Environmental Project Specialist Senior

Austin Community College; Mechanicsville (VA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government agency in Virginia seeks an Environmental Engineer to lead and guide environmental project delivery. Key responsibilities include assessing environmental impacts, managing compliance with regulations, and supporting interdisciplinary teams on restoration projects. Ideal candidates will have experience in environmental sciences, strong communication skills, and the ability to navigate project complexities. This role emphasizes the importance of effective coordination and project management to minimize environmental impacts.

Qualifications

• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Ability to coordinate complex projects with various agencies.
• Ability to interpret and apply environmental laws.
• Experience in environmental sciences, aquatic ecology, and hydrology.
• Skill assessing construction impacts on water quality.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and environmental engineering guidance.
• Evaluate compensatory mitigation alternatives.
• Monitor compliance with environmental regulations.
• Lead project management efforts for environmental programs.
• Conduct field studies and maintain resource documentation.

Skills

Effective communication

Project coordination

Environmental regulations interpretation

Contract management

Negotiation skills

Tools

Spreadsheets

Database software

Job description

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Job Description

To provide leadership and environmental engineering guidance. Serve as expert in natural resource assessments and environmental project delivery. Responsible for assessing and compensating for potential environmental impacts of highway and VDOT facility construction, operations and maintenance projects. Assist and coordinate interdisciplinary teams producing restoration and design projects. Provide technical assistance in consultant contract management. Monitor construction projects for permit compliance. Prepare permit applications and provide assistance to districts on restoration issues. Represent VDOT in various public involvement programs. To provide leadership, environmental expertise and guidance for assigned area(s) of responsibility. Plan, organize and coordinate program responsibilities to include assisting with assessment, training and compliance with state and federal rules and regulations governing assigned programs. Provide analysis to ensure liabilities potentially incurred by VDOT are minimized through engineering feasibility, cost-benefit, and risk management analyses and decision-making. Communicate policies and procedures related to program areas and coordinate with applicable parties. Provide guidance, training, direction and assistance to internal and external customers.

How you will contribute

• Communication: Represent VDOT in interactions with public, federal, state and local agencies to fulfill program commitments. Attend public hearings, citizen informational meetings, field inspections, citizen informational meetings and provide technical guidance to districts, as needed. Clearly communicate regulations related to assigned program area(s), policies, and science. Provide expert testimony and assistance to the attorney general related to litigation of transportation projects. Prepare technical briefings and position papers on complex, sensitive issues and provide expert advice on assigned program area designs that may have significant implications.
• Compensatory Mitigation: Perform site screening and site selection studies. Evaluate practicable compensatory mitigation alternatives. Develop conceptual and final plans based on goals and objectives. Apply engineering principles to produce and edit technical reports. Conduct field reviews during construction ensuring that plan specifications are being addressed and plans are being constructed properly.
• Program Assessment and Guidance: Provide guidance, support, and assistance for assigned program area(s) and communicate with appropriate stakeholders. Determine process improvements and policy changes or impacts, update the appropriate documentation and communicate changes. Monitor compliance to determine areas of improvement needed.
• Programmatic Goals: Assist in development of guidance to support districts across the agency. Partner with local resources to determine best protocols and programs to utilize and interface with additional subject‑matter experts as needed.
• Programmatic Goals: Perform mitigation market analysis to assist in project development. Update impact and mitigation tracking database and enter data to meet project specific reporting requirements. Maintain mitigation files for each mitigation site.
• Project Management Support: Lead team project management effort. Serve as expert consultant and provide technical support for the statewide compensatory environmental restoration program. Provide quality control of engineering applications relating to stream design and restoration on a state level. Develop or assist in the development of restoration and design policy, standards, and specifications to be implemented statewide and used by other state and federal agencies. Serve as a technical expert for Permit, Consultant Services and Natural Resources program areas. Apply project management approach to implement work plans to ensure delivery of water quality permits and compensatory mitigation on schedule and within budget. Facilitate resolution of aquatic resource issues by advocating for avoidance, minimization and compensation for unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources.
• Resource Documentation and Monitoring: Conduct field studies to evaluate and compile a database of reference resources as needed for individual projects. Incorporate sites and or data from other sources and ensure that minimum data needs have been addressed. Maintain records of stream gauges used in stream restoration projects. Conduct routine monitoring on structures not requiring annual monitoring to track success. Maintain detailed records on monitoring events for each structure and recommend corrective action.
• Training and Technical Expertise: Serve as technical expert for assigned program area(s). Prepare and conduct periodic training. Communicate information and updates to policies and procedures to all applicable stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Training: Participate in program planning, training and technology transfer activities. Participate, plan and develop training for assigned programs, including providing technical guidance and training. Use engineering knowledge, project management training, Value Engineering and other training to recommend solution‑oriented ideas to improve program processes. Participate in program planning related to workload, budget and research opportunities.

What will make you successful

• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing to include preparing and delivering presentations conveying technical reports on construction projects and environmental impacts to elected officials, agency heads and executives.
• Ability to coordinate complex projects with federal, state, local agencies and general public.
• Ability to demonstrate proper use of technical, legal and scientific principles and practices.
• Ability to effectively coordinate consultant activities and manage contracts.
• Ability to effectively negotiate solutions to environmental obstacles.
• Ability to interpret and apply state and federal environmental laws, regulations, policies, programs, and procedures related to environmental programs.
• Ability to interpret and use federal and state water quality regulations.
• Ability to interpret assessment reports and develop reasonable and effective solutions.
• Ability to interpret highway construction plans and develop sound, cost‑effective technical approaches for determining potential impacts of environmental impact on construction projects.
• Ability to manage multiple technical projects.
• Ability to plan, organize, and work on multiple tasks concurrently.
• Ability to prepare and deliver presentations related to construction projects with environmental impacts to VDOT staff and environmental agencies.
• Ability to review and critically comment on regarding technical competency, appropriate engineering measures and suitability of proposed mitigation.
• Ability to work as a team member or independently under the pressure of deadlines.
• Ability to work with professionals to advise and resolve environmental engineering problems related to issues in a transportation context.
• Ability to work with project managers to avoid, minimize, and mitigate environmental impacts from assigned areas on projects.
• Good planning and organizational skills.
• Knowledge of and ability to interpret environmental laws, regulations, policies, programs, and procedures related to transportation project delivery.
• Knowledge of environmental sciences, aquatic ecology, fisheries, hydrology and soil sciences.
• Knowledge of project planning, construction alternative analysis and coordination procedures and practices.
• Knowledge of transportation project development process and engineering design practices.
• Skill in assessing construction impacts to water quality and stream systems. Ability to review and identify potential compensation and, or restoration sites.
• Skill in project development and management of transportation projects.
• Skill in the use of computers and software applications to perform tasks which support VDOT operations.
• Strong math, spreadsheet or database skills.
• Technical knowledge of environmental auditing principles and environmental management systems.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain required certifications.
• Experience applying environmental laws and regulations, policies, programs, and procedures such as U.S. and Virginia water quality permit regulations and legislation.
• Experience applying proper use of technical, legal, scientific principles and practices.
• Experience communicating clearly both orally and in written formats, as well as experience in writing, compiling and editing technical reports into formats easily understood by diverse groups.
• Experience in environmental sciences, aquatic ecology, fisheries, hydrology and soil sciences.
• Experience in project planning, construction alternative analysis, coordination procedures and practices.
• Experience interpreting, applying federal and state water quality regulations.
• Experience preparing and delivering presentations related to construction projects with environmental impacts to VDOT staff and environmental agencies.
• Skill assessing construction impacts to water quality and stream systems, as well as reviewing and identifying potential compensation and restoration sites.
• Skill in the use of computers to include spreadsheet and database software.

Additional Considerations

• Ability to work as a team member or leader of inter‑disciplinary teams under the pressure of deadlines.
• DEQ Certifications for Erosion and Sediment Control (Inspector, Plan Reviewer, or Combined Administrator).
• Experience in engineering to include resource allocation and budgeting.