Director, Environmental & Permitting

About The Position 

The Environmental and Permitting Manager will be responsible for procuring, managing, and interpreting early-stage site environmental diligence, managing environmental permitting strategy for Linea’s portfolio of greenfield and M&A assets, during different stages of development.  This will include prosecuting environmental reviews and discretionary permits, and managing pre-construction environmental compliance for greenfield renewable energy projects (including wind, solar PV, and energy storage).  Initially, this will be focused on ERCOT and MISO, and this individual will be responsible for hiring and building out a team of third party consultants to enable our growth. The Environmental and Permitting Manager will work cross-disciplinarily with team members across business, finance, communications, biology, policy, and real estate.  

Responsibilities & Essential Functions 

• Prepare, submit, and coordinate agency approval of applications for discretionary permits and other entitlements critical to project viability and success 

• Direct the work of a network of external consultants in the scoping of biological, cultural, and other resource surveys and the preparation of diligence documents (including legal counsel for permit opinions and guidance) necessary for environmental permitting and financing processes 

• Drive coordination with a network of geographically dispersed internal colleagues in the preparation of land use permit applications and environmental documents to ensure a complete and accurate scope of work is captured by environmental approvals 

• In partnership with the development team, review zoning, floodplain, biological resources, wetlands, cultural resources, permitting fees, entitlement processes, community attributes and other site-specific considerations, and make strategic recommendations to support early-stage project development and minimize, manage, or mitigate environmental risks 

• Attend site visits in the field related to site assessment, community engagement, agency review, and construction 

• Research and clearly/comprehensively summarize land, environmental review, and permitting requirements for early stage project jurisdictions 

• Represent the company at local, state, federal land use planning and zoning meetings and industry association discussions, and communicate key take-aways for internal teams 

• Participate in coordination of public meetings and project hearings, including developing key content for informational collateral 

• Prepare and present materials to external external stakeholders, including local, state, and federal agencies, elected officials, project communities, environmental NGOs, and Native American tribes 

• Prepare and provide permit compliance documentation to regulatory agencies 

• Manage and keep up to date project permitting schedules and budgets, Develop internal presentation, communication, and approval materials for executive management and other internal stakeholders 

• Review draft permit requirements, maintain project obligation tracker, and complete permitting exhibits for contracts with project engineering, procurement, construction contractors 

• Careful review of documents critical to a successful permitting and financing process

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science, Political Science/Government, Geography, Economics or other related field 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 

• Meticulous attention to detail and quality of work product 

• Excellent organizational and project management skills. Independent and self-directed, but unafraid to ask questions where needed 

• Proven ability to plan, prioritize, and execute in a timely and accurate manner 

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and cross-disciplinary environment 

• Ability to summarize complex issues, identify opportunities or next steps with limited guidance 

• Familiarity with land use planning, environmental laws and regulations, including NEPA, ESA, MBTA, and BGEPA 

• Relevant Master’s degree plus five (5) years (Manager) or eight (8) years (Director) of work experience in land development or environmental consulting, with at least two (2) years’ (Manager) or five (5) years' (Director) specific experience leading the permitting of major wind and solar energy projects in the U.S.; additional relevant work experience may substitute for a Master’s 

• Experience working with local, state, federal land management, wildlife, and regulatory agencies, environmental NGOs, or Native American tribes 

• Experience in permitting of other technology based energy facilities, transmission lines, natural gas pipelines, and other energy infrastructure a plus 

Compensation and Location: 

• Job Type: Permanent, Full-time 

• Salary: A base salary commensurate with experience. 

• Bonus: An annual bonus will be awarded based on both individual performance as well as the overall success of the business. 

• Benefits:  Benefit package with health care / dental / vision, and other health and wellness benefits. 

• Location: Position will be located in Chicago, IL, Austin, TX or San Francisco, CA. 

Linea Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOC) and does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.