Manager of Permitting-Power

Williams-Sonoma; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Williams-Sonoma is seeking a Permitting Manager - Power Innovation to lead a team of environmental and permitting professionals across gas-fired generation, battery storage, pipelines, water sourcing, and site development.

You will establish permitting processes, coordinate cross-functional teams, manage risk and compliance, and mentor staff to deliver projects on accelerated timelines.

The role requires eight years in energy/permitting with five years of leadership and a bachelor’s degree.

Qualifications

• Eight years of energy, infrastructure or permitting experience.
• Five years of supervisory or project leadership experience.
• Preferred licenses/certifications in engineering, environmental permitting or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Establishes consistent permitting processes and records across Power Innovation projects.
• Manages work plans, schedules, and procedures to align with cross-functional teams.
• Ensures alignment with portfolio goals: schedule, risk, constructability, compliance, speed-to-market.
• Leads training and playbooks for internal teams and external partners.
• Represents permitting priorities in forums and communicates risks and options clearly.

Skills

Project leadership

Regulatory coordination

Stakeholder management

Environmental permitting

Air permitting

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Tools

MS Office

Job description

At Williams, we're powering a cleaner, more connected future, and that starts with you. Here, your work fuels communities, drives innovation, and helps deliver reliable energy the world depends on. Join a Fortune 500 team that invests in your growth, values your contributions, and challenges you to make a lasting impact every day.

The Permitting Manager - Power Innovation is responsible for providing mentorship and proactive leadership to a team of environmental and permitting professionals supporting Williams' Power Innovation portfolio, including gas-fired power generation, battery storage, pipeline, interconnection, water, land, and site development workstreams. This role leads permitting strategy and execution for fast-paced, large-scale projects serving data center and other strategic customers, and requires an effective leader who can align cross-functional teams, manage regulatory and stakeholder risk, and advance compliant, constructible projects on accelerated timelines.

Responsibilities/Expectations:

• Establishes consistent permitting processes, accountabilities, and decision records for Power Innovation projects from screening through development, construction, commissioning, and operational handoff
• Manages work plans, methods, schedules, and procedures to ensure permitting support aligns with Project Development, Engineering, Construction, Operations, Commercial, Legal, Land, Government Affairs, and customer commitments
• Ensures priorities and performance of the permitting team are aligned with Power Innovation portfolio goals, including schedule certainty, risk mitigation, constructability, compliance, and speed-to-market objectives
• Develops and delivers training, permitting playbooks, and lessons learned for internal project teams, contractors, consultants, and external business partners
• Leads, supports, and participates in environmental incident response, permit compliance reviews, and corrective-action planning for project-related construction and operational issues
• Coordinates internal resources and external consultants for air permitting/modeling, water, wetlands, cultural resources, threatened and endangered species, noise, zoning, building permits, utility/PUC matters, and construction compliance
• Provides technical support and interpretation of federal, state, and local environmental, land use, utility, and construction-related requirements affecting power generation, battery storage, pipelines, water sourcing, and site development
• Collaborates with land, government affairs, public affairs, engineering, commercial, legal, project controls, and operations teams to establish key performance indicators, permitting milestones, risk registers, and compliance tracking tools
• Develops and leads high-performing teams capable of managing multiple complex Power Innovation projects across different states, regulatory regimes, customers, technologies, and development stages
• Leads early-stage permitting due diligence and siting evaluations, including air attainment status, PSD/NSR pathways, water availability, land entitlements, constructability constraints, community opposition, and critical-path schedule impacts
• Represents Power Innovation permitting priorities in customer, contractor, agency, community, and leadership forums; clearly communicates risks, options, mitigation plans, and decision needs
• Other duties as assigned

Education/Years of Experience:

Required: Bachelor's degree in engineering, environmental science, natural resources, planning, or related field; a minimum of eight (8) years' experience in energy, infrastructure, power generation, environmental permitting, land development, or related project execution, including a minimum of five (5) years' supervisory/management or project leadership experience

Preferred: License, certification, or advanced training in engineering, project management, environmental permitting, air quality, land use planning, or construction compliance

Other Requirements:

• Demonstrates excellent organizational/interpersonal skills and safety as the utmost priority
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Applications and PC skills
• Broad knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental, air quality, land use, zoning, building, water, cultural, and construction-related permitting requirements applicable to large-scale energy infrastructure
• Experience with air permitting and environmental review for natural gas-fired generation, combined-cycle or simple-cycle facilities, battery storage, compressor stations, pipelines, or other major industrial infrastructure
• Experience interacting with federal, state, and local officials, utility commissions, local authorities having jurisdiction, customers, landowners, community stakeholders, and permitting agencies related to permitting, land development, and compliance
• Excellent communication, negotiation, executive briefing, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex regulatory, technical, land, and communit