Project Manager, Project Development

Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC

Richmond (VA)

On-site

USD 110,000 - 185,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity

13 Company-wide Holidays

Flexible vacation days

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with employer matching

Professional growth opportunities

Team-building activities

Job summary

Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC is seeking a Project Manager, Project Development to lead permitting and environmental strategies for grid-scale fusion projects. You will manage siting, regulatory engagements, and applications across local, state, and federal levels, coordinating with legal, engineering, and external teams to keep milestones on track.

The role demands a strong background in environmental permitting for large-scale energy projects and excellent communication and stakeholder

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Urban/Regional Planning, Public Policy, Law, or related field.
7+ years of experience leading environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, or land-use approvals for utility-scale energy or large industrial projects.
Experience with federal/state environmental regulatory frameworks (e.g., Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, NEPA).
Exceptional project management and written/verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

Lead permitting strategy, drafting, submission, and execution for environmental/regulatory permits.
Coordinate with engineering, legal, finance, and external affairs to embed permitting into schedules.
Manage land-use negotiations, siting analyses, and relations with regulatory bodies.
Oversee external environmental consultants and contractors during impact studies and permit work.

Skills

Project management

Regulatory compliance

Written/verbal communication

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science/Engineering/Planning/Public Policy or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

GIS applications

MS Project

Primavera P6

Job description

About Commonwealth Fusion Systems is on a mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy. Combining decades of research, top talent, and new technologies, we’re designing and building commercially viable fusion power plants. And we're working with policymakers, suppliers, and many others to build the energy industry of the future. We’re in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we’ve raised $4 billion of capital, making us the largest and leading fusion company in the world. Now we’re looking for more thinkers, doers, builders, and makers to join us. People who’ll bring new perspectives, solve tough problems, and thrive as part of a team. If that’s you and this role fits, we want to hear from you.

Join the power movement as Project Manager, Project Development

We are at a historic moment, on the cusp of proving the commercial viability of fusion power. This role will play a critical part in taking the next step by managing the permitting process for the world's first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant and laying the groundwork for many subsequent deployments. As the Project Manager, you will support end-to-end siting, regulatory engagements, permitting strategies, and application processes across local, state, and federal levels. Operating within the Project Development team, you will secure vital environmental permits, utility approvals, and land-use authorizations to ensure project milestones are achieved safely, compliantly, and on schedule.

What you'll do:

Perform comprehensive fatal flaw analyses and leverage GIS tools to evaluate potential project locations, assessing topography, generation and water availability, environmental constraints, and overall site viability
Working with Government Affairs, evaluate local land-use policies, zoning regulations, and tax structures to determine optimal development strategies and prioritize jurisdictions with supportive regulatory environments for novel energy facilities
Support land acquisition negotiations and site control plans, partnering with legal advisors to structure options, land leases, and necessary rights-of-way with municipalities and landowners to achieve positive outcomes for the company
Conduct initial real property due diligence tasks, aligning title evaluations, ALTA surveys, Phase I ESAs, and preliminary geotechnical reviews to mitigate risk before formal permitting starts
Partner with grid interconnection and power engineering groups to analyze localized transmission availability, sub-station capacity, and grid infrastructure for strategic off-take alignment
Collaborate with multi-disciplinary project teams and manage external environmental consulting
firms and contractors
Responsible for overseeing contractor work quality and completeness

Early Stakeholder Engagement

Lead proactive community outreach during early site identification to establish strong local relationships and resolve potential land-use issues ahead of regulatory filings
Represent the company at public hearings, regulatory proceedings, and community forums to communicate project technical details, environmental safeguards, and key benefits

Permitting

Lead the strategy, drafting, submission, and execution of major environmental and regulatory permit applications, including Wetlands, Air Quality, NPDES, Storm Water, and CPCN filings.
Maintain productive relationships and technical proceedings with federal, state, and local regulatory bodies, public utility commissions, environmental agencies, and zoning authorities
Coordinate cross-functionally with engineering, legal, project finance, origination, and external affairs teams to embed permitting requirements into schedules and design basis.
Oversee external environmental consultants, legal counsel, and engineering firms in performing environmental impact studies and technical permit preparation
Monitor regulatory proceedings, policy updates, and utility dockets to identify risks and implement proactive mitigation strategies
Establish and manage post-issuance compliance and turnover systems to ensure adherence to monitoring, reporting, and operational requirements during construction and commissioning
Develop and track permitting schedules, establish recovery plans for schedule variances, and maintain the permitting risk registry
Build a standardized permitting knowledge base and operational framework to enable multi- site scaling, utilizing AI and advanced digital tools where applicable

What we're looking for:

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Urban/Regional Planning, Public Policy, Law, or a related technical field.
7+ years of experience leading complex environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, or land-use approvals for utility-scale energy, thermal power generation, or large industrial infrastructure projects
Technical expertise in federal and state environmental regulatory frameworks (e.g., Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, NEPA/state equivalents).
Exceptional project management skills and written/verbal communication skills

Bonus points for:

Master's degree or advanced technical degree preferred
Experience in state public utility commission filings, PMP certification, proficiency with project scheduling software (MS Project, Primavera P6), and GIS applications

Must-have requirements:

Perform activities such as typing, standing, and sitting, for extended periods of time
Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call - this position will require up to 25% travel (day-trip & overnight)
Work in a facility that contains industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics

At CFS, we excel in fast-paced environments, driven by our values of integrity, execution, impact, and self-critique. As we grow, we’re eager to bring on mission-driven folks who offer diverse perspectives and fresh ways to tackle challenges.

We value diversity deeply and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally, regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law.

This role requires compliance with U.S. laws concerning the export of controlled or protected technologies or information (collectively, “Export Control Laws”). Any offer of employment will be contingent on the need for compliance with such Export Control Laws.

110000 - 185000 USD a year

Salary range for this full-time position + equity + benefits. The actual salary will depend on level, location, qualifications, and experience. The range displayed on each job posting reflects new hire salaries for the position across all US locations.