We are seeking an experienced Permit Coordinator to support environmental permitting and regulatory compliance for a large-scale industrial development. This position will play a key role in coordinating federal, state, and local permitting activities, managing permitting schedules, working directly with regulatory agencies, and overseeing external environmental consultants.
The ideal candidate brings significant experience with air quality, water, environmental, and federal permitting, along with the ability to manage complex regulatory processes and keep large-scale projects moving forward.
Key Responsibilities
Environmental Permitting & Compliance
- Develop and execute permitting strategies for construction and ongoing operations.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive permitting schedules, tracking submissions, approvals, milestones, and critical-path activities.
- Coordinate the preparation and submission of permit applications, regulatory filings, and compliance reports.
- Identify potential permitting delays or regulatory risks and coordinate mitigation strategies with project leadership.
- Monitor compliance with issued permits and applicable federal and state environmental requirements.
- Coordinate technical information and documentation from engineering, HSE, operations, and other project teams.
Regulatory & Government Agency Relations
- Serve as a primary point of contact with federal and state regulatory agencies, including EPA, TDEC, the Permitting Council, and other applicable authorities.
- Establish and maintain productive relationships with regulatory agency representatives.
- Coordinate and participate in pre-application meetings, agency meetings, public hearings, town halls, and other formal regulatory interactions.
- Respond to regulatory correspondence, inquiries, requests for information, and agency comments.
- Monitor changes in environmental regulations and policies that may affect project permitting or compliance.
- Participate in public and community engagement activities as needed.
Consultant & Agency Management
- Identify, select, and manage external environmental and permitting consultants.
- Oversee consultant preparation of permit applications, NEPA documentation, waterway permitting materials, and other regulatory deliverables.
- Review permitting documents and regulatory responses for quality, completeness, and alignment with applicable requirements.
- Coordinate communication between internal project teams and external consultants.
- Manage consultant scope, schedules, deliverables, and performance.
Federal Permitting / NEPA
- Coordinate federal permitting activities, including NEPA review and waterway-related authorizations.
- Support permitting under the Clean Water Act, including Section 404 and Section 10 requirements.
- Coordinate with federal agencies on environmental reviews, regulatory inquiries, and permitting milestones.
- Support Fast-41 processes and Permitting Council coordination, as applicable.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Biology/Ecology, or a related field.
- 10+ years of relevant environmental permitting or regulatory experience.
- Demonstrated experience working with state and/or federal environmental regulatory agencies.
- Hands-on experience with environmental permitting, including air quality and/or waterway permitting.
- Experience with NEPA review processes and federal permitting.
- Strong project and schedule management skills, with the ability to manage multiple permitting activities simultaneously.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Preferred
- Experience working with TDEC, EPA, the Permitting Council, or other relevant federal/state agencies.
- Experience with Tennessee air, water, stormwater, CGP, NPDES, Section 404, and/or Section 10 permitting.
- Experience with Fast-41 processing.
- Experience supporting CHIPS Act or other federally funded projects.
- Experience with large-scale industrial, infrastructure, manufacturing, chemical, smelting, or similar projects.
- Experience with endangered species and cultural-resource reviews, including Section 7 consultation.
- Established relationships with federal or Tennessee regulatory agencies.
- Experience managing environmental permitting for major industrial plant construction projects.
What You Bring
The successful candidate will be a highly organized environmental permitting professional who can navigate complex regulatory requirements, build effective relationships with government agencies, manage consultants, and keep permitting activities aligned with aggressive project schedules. The ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, regulatory officials, consultants, and project leadership is essential.
If you have extensive environmental permitting experience and want to play a key role in bringing a major industrial project from development through construction and operation, we would like to hear from you.