Managing Consultant, Scientist

Environmental Resources Management, Inc.; Indianapolis (IN); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

ERM is seeking a Managing Consultant, Scientist (Environmental Permitting) to lead complex energy permitting across the United States. Based in Charleston, WV or Indianapolis, IN, you will drive regulatory strategy, client engagement, and project delivery for renewable energy, natural gas, data centers, and related infrastructure.

You will mentor teams, collaborate with ERM's global experts, and help expand ERM's permitting and impact assessment capabilities while delivering high-quality,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in environmental studies, environmental management, planning, geography or related field.
• 4+ years (8 years preferred) of project management, licensing, and permitting experience in energy sectors.
• Experience preparing NEPA-type documents for federal/state agencies and providing capital project delivery support.
• Experience with federal, state, and local permitting for energy projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-media permitting and regulatory strategies for energy and technology infrastructure projects.
• Manage NEPA projects and related activities for diverse energy projects (solar, natural gas, data centers).
• Prepare permitting documents and provide technical guidance on CWA/ESA considerations.
• Develop technical proposals and support business development with clients and leads.

Skills

Project management

Licensing & permitting

Environmental permitting

NEPA familiarity

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in environmental field

Tools

GIS

Regulatory strategy

Job description

Lead Complex Energy Projects. Shape Sustainable Development. Drive Lasting Impact. As an Managing Consultant, Scientist (Environmental Permitting) based in Charleston, West Virginia or Indianapolis, Indiana, you will play a pivotal leadership role in helping clients navigate the environmental, regulatory, and permitting challenges associated with major energy and infrastructure developments across the United States. This is an opportunity to combine technical expertise, strategic consulting, client relationship management, and business development to support the growth of renewable energy, natural gas, data center, and other critical infrastructure projects. You will collaborate with ERM's global network of experts, lead multidisciplinary teams, and help clients advance projects that contribute to the transition toward a lower-carbon economy.

Why This Role Matters?

The future of energy and infrastructure depends on responsible environmental stewardship, effective regulatory strategy, and successful stakeholder engagement. In this role, you will help shape high-profile capital projects from planning through operation, ensuring environmental considerations are integrated into critical development decisions. Your leadership will directly support sustainable project delivery while expanding ERM's environmental permitting and impact assessment capabilities across key U.S. markets.

What Your Impact Is:

• Lead environmental permitting and regulatory strategies for major energy and technology infrastructure projects across the United States.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients navigating federal, state, and local permitting requirements.
• Support the development of renewable energy, natural gas, data center, and other critical infrastructure projects that contribute to economic growth and the low‑carbon transition.
• Drive project execution, client satisfaction, and business growth while mentoring and developing team members.
• Collaborate with ERM's global technical community to deliver innovative, high‑quality solutions and share industry best practices.
• Contribute to the continued expansion of ERM's impact assessment, permitting, and capital project delivery services.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in environmental studies, environmental management, wetland science, planning, geography, or a related natural resources science field of study, or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years (8 years preferred) of project management, licensing, and permitting experience, including strong project experience in natural gas or renewable energy.
• Experience preparing NEPA-type documents for federal and/or state agencies and providing strategic-level Capital Project Delivery support.
• Experience with federal, state, and local permitting, particularly with the preparation of applications and documents related to the development of energy projects.
• Experience assisting clients in obtaining permits and approvals for new or expanded facilities.
• Experience overseeing and coordinating desktop and online studies or research on natural resource or resource planning topics, GIS, and map interpretation (NWI, USGS, aerial photography).
• Demonstrated ability to research and prepare concise and accurate technical documents, including presentation of findings to clients, stakeholders, and/or regulatory agencies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational abilities, and analytical skills, with experience recording and writing detailed technical data and reports.
• Ability to multi-task, maintain flexibility, travel, and work independently with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop team members; excellent people skills; responsive, collaborative, versatile, effective in a fast‑paced environment, and service‑oriented.
• Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area. Strong commitment to safety.
• This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.
• Preferred Regulatory experience within West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky, including local permitting challenges, land use considerations, and state permitting requirements.
• Experience supporting energy infrastructure projects such as data centers, natural gas facilities, solar projects, and wind energy developments.
• Expertise in permitting strategies involving regulations such as the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and perform multi-media permitting and compliance associated with technology and energy infrastructure projects, such as data centers, natural gas, and renewable energy (solar and wind), with an emphasis on local, state, and federal permitting and regulatory compliance.
• Manage and provide technical assistance on National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) projects and related activities in support of ERM clients’ development projects, including solar, natural gas, and renewable energy projects.
• Contribute technical, subject matter, and project management expertise on permitting strategies, including Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act considerations, due diligence reviews, environmental critical issues assessments, impact assessment deliverables, and overall quality control reviews.
• Manage and lead the preparation of permitting documents.
• Oversee project delivery activities such as report writing, data collection, data and literature review, and the development of recommendations for clients.
• Prepare technical proposals and participate in business development activities with existing clients and identified leads while helping expand ERM's growing renewable energy projects and team.
• Manage and work within quality, budget, schedule, and scope expectations.
• Collaborate with other ERM practitioners to execute impact assessments and capital project permitting efforts, including baseline studies, environmental impact assessments, routing studies, land planning, and facility siting and permitting.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships while supporting the sustainable growth of ERM's environmental consulting business.

Who We Are

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world's leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world‑class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

At ERM, sustainability is our business. We are the world's largest advisory firm focused solely on sustainability, offering unparalleled expertise across business and finance. ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, through our unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. Our diverse global team of experts works with the world's leading organizations to help them set clear sustainability targets, measure progress and operationalize strategy through deep implementation and business transformation. With more than 50 years of experience, our ability to integrate sustainability solutions and our depth and breadth of technical knowledge are why organizations choose to partner with us as their trusted advisor. Every one of us firmly believes in the potential to create value for our clients through an integrated approach to sustainability (because we have personally seen it and professionally achieved it). Our team members are passionate about client service. We work closely with our clients to help them operationalize their sustainability goals and meet their environmental, health and safety objectives while advancing ERM's purpose through delivering tangible progress in what the United Nations coined The Decade of Action. Organizing our people across globally integrated communities of technical and strategic talent positions ERM to be a “boots to boardroom” leader in bringing that value creation to our clients, partners, and the world.

Thank you for your interest in ERM! #LI-Hybrid