Principal Environmental Compliance Specialist & Project Manager

ESA is seeking a Principal Environmental Compliance Specialist & Project Manager with 10+ years of environmental compliance, regulatory and permitting oversight, and project management experience.  This is a remote role with strong preference given to candidates located in CA and able to work hybrid as needed from one of our CA ESA offices. The ideal candidate must be open and willing to occasional travel for team collaboration and to support projects in the Central Valley/Fresno Area as well as other complex water, transportation, and energy market projects. You must work well with large teams in a fast-paced environment in a company where leadership, collaboration, delivery, and the desire to learn and grow are highly valued.

Who You Are 

• An experienced Manager with a minimum of 10 years of experience leading environmental compliance and regulatory oversight for large construction projects, preferably in California.
• You have strong experience in leading teams to monitor and document compliance with environmental commitments, permit terms, and mitigation measures.
• You have managed the development of key compliance and project documents for submittal to clients and regulatory agencies as needed.
• You have a working knowledge of data collection, data analysis, and reporting systems to facilitate communication across project teams.
• You are a problem solver and can work closely with clients and resource agencies to keep highly complex projects on track, on budget, and in compliance.
• You are an experienced client service manager with interest and expertise in how to grow client relationships, teaming relationships, and generating new business.
• You have assisted and/or led complex marketing and business development pursuits including developing capture strategies, and leading proposals, interviews and presentations.
• You are an effective team member and communicator who proactively identifies and contributes constructively to address broad project or team issues, providing mentoring and coaching to early career staff to foster teamwork.
• You are interested and have participated in staff retention and recruitment activities.
• You hold at least a bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, environmental science, or a related field.
• You must hold a valid driver’s license.
• A minimum of 10+ years' experience required in project management, permitting and policy analysis, business development & agency negotiations, & large infrastructure projects
• Prior experience in environmental compliance monitoring, biological species and habitats, & construction management is strongly preferred, but not required.
• Candidates must be comfortable traveling to and visiting remote active construction project sites as needed in all types of weather, sometimes traversing uneven ground and steep terrain in forested environments, fields, arid lands, along stream banks, and in coastal/intertidal areas.

What You Will Do for ESA

• As a senior-level Principal Environmental Compliance Specialist & Project Manager, you will assist or lead multifaceted environmental compliance projects in collaboration with construction crews, engineers, landscape architects, and other specialists on large and complex infrastructure development projects. You will work with ESA’s existing management team to help lead environmental compliance activities for California High Speed Rail, as well as other projects within the water, transportation, and energy markets.
• You will demonstrate a clear understanding of project management principles and practices and be responsible for overseeing environmental compliance on behalf of our clients, while delivering assignments within budget and on schedule. You will serve as a permit specialist, preparing and managing amendments to permits during construction.
• Familiarity with NEPA, federal and state Endangered Species Acts, construction and engineering planning/interface, and other relevant laws is required.  Experience and knowledge of CEQA and Clean Water Act is a plus!
• You will consistently demonstrate your solid written communication skills and attentive listening skills and will participate in and/or lead client meetings. You will present at or provide support at construction management meetings, presenting complex technical information regarding compliance issues clearly and concisely.
• You will lead the preparation of proposals for environmental compliance services, including proposal writing, identifying opportunities, and engaging with proposal/interview teams. These efforts will include having the responsibility for preparing scopes of work and budgets. You will support opportunity pre-positioning meetings and client development strategy, working collaborative with market development teams.
• You will provide mentorship and support for staff, including reviewing their work for accuracy and clarity and providing constructive feedback and career development guidance.
• In your recruiting and retention activities you will demonstrate and perpetuate values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in your interactions with other candidates and ESA employee-owners and commit to addressing inappropriate or exclusionary behaviors.
• 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 Biological Resources Team in California   

Our Biology Team includes biologists, restoration ecologists, permitting specialists, conservation biologists, and environmental scientists that provide expertise for many municipalities throughout California. Our work matters because it helps communities shape a positive future for their citizens in balance with conserving our state’s sensitive natural resources. We value creative thinking, teamwork, and multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement and integration.

To read about some of the exciting projects we have recently completed follow this link.

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)