Staff Air Quality Specialist

SWCA Environmental Consultants; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 43,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

SWCA Environmental Consultants seeks a Staff Air Quality Specialist to join our national air quality practice. This full-time, hourly, non-exempt role is hybrid/remote eligible from any SWCA US office location, focusing on permitting, planning, and modeling across power, oil and gas, and industrial sectors.

You will assist with air permit applications, emission inventories, and regulatory research, contribute to CEQA/NEPA documents, and help with dispersion modeling and health risk assessments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering; chemical or mechanical preferred. BS in environmental science with 1 year relative experience may be considered.
• Two years of consulting experience in air quality: permitting, dispersion modeling, inventories, or compliance reporting.
• Familiarity with GHG, Title V, PSD, NSR, BACT, LAER, NSPS, MACT regulations.

Responsibilities

• Assist in preparing air permit applications (NSR, Title V, PBR) for submittal to federal, state, and local agencies.
• Support air emissions calculations using established methods, factors, and data.
• Help with regulatory research to identify applicable air quality requirements.
• Assist drafting air quality, greenhouse gas, and climate change sections for CEQA, NEPA, and FERC documents.
• Assist development of dispersion modeling input data and interpret model outputs under guidance.
• Support preparation of emissions inventories and compliance reports.
• Track project tasks and deadlines; communicate with clients and agencies under direction.
• Stay current on air quality regulations and apply knowledge to project work.

Skills

Air quality permitting

Dispersion modeling

Regulatory research

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

BS in environmental science +1 year experience

Job description

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Staff Air Quality Specialist to join our national Air Quality practice. SWCA provides our clients with high quality air permitting, planning, and modeling services across the country. Qualified candidates will have demonstrated experience in the power generation, oil and gas, and/or industrial sectors.

This is a full-time, hourly, non-exempt position that is hybrid and/or remote eligible based out of any SWCA US office location.

If you are seeking an opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled and diverse professionals, then SWCA will be a great fit for you. Our employees are given excellent project opportunities and direct client contact. As a part of the Air Quality team, you will have the ability to make a significant impact in the growth of our Air Quality practice.

What you will accomplish

• Assists in preparing air permit applications (e.g., NSR, Title V, PBR) for submittal to federal, state, and local regulatory agencies.
• Supports air emissions calculations using established engineering methods, emission factors, and operational data for various source types, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
• Assists with regulatory research to identify applicable air quality requirements and supports applicability determinations for diverse projects.
• Assists with drafting air quality, greenhouse gas, and climate change technical sections for CEQA, NEPA, and FERC environmental documents, demonstrating strong technical writing skills.
• Assists development of air dispersion modeling input data and interprets model outputs with guidance from experienced team members, contributing to project analyses. Contributes to health risk assessments and greenhouse gas analyses in support of environmental permitting and impact evaluations.
• Supports preparation of emissions inventories and compliance reports, ensuring accuracy, alignment with regulatory formats, and timely submittal to agencies.
• Tracks project tasks and deadlines, contributes to internal project coordination, and communicates with clients or agency representatives under direction, maintaining professional standards.
• Stays current on relevant air quality regulations and permitting programs, actively applying new knowledge to project work and demonstrating attention to detail, safety, and a proactive approach to problem-solving in a collaborative team environment.
• Participates in agency and client meetings, supporting senior staff in technical discussions and documentation follow-up, and maintaining organized project records.
• Demonstrates a commitment to safety, quality, and professional communication with team members and with clients or regulatory agencies to support SWCA's environmental consulting projects.
• Follows applicable federal, Tribal, state, local, industry, contractual, and company regulations, standards, and specifications.
• Adheres to the safety program and looks out for the safety of others, promptly communicating and mitigating safety hazards.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Experience and qualifications for success

Minimum qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree in engineering. Chemical or mechanical engineering is preferred. BS in environmental science with 1-year relative experience may be considered.
• Two (2) years of consulting experience in one or more of the following air quality areas required: air quality permitting, dispersion modeling, emission inventories, air quality construction and operating permits; and/or compliance reporting.
• Working knowledge with the appropriate regulatory authorities and regulations such as Green House Gas (GHG), Title V, Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD), New Source Review (NSR), Best Available Control Technology (BACT), Lowest Achievable Emissions Rate (LAER), New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) and Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT).

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in project management, client management and proposal writing or the ability to rapidly evolve into these areas.
• Noise monitoring experience.
• NEPA air quality resource writing.

Why Work at SWCA

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you need assistance accessing SWCA's website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail] or call 1-480-581-5378. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this US-based position can expect an hourly range of $30.98/hr. - $40.43/hr. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA's Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits Package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.