Permitting Manager, Utility-Scale Energy & Data Centers

Karpower Valley Inc; Brownsville (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Karpower Valley Inc. in Brownsville, TX is seeking a Permitting Manager to lead permitting and entitlement efforts for utility-scale projects, starting with Texas.

You will coordinate internal teams, permitting authorities, and external advisors to secure approvals on schedule and within budgets. You will develop project-specific permitting plans, assess feasibility, manage applications, monitor progress, and ensure compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, including

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a related field.
• 7+ years of permitting or environmental approvals experience.
• Experience with large-scale infrastructure or data center developments.
• Knowledge of federal/state/local permitting requirements for energy projects.
• Experience coordinating across jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage project-specific permitting plans, approval schedules, and budgets for power generation and energy infrastructure projects.
• Assess permitting feasibility during site selection, identifying land-use restrictions, required approvals, anticipated timelines, and jurisdiction-specific risks.
• Coordinate the preparation, review, submission, and follow-up of complete and compliant permit applications, including supporting technical studies and responses to agency comments and requests for additional information.
• Monitor permitting progress, identify approval delays and schedule risks, and coordinate mitigation actions with project teams and external advisors.
• Identify applicable federal, state, county, and municipal permitting requirements; monitor changes in requirements and agency procedures and assess their impact on project approvals.
• Support land-use approvals, rezoning applications, conditional use permits, variances, and development agreements.
• Build and maintain productive technical and procedural relationships with permitting authorities, including planning departments, environmental agencies, and zoning boards; coordinate agency consultations and represent the company in application reviews, permitting meetings, and public hearings on technical and application matters, in coordination with the External Affairs & Community Relations Manager.
• Provide technical permitting input to the External Affairs & Community Relations Manager, who leads community engagement, public messaging, and broader government relationships, to support engagement related to permitting and project approvals.
• Coordinate environmental permitting activities including air quality, water, wetlands, stormwater, endangered species, and other environmental approvals where applicable.
• Maintain permit registers, application records, approval documentation, and permit conditions; coordinate renewals, amendments, and the handover of ongoing permit obligations to construction and operations teams.
• Select, engage, and manage environmental and permitting consultants, land-use attorneys, and technical advisors across relevant U.S. jurisdictions, maintaining access to suitable expertise; review deliverables and manage scope, schedule, quality, performance, and budget in coordination with internal project teams.
• Support commercial and customer-facing discussions by translating permitting requirements, approval constraints, and schedule risks into clear business implications.
• Prepare permitting status reports, risk assessments, and approval scenarios to support senior management decisions on project development opportunities and constraints.
• Ensure permitting activities and engagement with permitting authorities comply with applicable laws, ethics standards, and agency rules, coordinating with Legal as needed.
• Collaborate with Development, Commercial, Engineering, Grid & Interconnection, Project Management, External Affairs & Community Relations, and Legal teams to incorporate permit requirements, conditions, and approval milestones into project planning and execution.

Skills

Permitting experience

Infrastructure project development

Stakeholder management

Travel availability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Environmental Science, Engineering, Public Administration, Environmental Policy, Law, or related

Job description

Karpower Valley Inc. in Brownsville, TX is seeking a Permitting Manager to lead permitting and entitlement efforts for utility-scale projects, starting with Texas.

You will coordinate internal teams, permitting authorities, and external advisors to secure approvals on schedule and within budgets. You will develop project-specific permitting plans, assess feasibility, manage applications, monitor progress, and ensure compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, including