Senior Technical Director, Environmental Science

WSP in the U.S.; Lawrenceville (NJ); On-site; USD 176,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP in the U.S. is seeking a Senior Technical Director, Environmental Scientist in Lawrenceville, New Jersey to lead environmental planning and permitting for major infrastructure projects.

You will guide teams across transportation, energy, and oil & gas sectors, advising clients and driving strategic outcomes. The role emphasizes technical leadership, client relationships, staff development, and growing WSP’s New Jersey permitting practice while collaborating with transportation and utility

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science or related field.
• Extensive experience in environmental consulting, planning, or permitting.
• Leadership of complex NJ permitting projects.
• Strong knowledge of NJ wetland, flood, and species requirements.
• Experience with major infrastructure projects and regulatory agencies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as senior technical authority for NJ environmental planning and permitting.
• Develop permitting strategies for transportation and energy projects.
• Coordinate with NJDEP, USACE, USFWS, and other agencies.
• Oversee preparation of environmental reports and permit applications.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and manage project scope, schedule, and budget.
• Mentor scientists, planners, and permitting professionals.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory coordination

Project management

Stakeholder relations

Communication skills

Travel ability

Team mentorship

Environmental permitting

Education

Bachelor's degree in environmental science

Master's degree in related discipline

Tools

GIS

Job description

Job Description

WSP is seeking a Senior Technical Director, Environmental Scientist to provide technical and strategic leadership for our Natural Resources Planning and Permitting team in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

The position will focus on environmental planning and permitting for major New Jersey infrastructure projects. The successful candidate will work closely with WSP’s transportation and infrastructure teams while supporting projects in the electric utility, renewable energy, and oil and gas sectors.

This role is ideal for an established environmental professional who wants to remain technically engaged while leading complex projects, advising clients, developing staff, and growing WSP’s New Jersey permitting practice.

Your Impact

• Serve as a senior technical authority for New Jersey environmental planning, natural resource assessment, and permitting.
• Develop permitting strategies for transportation, electric transmission and distribution, substations, pipelines, renewable energy, and other infrastructure projects.
• Lead regulatory coordination with NJDEP, USACE, USFWS, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, and other agencies.
• Direct wetland, stream, flood hazard, threatened and endangered species, ecological, and environmental constraints assessments.
• Review engineering plans and advise project teams on environmental risks, regulatory requirements, avoidance measures, and project schedules.
• Oversee preparation of permit applications, environmental reports, agency consultation materials, alternatives analyses, and supporting technical studies.
• Serve as Project Director, Project Manager, or senior adviser on complex multidisciplinary assignments.
• Lead project strategy, scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk management, and client communication.
• Build relationships with transportation agencies, utilities, energy companies, regulatory agencies, and other infrastructure clients.
• Lead or support proposals, interviews, client development, and strategic business growth.
• Mentor environmental scientists, planners, biologists, and permitting professionals.
• Promote technical excellence, collaboration, safety, and consistent quality across projects and offices.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, environmental planning, biology, ecology, natural resources, or a related field.
• Extensive progressively responsible experience in environmental consulting, permitting, natural resource planning, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated leadership of complex environmental permitting projects in New Jersey.
• Advanced knowledge of New Jersey freshwater wetlands, flood hazard area, coastal, waterfront development, CAFRA, threatened and endangered species, and Pinelands requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of the Clean Water Act, Rivers and Harbors Act, Endangered Species Act, and related federal permitting requirements.
• Experience coordinating with NJDEP, USACE, USFWS, and other regulatory agencies.
• Experience supporting transportation, electric utility, pipeline, oil and gas, renewable energy, or comparable infrastructure projects.
• Proven project or program management experience, including responsibility for scope, schedule, budget, quality, and client relationships.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and reviewing complex technical documents.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to travel to client offices, agency meetings, and project sites as needed.
• Valid driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related discipline.
• Relevant professional certification, such as PWS, PMP, AICP, or New Jersey Professional Planner.
• Established relationships within New Jersey’s transportation, utility, energy, and regulatory communities.
• Experience with major transportation programs, electric utility corridors, pipelines, or renewable energy facilities.
• Experience with NEPA documentation, public meetings, regulatory hearings, or expert testimony.
• Familiarity with GIS-based environmental constraints analysis.

WSP Benefits

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation

Expected Salary (all locations): $176,000 - $221,000

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

About WSP

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.

www.wsp.com

WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.

At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges.

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

Notice To Third Party Agencies

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.