance with federal, provincial/state, and municipal guidelines, and produce supporting maps, GPS data, and photodocumentation suitable for permitting and EIA inclusion.
Perform Species at Risk (SAR) screening and detailed assessments, prepare SAR-specific mitigation plans, and coordinate pre-construction clearance and monitoring programs to meet Species at Risk Act (SARA) or equivalent regulatory obligations.
Prepare, review, and submit terrestrial components of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA/EA), Natural Environment Reports (NER), Biophysical Assessments, and Environmental Protection Plans that clearly articulate methods, findings, significance, and recommended mitigation.
Serve as lead author for technical reports, permitting packages, and client deliverables—ensuring accuracy, defensibility, and alignment with regulatory expectations and client objectives.
Coordinate and manage multi-disciplinary project teams including botanists, wildlife biologists, wetland specialists, GIS analysts, and field technicians; schedule fieldwork, allocate resources, and oversee field safety and QA/QC processes.
Liaise with regulatory agencies, Indigenous groups, stakeholders, and clients to obtain approvals, provide expert testimony, negotiate permit conditions, and resolve compliance issues related to terrestrial resources.
Develop and implement habitat compensation, mitigation, and restoration plans—overseeing implementation, monitoring, and adaptive management to achieve regulatory compliance and conservation outcomes.
Design and oversee long-term ecological monitoring programs (post-construction monitoring, reclamation monitoring, adaptive management), analyze trends, and report on ecological performance against success criteria.
Conduct risk assessments for terrestrial ecosystems related to proposed developments, contamination, or land-use change; provide practical mitigation strategies and alternatives analysis to minimize ecological impacts.
Conduct and supervise environmental baseline data collection (soil, vegetation, groundwater interface in riparian areas), develop sampling plans, and ensure laboratory chain-of-custody and QA/QC are maintained.
Use GIS (ArcGIS/QGIS), remote sensing imagery, and spatial analysis to map habitat types, sensitive features, buffers, and to produce high-quality figures and interactive maps for reports and stakeholder engagement.
Provide expert review of environmental deliverables from sub-consultants and contractors, ensuring methodologies, sample regimes, and conclusions meet industry standards and client/supplier contractual obligations.
Develop scope, budgets, and proposals for terrestrial/environmental work, including time estimates for seasonal constraints, regulatory review timelines, and public/stakeholder engagement requirements.
Oversee construction-environmental monitoring (CEM), prepare site specific environmental protection plans, and enforce avoidance and minimization measures on-site during clearing, grading, and installation activities.
Train, mentor, and evaluate junior staff; design and deliver field training on species identification, survey protocols, safety, and data management to build team capacity.
Maintain and update species occurrence databases, vegetation community inventories, and compliance documentation—ensuring data are properly archived for future reference and audit.
Advise on land use planning applications, rezoning, environmental due diligence, and acquisition/asset management based on terrestrial risk and regulatory constraints.
Evaluate and provide input to contaminated site remediation plans with respect to terrestrial habitat impacts, re-vegetation strategies, and ecological reclamation standards.
Lead client-facing meetings, present technical findings and recommendations to non-technical audiences, and prepare clear executive summaries and regulatory submission materials optimized for stakeholder review.
Ensure all field programs are conducted in accordance with health and safety protocols, insurance requirements, and environmental best practices; maintain up-to-date safety documentation and training records.
Keep abreast of evolving legislation, guidelines, and best-practice methodologies for terrestrial ecology, wetland science, SAR, and environmental permitting; adapt company procedures and templates accordingly.

Secondary Functions

Support development and continuous improvement of terrestrial data management systems, including standardized field forms, mobile data collection workflows, and GIS symbology libraries.
Contribute to business development by identifying new client opportunities, preparing technical content for proposals, and participating in client presentations and technical interviews.
Assist in preparing training materials and internal SOPs for terrestrial surveys, wetland delineations, and regulatory filings to elevate organizational consistency and efficiency.
Participate in cross-discipline project planning sessions to integrate terrestrial risk considerations early in project design and reduce downstream delays and costs.
Provide subject matter expert support for environmental due diligence and desktop reviews to screen properties for ecological constraints prior to transaction or development decisions.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced field survey skills for terrestrial ecosystems: vegetation community mapping, plant identification, focal species surveys, breeding bird and amphibian survey protocols.
Species at Risk (SAR) assessment and mitigation planning knowledge; familiarity with SARA, provincial/state SAR legislation, and permit application processes.
Wetland delineation and classification expertise using federal/provincial/state methodologies and the ability to defend delineations during regulatory reviews.
Strong technical report writing for EIAs, Biophysical Assessments, Natural Environment Reports, and regulatory submissions with the ability to produce executive-level summaries.
Proficiency in GIS (ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, QGIS), GPS data collection, spatial analysis, and cartographic production for regulatory and client-ready maps.
Experience with environmental permitting processes (provincial/state, federal, municipal), including permit applications, agency consultation, and conditions negotiation.
Ecological monitoring design and data analysis, including statistical interpretation of monitoring results and adaptive management reporting.
Familiarity with environmental sampling protocols (soil, habitat, water interface) and QA/QC, and coordination with analytical laboratories.
Project management skills: scoping, budgeting, scheduling with seasonality constraints, subcontractor procurement, and invoice/project tracking.
Experience with construction-environmental monitoring (CEM), environmental protection plans (EPPs), and contractor oversight to ensure mitigation compliance.
Knowledge of remote sensing and aerial imagery interpretation to support habitat mapping and change detection.
Competency with common office and collaboration tools (MS Office, Excel, SharePoint, project management software) and experience preparing defensible appendices and datasets for regulatory submission.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to translate technical findings into clear, non-technical recommendations for clients and stakeholders.
Client-facing and stakeholder engagement skills with a professional demeanour for building trust with regulators, Indigenous communities, landowners, and project managers.
Leadership and team management: mentoring junior staff, delegating field tasks, and fostering a positive safety-first field culture.
Problem solving and critical thinking: able to assess complex ecological constraints and propose practical, cost-effective mitigation or avoidance measures.
Time management and organization, particularly for seasonal fieldwork scheduling and multi-project workload balancing.
Attention to detail for accurate field notes, data entry, and technical report review.
Negotiation and conflict-resolution skills for resolving stakeholder concerns and permit conditions.
Adaptability and resilience working in remote or harsh field conditions with changing project priorities.
Ethical judgement and professional accountability, including adherence to privacy, data ownership, and indigenous consultation protocols.
Continuous learning mindset: proactive in keeping current with new protocols, legislation, and best practices in terrestrial ecology.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, Biology, Natural Resource Management, Conservation Biology, or a related discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Terrestrial Ecology, Conservation Biology, Environmental Science, or related graduate-level specialization.
Professional designation (e.g., Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP), Registered Professional Biologist) or eligibility for regulatory designations.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Ecology
Environmental Science
Biology
Botany / Plant Sciences
Wildlife Biology
Conservation Biology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 4 – 12+ years of progressive experience in terrestrial ecology, environmental consulting, or regulatory roles.

Preferred:

Minimum 5 years of hands-on field and project leadership experience conducting terrestrial surveys, wetland delineations, and SAR work within the relevant jurisdiction.
Demonstrated experience preparing and submitting permit applications and EIA/biophysical reports that have successfully obtained regulatory approvals.
Proven record supervising field crews, mentoring junior staff, and managing multiple projects concurrently with strict seasonal constraints.
Experience liaising with federal, provincial/state, and municipal agencies, Indigenous communities, and diverse stakeholders.
Valid driver’s license, field PPE certifications, and willingness to travel and work in remote or multi-day field deployments when required.