Environmental Planner/Project Manager - Energy

We are looking for a highly motivated Environmental Planner/Project Manager to support various Energy-related projects in the Pacific Northwest. We are looking for a team member with 5+ years of related work experience, who can manage various environmental compliance and regulatory analyses, primarily relating to SEPA, CEQA, and/or NEPA energy, development, and/or transportation projects. We are seeking a solid client manager with proven business development experience. This opportunity places a high value on collaboration, delivery, and desire to learn and grow.

Who You Are 

You hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree with major course work in environmental planning, policy, and/or science, or a related interdisciplinary field and have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience, which includes conducting analysis and documentation for compliance with SEPA and/or NEPA and, preferably, knowledge of permitting for infrastructure or restoration projects.

You are an experienced project manager with progressive experience leading the development of multifaceted community and environmental analysis projects, with a focus on energy-related projects. You enjoy leading, mentoring, and growing your team. You have the knowledge and proven ability to serve as project manager or project director for highly complex and/or controversial environmental documents. You have extensive knowledge of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and similar state/federal regulations, such as the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).

You have intellectual curiosity and thrive in collaborative environments that may require innovative solutions to problem-solving. Your experiences are varied enough to be creative and nimble in solving some of the most complex regulatory and development challenges for both public agency and private development clients. You are excited and motivated by the prospect of continuing to advance an established team of expert environmental professionals.

You have experience managing the overall project life cycle, from developing project proposals to overseeing day-to-day project assignments and tracking financial performance.

You are known for preparing documents that are clear, concise, well-written and supported and for your ability to present information understandably and speak persuasively about complex topics to colleagues, clients, agency staff, teaming partners, other project stakeholders and the general public.

You are an effective leader who communicates proactively, identifies and contributes constructively to address broad project or team issues while working collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary environment. You treat others with respect, empathy, and dignity.

You work collaboratively with clients and interdisciplinary teams to deliver your projects on time and within budget and have developed and tracked scope, schedules, and budgets.

You have an interest in business development and have experience acquiring work through your existing network and/or contributing to proposals.

What You Will Do for ESA

As an Environmental Planner/Project Manager, you will serve as a technical specialist in one or more areas of planning or environmental review, and as Project Manager on projects of all levels of complexity. You will demonstrate a clear understanding of project and client management principles and practices and be responsible for the development of technical documents and creative solutions in accordance with applicable guidelines and requirements, while delivering assignments within budget and schedule. Specifically, you will be responsible for coordinating task or project delivery schedules, handling project logistics, disseminating and maintaining related information and resources, budget tracking and invoicing, meeting with team members to gauge progress toward task completion, serve as the point person for team member or client questions, and deliver project assignments on time and within budget.

You will serve as primary author of planning and/or environmental review documents potentially including comprehensive plans, transportation plans, land development regulations, reports, maps, working papers, technical memoranda or reports, and correspondence, and/or sections of NEPA, CEQA, and SEPA environmental documents, resource-related permit applications and other documents.

You will consistently demonstrate your solid writing and attentive listening skills, participate in and/or lead client meetings, and clearly present information about complex topics to clients, agency staff, teaming partners, other project stakeholders and the general public.

Lead marketing and business development for selected tasks and/or projects of moderate complexity. These efforts will include having the responsibility for preparing scopes of work and budgets for proposals or contract negotiations, providing technical input, and participating in interviews.

Provide mentorship and support for more 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 Our Community Development Team

Our Community Development team, which has built a legacy of success providing environmental compliance, clearance, and advancement, consists of our SEPA/NEPA/CEQA, urban planning and air quality climate and acoustics technical experts. We combine our firm’s technical depth in natural resources science and environmental planning with deep knowledge of regulatory practices and procedures, including the most current legislation and case law, to create value-added, cost-effective, and legally defensible solutions for our clients. ESA is unique in that we have a deep scientific, technical, and regulatory expertise, which we apply to our planning and environmental review projects. We keep project approval and implementation at the forefront, balancing long-term planning, community attributes, stakeholder objectives, and cost. In preparing these documents, our SEPA/NEPA/CEQA practitioners collaborate with our team of experts on biological resources and wetlands permitting; cultural resources; climate action and adaptation planning and design; acoustics and vibration; and aesthetics and visual resources analyses.

Our focus is on comprehensiveness and clarity, and the result is that our SEPA, NEPA, CEQA, and planning documents are frequently recognized by professional organizations with awards for creative approach and quality. We provide environmental review and permitting direction to public and private developers as well as agencies and non-governmental organizations seeking to implement open space, land management, and environmental restoration plans.

ESA’s Northwest offices include planners, environmental scientists, biologists, natural resource land managers, archeologists, historians, and environmental hydrologists and engineers. As a team, we work together to achieve the firm’s strategic goal of growing ESA’s practice throughout the Northwest.

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 share through our ESOP, a 401(k) plan with company match, and paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays, to name a few.

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.

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)