Senior Underwater Acoustics Consultant

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

📋 Description

• Lead technical initiatives in underwater acoustics assessments, 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 vessel noise assessments, construction noise evaluations, cumulative effects assessments, and underwater noise impact studies.

• Provide technical assistance for environmental assessments, permitting processes, regulatory approvals, compliance programs, stakeholder engagement, and expert advisory services.

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

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

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

• Predict underwater noise footprints associated with proposed and operational marine activities.

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

• Support source characterization through field measurements, literature references, equipment specifications, and operational data.

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

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

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

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

• Assist in underwater acoustic measurement campaigns and ensure data quality during collection and processing.

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

• Participate in fieldwork as necessary based on project requirements.

• Support studies assessing the responses of marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, and invertebrates to underwater sound.

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

• Analyze behavioral responses to underwater noise exposure.

• Provide support for marine mammal observation (MMO) and passive acoustic monitoring programs as needed.

• Assist with controlled exposure experiments and related research initiatives when required.

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

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

• Detect, classify, and catalog both biological and anthropogenic acoustic events.

• Apply statistical analyses to assess relationships between underwater noise and biological responses.

• Maintain reproducible analytical workflows and thorough documentation.

• Prepare technical documentation in support of environmental assessments, permitting applications, regulatory submissions, and compliance reporting.

• Address technical comments from regulators, Indigenous communities, and stakeholders.

• Contribute to underwater noise management strategies and regulatory compliance efforts.

• Develop practical mitigation strategies aimed at reducing underwater noise impacts.

• Recommend mitigation measures such as bubble curtains, exclusion zones, timing windows, ramp-up procedures, operational restrictions, quieter technologies, and adaptive management approaches.

• Monitor and assess the effectiveness of mitigation through field monitoring and reporting.

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

• Develop technical figures, modeling documentation, and supporting appendices.

• Collaborate with project managers to oversee scope, schedules, budgets, technical resources, and deliverables.

• Conduct QA/QC reviews of both internal and external technical work.

• Mentor junior staff in underwater acoustics modeling, data processing, technical writing, and quality assurance practices.

• Assist in proposal preparation, scope development, budgeting, and client presentations.

• Cultivate strong client relationships and identify opportunities for expanding underwater acoustics services.

⛳️ Requirements

• At least five years of consulting experience in underwater acoustics, focusing on environmental assessments, permitting, compliance, or marine infrastructure projects.

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

• Master's degree is preferred.

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

• Comprehensive understanding of underwater sound propagation, acoustic 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 implementing underwater acoustic monitoring programs, including hydrophone deployment, calibration, instrumentation, and field data collection.

• Strong analytical skills with experience 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.

• Knowledge of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) techniques and marine mammal acoustic detection systems.

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

• Familiarity with impact criteria for marine mammals, fish, and sea turtles, as well as environmental assessment frameworks.

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

• Proven ability to prepare technical reports suitable for environmental assessments, peer review, and regulatory submissions.

• Experience 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 a plus.

• Offshore or coastal fieldwork experience is advantageous.

• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams, including marine biologists, ecologists, oceanographers, and environmental scientists.

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

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

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

• Demonstrated experience in mentoring and technical leadership.

• Proven success in client relationship management and business development, including proposal preparation and scope development.

• A record of publications, conference presentations, or research contributions related to underwater acoustics or marine ecology is considered beneficial.

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

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

🏝️ Benefits

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

• Full-time permanent position with opportunities for professional development and advancement.