Job Description

AQUATIC BIOLOGIST

THE COMPANY

Our client is a well-established, privately held pond, lake, and fisheries management company that recently closed a growth investment from a private equity firm. The company operates multiple branches across the Southeast and has a clear plan to roughly double its footprint over the next 12 months.

Historically, the business has been built on fisheries management for private lake owners and high-net-worth clients — relationship-driven, word-of-mouth work with limited direct competition. That reputation is the foundation, but it is not where this role sits.

The company already has the people, equipment, and operational capability to service commercial and HOA pond and fountain accounts — but has never dedicated sales or staffing focus to that segment. It is currently 15–20% of the business. This role exists to build it out.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a build-out, not a maintenance job. You will be the dedicated Aquatic Biologist for the West Tennessee branch, focused on commercial and HOA pond, lake, and fountain accounts — property managers, HOAs, golf courses, and developers — rather than the fisheries side of the business. A technician will be assigned to support you so day-to-day labor doesn't crowd out selling and account management.

The client describes the ideal hire simply: a biologist who can sell. Not a technician, not a lawn-and-weed guy, and not a pure fisheries biologist — someone who can walk a property, diagnose the biology, and translate that into a service recommendation a customer says yes to.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Conduct routine pond and lake inspections and water quality evaluations — dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, nutrient load, and other client-requested testing — to diagnose biological and environmental issues.
• Identify and manage aquatic vegetation and algae issues, and take a lead role in herbicide application across your commercial accounts and the larger fisheries ponds managed by other biologists in the branch.
• Sell and manage commercial and HOA accounts: translate biology into a clear service recommendation and close the business.
• Work primarily from warm and warm-ish leads — property management companies, HOA and commercial management contacts, and developers — supplemented by a dedicated outside sales hire generating additional leads for follow-up. This is not door-to-door cold selling.
• Cross-train on fisheries work as needed (e.g., hauling fish), though this is a technician-level task and not the focus of the role.
• Partner with an assigned technician who handles routine labor, freeing you to focus on inspections, diagnosis, and account growth.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• A 4-year degree in biology, wildlife biology, fisheries biology, organismal biology, environmental science, or a closely related field — or equivalent hands-on aquatic field experience.
• Candidates from landscaping companies with a pond management division (retention pond maintenance, weed and algae spraying) are welcome to apply. A general landscaping background without aquatic or biological grounding is not a fit — you should be able to speak credibly to algae species and weed types with a customer, not just “it looks like some weeds.”
• Comfortable holding, or working toward, a commercial aquatic herbicide applicator license/certification.
• Comfortable being evaluated on, and compensated by, sales and production performance — not technical competence alone.
• A field-ready, customer-facing communicator who can build trust with property managers, HOA boards, and developers.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Base salary: $50,000–$70,000, depending on experience.
• Quarterly bonus tied to your individual book of business — uncapped.
• Annual increases tied to cost of living, proficiency growth, and a positive annual review.
• Health insurance, with a competitive portion of premiums covered by the company.
• 401(k) with a 3% safe harbor match, eligible after 12 months.
• Company vehicle provided, plus a company gas card.

TERRITORY & TRAVEL

Generally within about three hours of your base in West Tennessee — think Nashville, Memphis, and North Mississippi — aligned with the branch's commercial maintenance contracts. Daily travel is expected to support the book of business, but overnight travel is rare for this role.

WHY THIS ROLE

The company is three months into a private equity investment and currently operates four locations, with a realistic path to roughly eight within the next 12 months. That growth creates real upside for a strong performer — additional GM and operational leadership roles are likely to open as the company expands, and this hire is positioned to be a candidate for them. That said, this is a possibility to build toward, not a guaranteed timeline or title.

You would be joining a company that still feels like the family business it started as, but is scaling fast — a ground-floor opportunity to build a new line of business inside an established, well-capitalized platform.

HOW TO APPLY

This search is being managed by Bloom Talent Solutions. All inquiries and applications are confidential — your information will not be shared with the client or anyone else without your consent. Please send your resume to paige@getbloomtalent.com if you are interested in the role.

Job Tags

Similar Jobs