Wildlife Engineer — Key Responsibilities & Required Skills

🎯 Role Definition

The Wildlife Engineer combines principles of civil and ecological engineering with wildlife biology to design, implement, and monitor habitat connectivity and mitigation measures. This role leads technical design of wildlife passages and habitat restoration projects, conducts applied field biology (telemetry, camera arrays), performs data-driven modeling and monitoring, ensures compliance with federal/state environmental regulations (e.g., NEPA, ESA, CEQA), and coordinates multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders to deliver scalable, cost-effective wildlife mitigation solutions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wildlife Technician or Field Biologist with experience in camera traps, telemetry, and habitat surveys
Junior Civil or Environmental Engineer with exposure to ecological mitigation or stormwater/habitat projects
Environmental Planner or Restoration Ecologist involved in permit documentation and compliance

Advancement To:

Senior Wildlife Engineer / Lead Ecological Engineer
Project Manager or Program Manager (wildlife mitigation programs)
Technical Director (Road Ecology / Habitat Connectivity programs)
Principal Consultant in environmental engineering or ecology

Lateral Moves:

Environmental Planner / Permitting Specialist
Road Ecology Specialist / Transportation Wildlife Mitigation Lead
Ecological Restoration Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the conceptual and detailed engineering design of wildlife crossing structures (overpasses, underpasses, culvert retrofits) integrating ecological criteria, hydrology, structural considerations, and constructability to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and restore habitat connectivity.
Develop and implement rigorous ecological monitoring programs (camera trap networks, remote sensing, acoustic sensors, GPS/VHF telemetry) to quantify animal movement, crossing use, and population responses before, during, and after mitigation installation.
Conduct site-specific habitat assessments, species surveys, and baseline ecological inventories to inform design constraints, permit applications, and adaptive management strategies that meet state and federal regulatory requirements.
Prepare technical engineering drawings, CAD/Civil3D models, and GIS-based plans that incorporate grading, drainage, fencing, vegetation, and erosion control measures to ensure wildlife structures function effectively over the long term.
Perform hydrologic and geomorphic analyses (floodplain interactions, channel capacity, scour assessment) to ensure wildlife structures are resilient to storm events and comply with permitting for stream impacts.
Lead environmental compliance preparation and review for NEPA, ESA, CEQA, Clean Water Act (404/401), and state-level permits; coordinate preparation of Biological Assessments, Biological Opinions, and environmental impact statements as needed.
Use spatial analysis and landscape ecology metrics in ArcGIS, QGIS, or similar platforms to model habitat connectivity, least-cost corridors, and movement pathways for target species to optimize mitigation siting.
Analyze telemetry and movement datasets (GPS/VHF) in R, Python, or specialized software to estimate home ranges, crossing probability, movement corridors, and to support species-specific mitigation effectiveness evaluations.
Oversee fieldwork logistics, including equipment procurement, trapping and handling (when permitted), collaring programs, and training of field crews on humane capture protocols, animal welfare, and occupational safety.
Write clear, persuasive technical reports, peer-review manuscripts, permit narratives, and monitoring summaries for clients, regulatory agencies, and the public that translate technical results into actionable recommendations.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary design and construction teams—engineers, ecologists, landscape architects, contractors—to ensure wildlife-sensitive construction sequencing, traffic control, and timing windows protect sensitive species during build-out.
Develop and manage project budgets, scopes, schedules, and vendor contracts; track deliverables and resource allocation for multiple concurrent wildlife engineering projects.
Implement adaptive management frameworks: analyze monitoring results, identify performance shortfalls, recommend retrofits or additional mitigations, and document effectiveness outcomes for continuous improvement.
Provide technical leadership during construction: review shop drawings, conduct site inspections, verify proper installation of wildlife fencing, ledges, substrate, and planting, and ensure post-construction monitoring plans are deployed.
Coordinate stakeholder engagement and community outreach: present project rationale, design alternatives, and monitoring results to transportation agencies, land managers, indigenous communities, conservation NGOs, and the public to build consensus and secure buy-in.
Prepare grant proposals and funding justifications for mitigation, monitoring, and research programs; synthesize scientific rationale, expected outcomes, and budgets to secure public or private funding.
Integrate remote sensing (LiDAR, aerial imagery, satellite data) to assess terrain, vegetation structure, and landscape change over time to inform long-term planning and site prioritization.
Apply risk assessments and safety protocols to field operations and construction sites, ensuring team adherence to workplace safety, wildlife handling permits, and regulatory reporting requirements.
Mentor and supervise junior engineers, biologists, and field technicians; develop project-specific SOPs, data QA/QC procedures, and training materials to uphold scientific rigor and consistency across projects.
Use statistical and population modeling approaches to forecast population-level responses to mitigation, estimate reduction in collision risk, and support cost-benefit analyses for proposed interventions.
Coordinate decommissioning or retrofitting of existing infrastructure (culverts, bridges) to improve fish and wildlife passage while balancing hydraulic and structural constraints.
Maintain and curate large ecological and engineering datasets; implement database solutions, version control, and metadata standards to support reproducibility and downstream machine-learning or AI applications.
Stay current with cutting-edge wildlife engineering practices, published research, and emerging technologies (automated monitoring platforms, AI image recognition) and incorporate them into project design and monitoring protocols.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist with development of standard contract language and scopes of work for routine monitoring and construction inspection tasks.
Provide subject-matter expertise during environmental litigation support, claims, or dispute resolution involving wildlife impacts or mitigation efficacy.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficiency with ArcGIS, QGIS, spatial analysis workflows, and producing map deliverables for permitting and stakeholder communication.
CAD and engineering design experience (AutoCAD, Civil3D, MicroStation) to produce construction-ready drawings for wildlife structures.
Experience designing and evaluating wildlife crossing structures, fencing systems, and associated hydrologic/structural components.
Field ecology skills: camera trap deployment and retrieval, GPS/VHF telemetry programming and data retrieval, safe capture and handling (as permitted), vegetation surveys, and wildlife sign detection.
Statistical and analytical proficiency in R or Python for movement ecology, occupancy modeling, collision risk analysis, and time-series monitoring data.
Familiarity with NEPA/CEQA processes, Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation procedures, state permitting frameworks, and environmental impact assessment methodologies.
Remote sensing and LiDAR analysis skills for terrain modeling, canopy structure assessment, and change detection.
Experience with database management, data cleaning, and QA/QC protocols for large ecological datasets; familiarity with SQL or cloud-based data platforms a plus.
Project management and budgeting tools experience; ability to scope projects, manage contracts, and deliver to schedule.
Construction oversight experience: interpreting shop drawings, conducting site inspections, and ensuring as-built conformity to ecological design intent.
Understanding of hydrology and geomorphology principles relevant to culvert design, stream restoration, and floodplain interactions.
Experience with automated monitoring systems, sensor networks, and AI-assisted image classification pipelines for camera trap or acoustic datasets.

Soft Skills

Clear technical writing and reporting skills for preparation of permit documents, monitoring reports, and scientific summaries.
Strong verbal communication and presentation skills for liaising with regulatory agencies, clients, and community stakeholders.
Collaborative mindset and ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams across engineering, ecology, and construction disciplines.
Problem-solving ability to balance ecological objectives with budgetary, schedule, and regulatory constraints.
Leadership and mentorship capabilities to train and grow junior staff while maintaining high quality standards.
Attention to detail and dedication to scientific rigor in field protocols and data analyses.
Flexibility and resilience to work in remote field conditions, variable weather, and occasionally extended field deployments.
Diplomacy and negotiation skills for consensus building across diverse stakeholder groups with competing interests.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Environmental Engineering, Ecological Engineering, Civil Engineering with strong ecology coursework, or closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or PhD in Wildlife Ecology, Ecological Engineering, Conservation Biology, Environmental Engineering, or related discipline.
Professional licensure (PE) or progress toward licensure preferred for roles with significant structural design responsibility.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Ecology / Wildlife Biology
Ecological or Environmental Engineering
Civil Engineering with ecology coursework
Conservation Biology / Natural Resources Management
Geographic Information Systems / Remote Sensing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–10+ years of combined wildlife, engineering, and field monitoring experience depending on level.

Preferred:

5+ years designing and implementing wildlife mitigation or habitat connectivity projects, including at least some responsibility for permitting and construction oversight.
Demonstrated track record of leading telemetry/camera-based monitoring programs, statistical analyses, and producing regulatory-quality technical reports.
Experience working with transportation agencies, state wildlife agencies, federal agencies (USFWS, NOAA), or large infrastructure clients is highly desirable.