Environmental Manager
Fulltime
Houston, TX 77002
About the job
The Organization
Our client is a mission driven company aiming to solve the largest barrier to a cleaner, more reliable grid by developing new long haul transmission lines in the United States. Established in 2021 by proven leaders in the power and renewables industry, The client is developing utility-scale electric multi-state transmission projects that will provide long-term economic benefits to communities across the country, provide Americans with improved grid resiliency for our homes and businesses, and cost savings for electricity consumers.
The Position
Our client has numerous large scale transmissions projects underway and is currently identifying and studying additional prospective projects across North America. These projects often necessitate complex and interdependent environmental permitting processes. In addition, The client is committed to tiered resource assessment and application of the mitigation hierarchy during the siting, design, and permitting stages of its projects. This approach may involve novel and/or groundbreaking methods to environmental planning and skillful execution during permitting. As a result, the Company seeks to expand its Environmental Team with an energetic and experienced Environmental Manager / Senior Environmental Manager to support multiple large scale linear infrastructure projects in active development.
Working out of the company’s office in downtown Houston, Texas, the Environmental Manager or Senior Environmental Manager will collaborate with a team of talented experts. Reporting to the VP Environmental and working closely with representatives from development and functional teams, the successful candidate will support routing and siting decisions, execute permitting strategy, manage external consultants, and coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies and Native American Tribes.
Key Responsibilities
Manage and progress environmental compliance and permitting for multiple major infrastructure projects and collaborate internally on a wide array of environmental technical and policy matters.
More detailed responsibilities include:
Plan, manage, and monitor environmental aspects of large, multidisciplinary transmission projects with high degree of technical complexity and often novel permitting issues including permit applications, siting, layout planning, scoping and review of environmental studies, State and Federal agency consultations, tribal meetings, and stakeholder engagement.
Support transmission line routing with subject matter expertise related to environmental sensitivities, policy and permitting requirements, and defensible linear siting best practices
Manage third party technical and environmental consultants including scoping, directing and reviewing work products
Conduct and/or oversee environmental due diligence efforts to support project identification and development plans, define permitting strategy, and navigate emerging policy
Support schedule and budget development, and track project performance toward meeting established project goals
Determine technical and environmental study needs, oversee performance of studies and preparation of reports, and interpret and disseminate study results for a wide variety of environmental topics including biological, aquatic, cultural, and other environmental resources
Effectively interpret, summarize, discuss and implement environmental policies and regulations, and coordinate strategic environmental compliance approaches with internal and external teams
Coordinate the timely completion of federal and state agency environmental compliance documentation supporting permit decisions including but not limited to major environmental actions subject to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and state environmental policy, as well as compliance with various federal or state natural and cultural resource laws
Support successful execution through management and preparation of construction and operation environmental compliance, management, or mitigation documentation, such as Environmental Management Plans, Avian Protection Plans and Transmission Vegetation Management Plans
Facilitate/lead meetings with a variety of stakeholders including contactors, third parties, regulatory agency staff, Native American Tribes, and The client staff for a range of environmental and development matters
Ideal Candidate Description
The ideal candidate will be proven in successful management of environmental issues and permitting large-scale, complex energy projects.
They will have experience and competence navigating federal, state, and local permitting processes. Ideally, the candidate will be well versed on the NEPA, NHPA and ESA, and have experience bringing projects through federal permitting processes, preferably transmission projects.
They will be customer-centric, performance driven, clear and concise, emotionally intelligent, strategic-minded, have high performance standards, and demonstrate a strong sense of purpose and resolve.
The successful candidate will bring a passion for collaboration to the role, a proven ability to deal with ambiguity and dynamic nature of project development and be able to rapidly earn credibility amongst external stakeholder groups.
Requirements
A proven track record of permitting support for industrial scale energy projects with a preference for electric transmission
Ability to effectively communicate, both written and verbal, with Federal agencies, Tribal governments, state agencies, eNGOs, and land use planning or zoning entities, on a variety of technical topics
Working familiarity with federal and state laws, regulations, standards, and guidelines, that may be applicable to permitting the construction and operation of electric transmission, including direct experience with EIS-level NEPA compliance reviews, ESA and NHPA consultations, state-level environmental quality act reviews, local zoning authorizations, as well as post-permitting compliance and implementation
Technical understanding of environmental issues related to industrial development and permitting, including but not limited to land use/zoning, biological, aquatic, cultural, noise, visual, and socioeconomic considerations
Working knowledge of geospatial and land use planning analysis; Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Knowledge of industry environmental standards for transmission line siting, design, construction and project execution and risks related to the same
Demonstrated ability to manage financial and scheduling aspects of environmental projects
Keen, demonstrated interest in the transmission grid and energy generation
Ability to travel approximately 30% of time
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in environmental science, planning, ecology, environmental planning, engineering or related field.
5+ years of experience working directly on environmental compliance and permitting within the energy sector. Experience in large scale linear infrastructure projects preferred, ideally with electric transmission lines and/or pipelines
Personal Attributes:
Self-starter and decisive individual who possesses both a strategic and operational focus;
Strong executive presence as well as the ability to effectively influence and make recommendations at all levels of the organization.
Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills; anticipates future consequences and trends and incorporates this information into the organizational plan.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to think end-to-end and manage multiple priorities/projects simultaneously often on short timelines.
Proven leader, with the ability to recruit, develop and mentor a top-notch team capable of supporting future growth.
Demonstrated leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace and community.
Adaptive with the ability to synthesize the complex into the simple, the successful candidate will enjoy the ground floor “builder” aspect of this role in an early-stage, high-growth and mission driven company – and will thrive in the structure of a small but well-funded company undergoing rapid growth.
What the Right Candidate Will Love about this Opportunity:
An organization dedicated to unlocking the Rubik’s cube of high voltage transmission development in a fast paced, dynamic and innovative culture
Working with a core group of ethical, dedicated and thoughtful colleagues
Working on a day-to-day basis with highly experienced and proven industry leaders
Being empowered to play a leading role in delivering large scale projects that will materially change the energy future of America
Working in an organization committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and having a positive social impact
Excellent financial backing from leading energy investors with long term commitment, passion for energy, and an understanding and appetite to tackle the challenges of transmission development
Ground floor opportunity to contribute to building the systems which will underpin the client’s long term growth
Shaping new solutions to navigate the interplay between the evolving energy mix and the need for more high voltage long distance transmission