Well Permitting Specialist

Fervo Energy; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

401(k) plan

Flexible PTO

Parental leave

Carrot wellbeing program

Dependent Care FSA

Lifestyle Spending Account

Employee stock purchase program

Stock option grants

Bonus opportunities

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Fervo Energy in Houston, TX, is seeking a Well Permitting Specialist to manage planning, permitting, and regulatory compliance for geothermal drilling across exploration, development, and operations.

You will interface with project teams and regulators to ensure permits meet conditions throughout lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Required: Engineering, Geology, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, Planning or related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of permitting or regulatory experience in energy, mining, oil & gas, geothermal, or large infrastructure projects.
• Experience preparing and obtaining drilling permits from state/federal agencies.
• Strong understanding of geothermal drilling operations and well development.
• Excellent organizational, communication, project management and stakeholder coordination skills.
• Ability to travel ~25% to project sites across the western United States.

Responsibilities

• Develop permitting strategies to support exploration, injection, monitoring, production and commercial geothermal well development.
• Prepare and submit complete drilling permit applications to state and federal agencies.
• Coordinate permit sequencing with project schedules, drilling programs, and construction milestones.
• Identify permitting risks and develop mitigation strategies to minimize schedule impacts.
• Maintain a comprehensive permitting schedule and forecast for active/future drilling programs.
• Coordinate regulatory agency meetings and technical reviews, respond to information requests, and negotiate permit conditions.
• Maintain positive working relationships with regulatory personnel.
• Review technical information such as drilling programs, casing and cementing programs, BOP specs, directional drilling plans, well location plats, surface use plans, and related documents.
• Ensure drilling operations comply with permit conditions and regulatory requirements; manage amendments as needed.
• Develop systems to track permit obligations, deadlines, inspections, and commitments.
• Coordinate responses to agency inspections and compliance reviews.
• Support internal audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage permitting consultants/contractors and review work for accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Manage consultant budgets and schedules.
• Develop internal guidance documents and best practices.
• Provide regulatory training to project teams.
• Maintain complete regulatory records for all well permits.
• Develop standardized permitting templates and procedures.

Skills

Engineering

Geology

Environmental Science

Natural Resources

Planning

Regulatory compliance

Job description

Houston, TX; Reno, NV; Salt Lake City, Utah

About Fervo Energy

Fervo Energy (NASDAQ: FRVO) is a modern power company developing next-generation geothermal resources to meet the growing demand for affordable, reliable, 24/7 carbon-free energy. Our mission is to transform geothermal into America’s most dependable and affordable source of clean, around-the-clock power. By combining innovations in horizontal drilling, fiber-optic sensing, and advanced reservoir engineering, Fervo has developed a repeatable approach to building utility-scale enhanced geothermal systems. Our flagship Cape Station development in Utah is planned to deliver 500 MW of firm, carbon-free power, and we are advancing a development pipeline of more than 50 GW. Join us and work alongside world-class engineers, geoscientists, operators, project builders, and business leaders working to make geothermal a cornerstone of a more reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy future.

Position Description

The Well Permitting Specialist is part of Fervo’s Land, Environment, and Permitting team, responsible for managing the planning, permitting, and regulatory compliance of geothermal well drilling activities across Fervo’s exploration, appraisal, development, and commercial operations portfolio. This position is responsible for obtaining and maintaining all state and federal drilling authorizations required for geothermal wells, ensuring compliance with permit conditions throughout drilling and well completion, and serving as the primary interface between project teams and regulatory agencies.

Working closely with Drilling, Completions, Construction, Surveying, Environmental, and Land teams, the Well Permitting Specialist develops permitting strategies that support aggressive project schedules while ensuring safe, compliant, and environmentally responsible geothermal development. The role oversees the complete lifecycle of well permits—from early project planning through drilling, testing, completion, production, injection, suspension, plugging, and long-term regulatory compliance.

Strong communication, project management, organizational, and leadership skills are required, as this position will regularly coordinate across internal and external stakeholders, present permitting initiatives to management, and help drive continuous improvement of Fervo’s well permitting and compliance programs.

Responsibilities

Develop permitting strategies that support exploration, appraisal, injection, monitoring, production, and commercial geothermal well development.

Prepare and submit complete drilling permit applications to state and federal agencies.

Coordinate permit sequencing with project schedules, drilling programs, and construction milestones.

Identify permitting risks and develop mitigation strategies to minimize impacts to project schedules.

Maintain a comprehensive permitting schedule and forecast for active and future drilling programs.

Coordinate regulatory agency meetings and technical reviews, respond to agency requests for additional information, and negotiate permit conditions where appropriate.

Maintain positive working relationships with regulatory personnel.

Review technical information, including drilling programs, casing and cementing programs, blowout prevention (BOP) specifications, directional drilling plans, well location plats, surface use plans, and other plans programs associated with well development.

Ensure drilling operations comply with all permit conditions and regulatory requirements, and manage permit amendments as drilling programs evolve.

Develop systems to track permit obligations, reporting deadlines, inspections, and regulatory commitments.

Coordinate responses to agency inspections and compliance reviews.

Support internal compliance audits and continuous improvement initiatives.

Manage permitting consultants and technical contractors and review consultant work products for technical accuracy and regulatory compliance.

Manage consultant budgets and schedules.

Develop internal guidance documents and best practices.

Provide regulatory training to project teams.

Maintain complete regulatory records for all well permits.

Develop standardized permitting templates and procedures.

Qualifications

Required

Engineering, Geology, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, Planning, or a related technical discipline.

8+ years of permitting or regulatory experience supporting energy, mining, oil & gas, geothermal, or other large infrastructure projects.

Demonstrated experience preparing and obtaining drilling permits from state and/or federal regulatory agencies.

Strong understanding of geothermal drilling operations and well development.

Excellent organizational, communication, project management, and stakeholder coordination skills.

Self-starter capable of managing multiple complex projects simultaneously.

Commitment to environmental stewardship, regulatory excellence, and responsible energy development.

Ability to travel approximately 25% to project sites throughout the western United States.

Preferred

3+ years of team management experience is preferred.

Geothermal well permitting experience with the BLM (43 CFR Parts 3200–3280) and/or state geothermal regulatory agencies (Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, or New Mexico).

Professional Engineer (PE), Professional Geologist (PG), or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is desirable.

Location

Fervo has offices in Houston, TX; Golden, CO; Reno, NV; Oakland, CA; and Salt Lake City, UT. The preferred location for this role is Reno, with alternative options in Houston or Salt Lake City. Approximately 25% travel will be required to support field operations and regulatory engagement throughout the western United States.

• Fervo offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and life outside of work. Benefits for eligible employees include:
• Medical, dental, and vision plan options
• Employer-paid basic life insurance and short-term and long-term disability coverage
• A 401(k) plan with a dollar-for-dollar company match
• Flexible paid time off and paid parental leave
• Family-building, fertility, hormonal health, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting support through Carrot
• A dependent care FSA for eligible child and elder care expenses
• An annual Lifestyle Spending Account for eligible wellness expenses, including fitness, financial planning, pet insurance, and pet care
• Employee ownership opportunities through Fervo’s Employee Stock Purchase Program, as well as stock option grants and bonus opportunities for eligible roles

Benefits and programs are subject to eligibility requirements and may change.

Our Workplace

Fervo Energy highly values having employees work in the office to foster collaboration and strengthen our company culture. This role follows a hybrid schedule, with team members expected to work in the office three days per week. Fervo considers this in-office schedule an essential function of the role. Your recruiter can share more information about the schedule.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Fervo Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, religion, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sex, genetic information, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law. Fervo also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that an individual has any of these characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of these characteristics.

Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?

Will you now require immigration sponsorship by our company to attain or maintain your employment eligibility (e.g., H-1B, E-3, TN, O-1, STEM OPT, or any immigration work authorization requiring a written submission from the company to a government agency)?

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Fervo Energy’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A \"disabled veteran\" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-\-connected disability.

A \"recently separated veteran\" means any veteran during the three-\-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An \"active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran\" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An \"Armed forces service medal veteran\" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.