Siting, ROW & Environmental Lead – Transmission

Jacobs; Indianapolis (IN); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 174,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking an experienced Siting, Outreach, Right-of-Way, and Environmental Lead to provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for a large-scale electrical transmission program in the eastern United States.

This client-facing role drives siting, stakeholder outreach, land acquisition, and environmental permitting through development, construction, and closeout, with preferred locations in OH, KY, IN, MI, WV, or VA.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, planning, engineering, land management, natural resources, public administration, or a related field
• 15+ years of experience supporting major infrastructure programs, preferably electrical transmission, utility, energy, or other linear infrastructure projects
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and complex project portfolios
• Proven experience overseeing transmission siting, stakeholder engagement, ROW acquisition, and environmental permitting/compliance efforts
• Experience working directly with utility clients and managing high-profile stakeholder relationships
• Strong understanding of federal, state, and local permitting processes applicable to transmission infrastructure
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills
• Ability to travel regularly to client offices, project sites, stakeholder meetings, and industry events

Responsibilities

• Provide executive-level leadership and oversight for siting, outreach, ROW, and environmental functions supporting a large electrical transmission portfolio.
• Lead integration across disciplines to ensure seamless delivery of end-to-end transmission projects.
• Serve as a key member of the program leadership team, partnering with engineering, project management, construction, and utility stakeholders.
• Establish strategies, processes, and best practices to support successful project execution.
• Identify risks, constraints, and opportunities and develop proactive solutions to maintain project schedules, budgets, and quality objectives.
• Provide oversight and direction to discipline leaders responsible for transmission line and substation siting and routing
• Stakeholder and community outreach
• Right-of-way acquisition and land services
• Environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, and agency coordination
• Maintain final quality control responsibility for technical reports, permitting packages, stakeholder materials, land acquisition deliverables, and other project documentation
• Ensure deliverables meet client expectations, regulatory requirements, industry standards, and internal quality management procedures
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to increase efficiency, consistency, and delivery performance
• Serve as a primary point of contact and trusted advisor for the utility client on siting, outreach, right-of-way, and environmental-related activities
• Build and maintain strong client relationships through proactive communication, responsiveness, and consistent delivery excellence
• Understand client priorities, challenges, and strategic objectives to support long-term program success
• Identify and pursue opportunities for additional services, expanded project scopes, and business growth
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and career development support to project managers, technical staff, and emerging leaders
• Oversee staffing needs, resource planning, workload balancing, and team performance
• Promote collaboration across disciplines and encourage a culture of accountability, innovation, and excellence
• Mentor junior and mid-level staff to develop technical and leadership capabilities
• Support effective engagement with landowners, communities, municipalities, tribal entities, and regulatory agencies
• Guide outreach strategies to build support and minimize project risks
• Oversee coordination with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies for environmental approvals and compliance
• Ensure alignment between permitting, siting, engineering design, land acquisition, and construction requirements
• Core Competencies: Strategic leadership and decision-making, Client relationship management, Multidisciplinary team integration, Transmission project delivery, Environmental permitting and compliance strategy, Stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution, Right-of-way and land acquisition strategy, Quality assurance and quality control, Business development and account growth, Mentoring and talent development, Executive-level communication

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Client relations

Strategic thinking

Communication

Mentoring

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Jacobs is seeking an experienced Siting, Outreach, Right-of-Way, and Environmental Lead to provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for a large-scale electrical transmission program in the eastern United States.

This client-facing role drives siting, stakeholder outreach, land acquisition, and environmental permitting through development, construction, and closeout, with preferred locations in OH, KY, IN, MI, WV, or VA.