Senior Manager Permitting

COMPANY OVERVIEW 

Hanwha Renewables, headquartered in Irvine, California, a member of Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 firm that is among the eight largest business enterprises in South Korea. Hanwha Renewables designs, builds and manages renewable energy solutions. The company brings a decade of global leadership in renewable energy to North America, combining best-of-world technology, processes, and partnerships to deliver utility-grade energy solutions customized for local energy markets. Hanwha Renewables offers the full spectrum of energy solutions – from power plant development, design, construction, operations, and maintenance. With proven capabilities across the renewable energy value chain, Hanwha Renewables minimizes uncertainty and risk, and helps customers achieve a higher return on their investment in renewable energy.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Permitting Senior Manager will conduct and manage all aspects of environmental compliance and permitting required for energy project development across the U.S. They will also manage permitting staff in the department. This position will be engaged in supporting all aspects of project development including early, mid, and late (construction) stages. This position reports to the Senior Director of Permitting, or another senior management personnel that the Chief Commercial Officer of the Company may designate. This position may be required to travel up to 20% of the time, with travel to headquarters and across North America as project needs dictate. Hanwha Renewables is headquartered in Irvine, California, and the ideal candidate will be within commutable distance to the Irvine office location. However, this position may have the opportunity to work remotely. The employee may be required to perform other job-related duties as requested by management.  All duties will be assigned in accordance with applicable laws and company policies.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead junior permitting staff to accomplish company objectives in a comprehensive and efficient manner;
• Support the project development team with implementation of company policies and procedures to ensure timely permitting of development stage projects and permit compliance for construction and operational stage projects;
• Develop and maintain relationships with key decision makers on the local, state and federal levels with the goal of fostering productive and ethical relationships with permitting authorities;
• Understand the permitting requirements for projects from the inception of project pursuit and be able to effectively communicate SOW, budget and schedule to senior management;
• Monitor technological advancements and evolving industry best practices for environmental stewardship in the development and construction of PV, BESS and hydrogen systems and continuously improve internal processes to keep pace;

• Be proactive and understand what environmental studies will be required and when, both from a financing and permit requirement perspective;
• Ensure early- and mid-stage development permits are obtained in an orderly and timely fashion;
• Provide oversight to EPCs to ensure late-stage (construction) ministerial permits are obtained;
• Contract highly qualified consultants with a proven track record to provide environmental and permitting support;
• Provide review of consultant deliverables with an eye to ensuring they meet 174PG standards, are technically accurate, and meet jurisdictional authority requirements;
• Manage preparation of permit applications to agencies, represent Company in hearings and proceedings, and maintain documentation of the process and conditions for all permits;
• Provide weekly summary updates to Senior Director of Permitting of all activities, milestones, potential issues/challenges; and
• Perform all other duties and special requests, as assigned by Management.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree, preferably with a major in Natural Resources, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Policy, or another related field;
• Minimum of 15+ years of experience in environmental and regulatory compliance, required;
• Direct experience in federal authorizations requiring NEPA compliance, required;
• Direct experience in state authorizations with complex environmental reviews (e.g., CA CEQA, OR EFSC, WA SEPA), required;
• Experience in both western U.S. and eastern U.S. jurisdictions, preferred;
• Minimum of 5+ years experience in utility-scale renewable energy development, required;
• Demonstrated experience in public outreach
• Proficiency in MS Excel, MS Project, Word, and PowerPoint
• Team player attitude and mentality, required;
• High proficiency in written and oral communication
• Must be able to troubleshoot problems and find solutions, independently and within a team.
• High degree of professionalism and conduct at all times;
• Able to manage a minimum of five or more projects at one time, multi-task, and set priorities
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines;
• Confidence and ability to interact with people at all levels of the organization;
• Microsoft Office Suite (including SharePoint and Teams) proficiency required; and
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, dynamic environment.

COMPENSATION: $160,000 - $175,000 salary

Attention external recruitment firms, we will not accept any unsolicited resumes at this time. Please do not contact any internal member of our company to discuss the position or to solicit candidates.

Hanwha Renewables provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.