Consulting Municipal Land Planner

Puget Sound Energy•Bothell, WA

About The Position

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is seeking a Consulting Municipal Land Planner to join their Environmental Services team. This role is a lead land planning strategist and implementor for complex regulatory acquisitions of PSE's critical energy infrastructure. The position involves navigating multiple jurisdictions, political and public engagement, significant land use and environmental concerns, and large expense projects. The incumbent will provide leadership, mentorship, and strategic guidance to the land planning team and internal/external customers. They will develop appropriate courses of action to achieve regulatory objectives, such as minimizing or eliminating permit requirements. The role also involves developing project-specific strategies and providing expertise in response to proposed new regulations at local, state, and federal levels concerning land use and environmental issues. This job title is reserved for complex and critical multi-year projects with typical capital and/or O&M budgets greater than $40M. The incumbent may be reassigned to a Senior Municipal Land Planner position at the conclusion of the assignment, which may include a decrease in compensation. The role requires conducting business honestly, ethically, and in accordance with PSE's core values and Code of Conduct, ensuring all duties are performed in compliance with regulatory obligations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Urban/Land Planning, Natural Sciences or related field and 10 years direct land planning experience or equivalent combination of education and/or relevant work experience
Expert knowledge of land use procedures and processes at the local, state and federal levels
Strong understanding of municipal political processes and structures
Excellent customer service skills including the proven ability to manage customer expectations and guide jurisdictional staff through the application of regulatory requirements as they relate to critical utility infrastructure
Demonstrated ability to successfully lead projects involving multiple stakeholders in a charged environment
Excellent time management and organizational skills with attention to detail
Ability to read and understand company construction drawings
Experience utilizing MS Office suite (Excel, Word, Outlook)

Nice To Haves

Masters of Science degree in Land Planning
Significant experience in energy utility regulatory negotiations.
License or certification in wetland science, geology, or other environmental disciplines.
American Planning Associations AICP certification.

Responsibilities

Works independently to perform complex permitting functions in support of PSE's most significant, high profile projects
Provides expert policy and strategy recommendations on regional land use issues across PSE's service territory
May lead cross-department and cross-business unit projects to solve complex business issues and/or improve land use-related processes and policies
Mentors, guides and trains other Land Planners
Develops blanket contracts and manages consultant resources for overflow work
Performs other duties as assigned.