Senior/Lead Environmental Permitting Specialist

Jobtailor; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Urban Grid seeks a seasoned environmental permitting professional to manage the full permitting lifecycle for utility-scale solar and storage projects. You will drive risk assessment, coordinate with consultants, and ensure compliance across state and federal agencies.

Key duties include planning diligence studies, budgeting for permits, and representing the company at hearings and meetings. Travel up to 20% is expected; hybrid work in Houston is available.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years direct relevant experience with state and federal environmental permits.
• Undergraduate degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Biology, Civil Engineering or Environmental Law.
• Excellent written, technical, data-evaluation and presentation skills.
• Excellent organization skills, attention to detail and problem solving.
• Self-motivated and ability to work independently.
• Willing and able to travel 10-20% to project sites and/or to agency meetings.

Responsibilities

• Manage environmental permitting requirements for Urban Grid’s portfolio of utility-scale solar and storage projects.
• Inform, plan and execute strategic decisions regarding permitting risk.
• Manage local, state and federal environmental permitting applications.
• Develop mitigation strategies and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate and manage project-level environmental permitting activities.
• Plan and execute early-stage diligence studies and identify permitting requirements and timelines.
• Prepare cost estimates and budgets.
• Manage multiple environmental permitting initiatives in parallel.
• Oversee consultants conducting environmental surveys and permitting support.
• Evaluate consultant proposals, monitor schedules, budgets and deliverables.
• Conduct technical review and QA/QC of third-party consultant field survey reports and permit applications.
• Represent the company in meetings with environmental agencies and at public hearings or project open houses.
• Track state and local regulations related to assigned projects.

Skills

Environmental Permitting

Regulatory Compliance

Project Management

Analytical Problem-Solving

Data Evaluation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science or related field

Job description

• Manage environmental permitting requirements for Urban Grid’s portfolio of utility-scale solar and storage projects
• Inform, plan and execute strategic decisions regarding permitting risk
• Manage local, state and federal environmental permitting applications
• Develop mitigation strategies and ensure overall regulatory compliance
• Proactively plan, organize, coordinate and manage project-level environmental permitting activities
• Plan and execute early-stage diligence studies and identify environmental permitting requirements and associated timelines
• Prepare cost estimates and budgets
• Manage multiple environmental permitting initiatives in parallel
• Manage consultants conducting environmental surveys and permitting support
• Evaluate consultant proposals, monitor schedules, track budgets and review consultant deliverables
• Conduct technical review and QA/QC of third-party consultant field survey reports and permit applications
• Represent the company in meetings with environmental agencies and at public hearings or project open houses
• Track state and local regulations related to assigned projects

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years direct relevant experience with preparation and execution of state and federal environmental permits
• Undergraduate degree, preferably in Environmental Science, Wildlife Biology, Civil Engineering or Environmental Law
• Excellent written, technical, data-evaluation and presentation skills
• Excellent organization skills, attention to detail and problem solving
• Hard-working and able to prioritize a large task load in a fast-paced environment
• Self-motivated and ability to work independently
• Project management, organizational, and analytical problem-solving skills
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• Strong work ethic and exceptionally high work standards
• Willing and able to travel 10-20% to project sites and/or to agency meetings
• Hybrid in Houston, Texas (4 days in office, Fridays remote)
• Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis
• Visa sponsorship or transfer visas, including H-1B or L-2, are not available for this position

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in managing environmental permitting for utility-scale solar and storage projects, ensuring regulatory compliance and effective project management. Proficient in preparing and executing state and federal environmental permits while coordinating with consultants and stakeholders.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Environmental Permitting Management
• Regulatory Compliance
• Project Management
• Technical Review and QA/QC
• Data Evaluation and Presentation

Hard Skills

• Environmental Permitting
• Mitigation Strategies
• Cost Estimation
• Budget Management
• Diligence Studies
• Environmental Surveys
• Permit Applications
• Analytical Problem-Solving
• Consultant Proposal Evaluation
• Schedule Monitoring

Soft Skills

• Excellent Organization Skills
• Attention to Detail
• Problem Solving
• Self-Motivated
• Strong Work Ethic

Industry Keywords

• Utility-Scale Solar
• Environmental Science
• Wildlife Biology
• Civil Engineering
• Environmental Law
• State and Federal Regulations
• Environmental Agencies
• Public Hearings
• Project Open Houses
• Fast-Paced Environment