Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wetland Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Wetland Coordinator is responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing wetland protection, restoration, and monitoring programs. This role coordinates interdisciplinary project teams, prepares permit applications and technical reports, conducts field-based wetland delineations and ecological assessments, manages contractors and volunteers, and ensures compliance with federal, state, and local wetland regulations. The Coordinator translates scientific data into actionable restoration designs and communicates outcomes to regulators, funding partners, and community stakeholders.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wetland Technician / Field Technician
Environmental Technician / Natural Resources Technician
Restoration Specialist / Habitat Technician

Advancement To:

Wetland Program Manager
Restoration Project Manager
Natural Resources Manager / Environmental Compliance Manager
Regional Conservation Manager

Lateral Moves:

Habitat Restoration Specialist
Regulatory Permitting Coordinator
Environmental Outreach and Education Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead and conduct wetland delineations, vegetation inventories, and functional assessments using federal and state protocols (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetland delineation manuals, state-specific methods), producing defensible maps and technical reports for permitting and compliance.
Prepare, submit, and manage regulatory permit applications and approvals (e.g., Section 404/401, state wetlands permits, NEPA/CEQA consultations), responding to agency comments and coordinating revisions until permit issuance.
Design and implement wetland restoration and enhancement projects, including conceptual plans, planting plans, grading/hydrology modifications, invasive species removal strategies, and long-term maintenance schedules.
Develop and implement monitoring plans to track hydrology, vegetation, wildlife habitat, and water quality — collect, QA/QC, analyze, and present monitoring data to funders, regulators, and stakeholders.
Manage project budgets, prepare cost estimates, track expenditures, and ensure projects are delivered within scope, schedule, and budget constraints.
Lead procurement and oversight of consultants, contractors, and subcontractors for engineering, biological surveys, construction, and monitoring; prepare scopes of work, evaluate bids, and ensure contract compliance and safety.
Coordinate interdisciplinary teams (engineers, ecologists, hydrologists, GIS analysts) to integrate technical inputs into cohesive restoration actions and ensure timely project delivery.
Use GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS) and remote sensing tools to map wetlands, create project deliverables, analyze spatial data (watershed delineation, land cover change), and produce stakeholder-ready maps.
Conduct hydrologic assessments (surface and groundwater interactions), install and manage water-level loggers, staff gauges, and stage-discharge relationships to inform restoration design and adaptive management.
Write and edit clear, technically robust reports, environmental assessments, biological evaluations, and permitting documentation suitable for regulatory review and public distribution.
Prepare and manage grant applications, funding proposals, and reporting deliverables to secure project financing and meet funder requirements.
Develop and implement invasive species management plans, coordinate mechanical, chemical, and biological control actions, and monitor treatment efficacy over time.
Perform environmental compliance inspections during construction and post-construction to verify that work meets permit conditions, restoration specifications, and health & safety protocols.
Lead public outreach and stakeholder engagement activities: organize community meetings, prepare outreach materials, present technical information in accessible formats, and manage expectations across diverse audiences.
Supervise and train field crews, interns, and seasonal staff in safe field practices, sampling protocols, wetland identification, and data collection quality control.
Maintain project documentation, field logs, monitoring databases, and geodatabases following record-keeping standards and institutional data management policies.
Conduct ecological risk assessments and due-diligence for land acquisition, site planning, and development projects to identify wetland constraints and mitigation needs.
Coordinate mitigation planning, including development of permittee-responsible mitigation or mitigation banking proposals; ensure long-term success via monitoring and contingency plans.
Support adaptive management by synthesizing monitoring results into clear recommendations and iterative design modifications to maximize ecological function and regulatory compliance.
Liaise with federal, state, tribal, and local agencies, non-governmental organizations, private landowners, and utilities to resolve permitting issues, secure easements, and build partnerships.
Ensure that all field and office activities adhere to safety, environmental, and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) protocols, including PPE use, hazard assessments, and data validation procedures.
Maintain and calibrate field equipment (GPS units, water-level loggers, sondes) and manage equipment inventories to support uninterrupted field operations.

Secondary Functions

Support internal program development: help refine monitoring protocols, data management workflows, and restoration best-practices for organizational use.
Assist with outreach content: contribute to newsletters, case studies, website content, and social media posts that highlight wetland projects and achievements.
Participate in cross-program planning to integrate wetland objectives with broader watershed planning, climate resilience, and biodiversity initiatives.
Provide technical assistance to community partners and landowners exploring voluntary conservation or restoration opportunities.
Support fundraising and development teams by providing technical project descriptions, budgets, and success metrics for proposals and stewardship reports.
Maintain continuing education: track changes to wetland law and policy, attend trainings, and share learnings with the team to continuously improve regulatory strategies.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Wetland delineation and functional assessment methods (e.g., USACE protocols, state methods)
Regulatory permitting expertise (Section 404/401, state and local wetland permits, NEPA/CEQA familiarity)
Project design for wetland restoration and enhancement (planting plans, grading, hydrologic reconnection)
GIS and spatial analysis (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, geodatabase management, remote sensing interpretation)
Hydrology monitoring and instrumentation (water-level loggers, staff gauges, stage data analysis)
Biological surveys and vegetation identification (native and invasive wetland plants)
Field data collection and QA/QC procedures, including standardized sampling protocols
Data analysis and visualization (Excel, R, Python, statistical analysis, generating graphs and maps)
Grant writing, funding proposal development, and funder reporting
Contract and construction oversight, scope development, and bid evaluation
Restoration monitoring plan development and adaptive management implementation
Environmental compliance reporting and technical report writing for regulators
GIS-ready mapping and cartography for permits and stakeholder communication
Equipment operation and maintenance (GPS/GNSS devices, sondes, water sampling equipment)

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication — able to translate technical findings for regulators, funders, and the public
Stakeholder engagement and consensus-building with diverse partners (landowners, agencies, NGOs)
Project management: scheduling, budgeting, milestone tracking, and risk mitigation
Leadership and team supervision with experience training field crews and interns
Problem-solving and adaptive thinking under uncertain field conditions
Attention to detail and commitment to data quality and regulatory accuracy
Time management and ability to prioritize multiple concurrent projects
Conflict resolution and diplomacy in multi-stakeholder environments
Public speaking and workshop/facilitation skills
Resilience and readiness for fieldwork in variable weather and remote conditions

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Ecology, Biology, Natural Resources, Wetland Science, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Wetland Science, Restoration Ecology, Hydrology, Environmental Science, or related discipline; or equivalent professional certifications and coursework.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wetland Science / Wetland Ecology
Restoration Ecology / Habitat Restoration
Hydrology / Water Resources
Environmental Science / Biology
Natural Resource Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of professional experience in wetland delineation, restoration, monitoring, or regulatory permitting.

Preferred:

5+ years of experience coordinating wetland projects, preparing permit applications (Section 404/401), leading monitoring programs, and managing contractors or field crews.
Demonstrated track record of successful project delivery, grant-funded project management, and positive engagement with regulatory agencies.