Senior Underwater Acoustics, Bioacoustics Consultant

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Canada.

📋 Description

• Deliver technical guidance in underwater acoustics evaluations, modeling, monitoring, and advisory services across a variety of marine projects, such as coastal and offshore developments, including ports and terminals, dredging, marine construction, offshore energy, subsea cables, renewable energy, and nearshore infrastructure.

• Conduct assessments on vessel noise, construction noise, cumulative effects, and underwater noise impact studies.

• Provide technical support for environmental assessments, permitting processes, regulatory approvals, compliance programs, stakeholder engagement, and expert technical counsel.

• Create and implement underwater sound propagation and exposure models for both continuous and impulsive sound sources.

• Establish modeling assumptions, environmental inputs, sensitivity analyses, uncertainty assessments, and quality assurance protocols.

• Model sound propagation by taking into account environmental factors such as bathymetry, water depth, temperature profiles, salinity, seabed composition, and oceanographic conditions.

• Forecast underwater noise footprints for both proposed and operational marine activities.

• Incorporate species distribution, hearing sensitivity, and ecological datasets into acoustic models.

• Assist in source characterization through field measurements, literature values, equipment specifications, and operational data.

• Assess zones of behavioral disturbance, auditory injury, masking, stress responses, and cumulative impacts on marine life.

• Design, coordinate, and implement underwater acoustic monitoring programs.

• Deploy, retrieve, calibrate, and maintain hydrophones and underwater acoustic recording systems.

• Measure ambient and anthropogenic underwater noise from shipping, construction, dredging, seismic surveys, and offshore operations.

• Assist underwater acoustic measurement campaigns and ensure data quality throughout the collection and processing phases.

• Coordinate offshore and coastal monitoring initiatives alongside multidisciplinary project teams.

• Support research evaluating responses of marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, and invertebrates to underwater sound.

• Identify species presence using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), vocalizations, and acoustic signatures.

• Analyze behavioral responses to underwater noise exposure.

• Process, analyze, and interpret extensive underwater acoustic datasets utilizing Python, MATLAB, or similar analytical software.

• Generate and interpret spectrograms, frequency analyses, and time-series visualizations.

• Produce clear, defensible technical reports suitable for environmental assessments, permitting, peer review, and client communication.

⛳️ Requirements

• A minimum of five years of consulting experience in underwater acoustics supporting environmental assessments, permitting, compliance, or marine infrastructure projects.

• A Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Acoustics, Ocean Engineering, Marine Science, or a related field.

• Professional registration (P.Eng., PE, or equivalent), or eligibility for registration.

• A strong grasp of underwater sound propagation, acoustics theory, source characterization, frequency-domain analysis, exposure assessment, and environmental acoustics.

• Proven experience in developing underwater sound propagation models and documenting assumptions, sensitivity analyses, uncertainty assessments, and reproducible modeling workflows.

• Experience in designing and executing underwater acoustic monitoring programs, including hydrophone deployment, calibration, instrumentation, and field data collection.

• Strong analytical skills with a background in processing large underwater acoustic datasets using Python, MATLAB, R, or similar software.

• Experience in generating spectrograms, time-series analyses, signal processing, automated detection, acoustic classification, and statistical analyses.

• Familiarity with passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) techniques and marine mammal acoustic detection systems.

• Understanding of marine fauna behavior and their responses to underwater sound, including behavioral disturbances, masking, stress responses, and habitat considerations.

• Knowledge of marine mammal, fish, and sea turtle impact criteria and environmental assessment frameworks.

• Experience in integrating species distribution, hearing sensitivity, and biological datasets into acoustic assessments.

• Experience in preparing technical reports suitable for environmental assessments, peer review, and regulatory submissions.

• Background in developing underwater noise mitigation strategies, including bubble curtains, exclusion zones, operational controls, adaptive management, and monitoring plans.

• Experience supporting marine mammal observation (MMO) programs or passive acoustic monitoring programs is advantageous.

• Offshore or coastal fieldwork experience is considered a plus.

• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, including marine biologists, ecologists, oceanographers, and environmental scientists.

• Experience working with regulators, Indigenous communities, government agencies, and industry stakeholders is highly desirable.

• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and project management abilities.

• Proven mentoring and technical leadership experience.

• Documented client relationship and business development experience, including proposal preparation and scope development.

• A publication record, conference presentations, or research contributions related to underwater acoustics or marine ecology are considered advantageous.

• Must be legally authorized to work in the country of hire.

• Willingness to travel throughout North America, including offshore work and cross-border travel as required.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive total compensation package that includes comprehensive benefits, vacation, and wellness initiatives.

• Full-time permanent role offering opportunities for professional growth and advancement.