Energy Planner-Project Manager

ESA is seeking a highly motivated Energy Planner and project Manager with 5+ years of related work experience, who can support various environmental compliance and regulatory processes for renewable energy and electrical infrastructure projects. This opportunity places a high value on collaboration, delivery, and quality work in a dynamic environment.

• Who You Are
• You are a mid-level to senior-level professional with a minimum of 5 years of related professional experience, at least some of which working in a consulting environment, with responsibilities including conducting research, analyzing impacts, writing sections of reports, and overseeing quality assurance/quality control reviews of deliverables. Proficiency in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and experience with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and similar state/federal regulations are required. Proposal writing experience is a plus.
• You hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree with major coursework in environmental science or a related interdisciplinary field.
• You have strong project management, business development, writing, and analytical skills, as well as effective oral presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex information understandably to various audiences. You are known for building teams, mentoring staff, and effectively managing sub-consultants. You contribute constructively and cooperatively to solve project and team challenges, and you provide coaching to foster teamwork and elevate others. 
• You ideally have experience preparing analyses and evaluations of renewable energy and electrical infrastructure projects.  
•  You are located in California, ideally in Northern California.

What You Will Do for ESA

• You will serve as an environmental planner, deputy project manager, or project manager, and/or contributing author for CEQA and NEPA documents for a variety of energy-related projects.
• You will be responsible for managing tasks, project or task budgets and invoicing, and project delivery schedules; handling project logistics; disseminating and maintaining related information and resources; meeting with team members to gauge progress toward task completion; responding to team member or client questions about assigned tasks or projects; preparing or directing project research and analysis; supporting or leading public outreach efforts relating to environmental review; and delivering project assignments on time and within budget.
• You will also consistently demonstrate your solid writing and attentive listening skills; participate in and/or lead client meetings; and present information understandably and speak persuasively about complex topics to clients, agency staff, teaming partners, other project stakeholders, and the general public.
• You may also be involved in marketing and business development pursuits for selected tasks and/or projects of moderate complexity. Your efforts may include preparing scopes of work, schedules, and budgets, providing technical input, and participating in interviews for new work.
• You will provide mentorship and potentially supervise junior staff, including reviewing their work for accuracy and clarity and providing constructive feedback and career development guidance while working on projects together.
• You will thrive in a fast-paced, challenging environment and be able to manage multiple responsibilities and deadlines, while working on a team or independently.

What’s Special About ESA

Joining ESA means becoming part of a close-knit team of environmental professionals who contribute to outstanding projects, improve environmental stewardship, and advance a more sustainable and resilient future for our communities and wild places.

At ESA, we provide benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance (paid at 70% for you AND your family), annual allocations of company shares through our employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), a 401(k) plan with company match, and paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays, to name a few. Spot and annual bonuses are available to reward the highest caliber work.

We also provide specific programs whether you want to further your technical expertise, sharpen your business acumen, or help lead the next generation of employee-owners. We want to support you in reaching your career goals through tuition reimbursement, professional development bonuses, and attendance at conferences.

What’s Special About Our Energy Team in Northern California 

We have managed the environmental analysis and permitting of more than 1,000 miles of electric transmission line and analyzed more than 16,000 MW of solar energy and nearly 1,300 MW of wind energy, as well as geothermal, biofuel and green hydrogen fuel energy generation projects on both private and federal lands. ESA’s energy and infrastructure clients range from regulating agencies to power producers, renewable energy developers, ports and surface mining concerns.

Learn about our Energy work, click here.

Who We Are 

We are a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm who values diversity and inclusion and celebrate the differences that make each of us unique. Our culture is built on mutual respect, recognizing that our variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives leads to better solutions, which fosters our continued success for our employee-owners and clients. 

In accordance with ESA’s duty and responsibility to provide and maintain a safe workplace that is free of known hazards and to minimize the exposure to potential hazards, any employee who works from an ESA office or conducts any other in-person ESA work-related activity is required to submit their proof of vaccination status or have received an approved exemption and accommodation in states which this applies. 

ESA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. (EOE M/V/F/D)