Environmental Due Diligence Practice Leader

EKI Environment & Water • Irvine, CA

1d

About The Position

EKI Environment & Water, Inc. is seeking an Environmental Due Diligence Practice Leader to lead, develop, and improve its company-wide environmental due diligence practice, with particular emphasis on Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs). The role reports to the Northern or Southern California Regional Director and works collaboratively with Regional Directors, Technical Directors, principals, project managers, and technical staff across EKI’s offices.

The Practice Leader provides technical and operational leadership, client engagement, business development, and staff development. The position is accountable for practice growth and success by strengthening technical quality, operational efficiency, profitability, and consistent approaches to pricing, staffing, training, project execution, quality assurance and quality control, project management, and technology. The role also develops due diligence and compliance support capabilities by mentoring staff, strengthening technical judgment and writing, maintaining client relationships, and creating new business opportunities.

EKI is an employee-owned, full-service engineering and environmental sciences consulting firm serving private- and public-sector clients throughout the United States. The company describes its culture as committed to a positive work/life experience and offers compensation, benefits, training, and career advancement opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Geology, Hydrogeology, or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years of environmental consulting experience, including substantial experience conducting and/or reviewing Phase I ESAs and environmental due-diligence assignments.
• Expertise with ASTM E1527, the EPA AAI rule, environmental due-diligence standards, and defensible REC, CREC, HREC, BER, and de minimis condition determinations.
• Experience advising clients on environmental conditions and their potential implications for real estate transactions, acquisitions, refinancing, redevelopment, property disposition, Phase II investigations, remediation, regulatory closure, costs, timing, and risk-management strategies.
• Ability to develop business opportunities, expand environmental consulting services, and build and maintain client relationships.
• Project management experience, including managing budgets, schedules, scope, and quality.
• Ability to develop and implement standardized procedures, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen technical quality across project teams.
• Ability to organize and lead collaborative initiatives across offices and build alignment without direct supervisory authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparing and reviewing high-quality technical reports, proposals, and client deliverables.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities, work independently, and coordinate multiple project teams.
• Initiative, sound professional judgment, and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Current valid driver’s license.
• Ability to obtain medical clearance to work on hazardous waste sites.
• Ability to work 10-hour days, handle a high-volume workload and frequent short deadlines, lift up to 10 pounds, remain stationary while standing or sitting for prolonged periods, and communicate with others to exchange information.
• Ability to travel occasionally, possibly overnight, for client meetings, site visits, and professional conferences, up to 15% of the time.

Nice To Haves

• Professional registration or certification such as Professional Engineer (PE), Professional Geologist (PG), or another applicable professional credential.
• OSHA HAZWOPER training.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and execute EKI’s company-wide environmental due diligence practice, particularly its Phase I ESA program.
• Establish and continually improve consistent approaches to pricing, staffing, project execution, training, standardized delivery, QA/QC, project management, templates, procedures, technology, and performance measures.
• Collaborate with company leaders, project managers, and technical staff to implement practice standards across EKI offices.
• Monitor ASTM, EPA All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI), and relevant regulatory developments, incorporating changes into firmwide procedures and practices.
• Provide senior technical leadership for Phase I ESAs and related environmental due-diligence assignments.
• Guide defensible determinations of RECs, CRECs, HRECs, Business Environmental Risks, and de minimis conditions, and communicate recommendations to clients.
• Establish scalable delivery standards that improve technical quality, efficiency, consistency, and reproducibility across reports and project workflows.
• Assess the accuracy and thoroughness of work before client delivery and provide technical oversight for complex, high-risk, or high-profile assignments.
• Support project teams in developing scopes, budgets, investigations, risk-management strategies, recommendations, and clear client communications.
• Coach principals, project managers, and technical staff in technical judgment, project execution, client communication, and decision-making.
• Develop and implement training programs to improve staff proficiency, technical writing, project management, and succession.
• Use Phase I work to develop staff judgment, writing, project management capabilities, and client relationships.
• Advise clients on transaction risks, due-diligence findings, next steps, and practical pathways for further assessment, compliance support, remediation, closure, or risk management.
• Lead case-study discussions and targeted technical coaching to reinforce consistent judgment and professional standards.
• Develop and implement strategies to grow EKI’s environmental due diligence and compliance practice, including expanding existing client services and developing new client relationships.
• Cultivate relationships with clients and referral sources in real estate, legal, lending, development, investment, and corporate sectors.
• Lead and support proposals, statements of qualifications, interviews, presentations, and strategic business development pursuits.
• Collaborate with EKI’s environmental, water, engineering, and other practices to identify and pursue integrated-service opportunities.
• Monitor market developments, client needs, and competition to identify opportunities for service offerings and practice growth.
• Strengthen EKI’s visibility in environmental due diligence and compliance through industry organizations, conferences, presentations, and other professional activities.

Benefits

• Career advancement opportunities.
• Training opportunities.
• Incentive compensation, including bonuses.
• Retirement benefits through an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) and 401(k) profit-sharing contributions.
• Group medical, vision, and dental benefits.
• Positive work/life experience.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior