Environmental Project Manager (Electrical Transmission & Renewable Energy

Stantec•Columbus, OH

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, our experts lead their fields and guide our work with rigor, a creative spirit, and vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties around the globe and are committed to fostering an inclusive community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. We’re a place to apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental talents on work that’s critical to our clients and the communities they support. Stantec has an outstanding record and extensive nationwide portfolio of transmission, wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects that we have helped to bring online. Our team specializes in environmental services and engineering with staff located throughout the country. Stantec has a team of over 3,000 environmental professionals located in over 170 offices throughout the US. We have a team of recognized experts who have dedicated their careers to electrical transmission and renewable energy project development, and we are known and trusted as credible experts. We leverage this diverse team of experienced staff to successfully support projects that include diverse ecosystems, stakeholders, and design requirements. Stantec supports clients during the early stages of routing and siting; followed by regulatory support and permitting; completion of construction; and ongoing operations and maintenance. Stantec’s Environmental Services practice seeks an experienced Environmental Project Manager / Environmental Scientist (Electric Transmission and Renewable Energy) to provide senior-level project management, environmental regulatory, and permitting services with a focus on electric transmission, solar, wind, and BESS clients and their projects, particularly in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. This role is intended for a professional who serves as an internal subject matter expert, applies advanced practical and theoretical environmental knowledge, and works independently under broad guidelines to resolve complex project, regulatory, and client challenges.

Requirements

Minimum of ten years of related environmental consulting, permitting, regulatory, or project management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience
Demonstrated experience managing complex electric transmission and renewable energy projects, including electric transmission, wind, solar, battery energy storage, biogas, or related infrastructure projects
Recognized technical expertise in one or more areas of environmental science, permitting, regulatory strategy, natural resource assessments, routing and siting, environmental compliance, or related disciplines
Working knowledge of environmental sciences, biology, wildlife science, wetlands, land use, environmental justice, cultural resources, and related technical areas, with the ability to integrate information across disciplines
Permitting experience with one or more utility regulatory bodies, such as the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Ohio Power Siting Board, North Dakota Public Service Commission, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, Illinois Commerce Commission, Iowa Utilities Commission, or Michigan Public Service Commission
Federal environmental regulation and permitting experience in the Upper Midwest region with various U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field offices, and National Environmental Policy Act environmental review processes
State permitting experience with Departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, State Historic Preservation Offices, Departments of Health, Pollution Control Agencies, or comparable agencies
Local permitting experience for Conditional Use/Special Use Permits, highway departments, zoning and planning boards, floodplain administrators, emergency management agencies, or similar local authorities
Experience implementing or advising on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wind Energy Guidelines tiered protocols for desktop reviews, environmental surveys, consultations, permitting, and compliance
Ability to work under minimal supervision with broad guidelines, exercise independent judgment, and resolve unusual or complex technical, regulatory, project delivery, or client service issues
Ability to coach, mentor, advise, and review the work of others to improve project quality, consistency, and team effectiveness
Demonstrated commitment to health, safety, security, environment, sustainability, ethics, inclusion, accountability, and high-quality client service
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical writing as a subject matter expert and the ability to present information in public or client-facing forums
Willingness and ability to travel up to 15% for agency meetings, open houses, public hearings, site visits, client events, and conferences
Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, natural resources, biology, planning, environmental studies, or a related field
Minimum of ten years of related work experience in environmental consulting, electric transmission or renewable energy permitting, regulatory compliance, natural resource assessments and studies, routing and siting, project management, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience
Progressively responsible experience managing medium to complex environmental projects, including coordinating multidisciplinary teams, reviewing technical work, managing scope/schedule/budget, and advising clients or project teams on regulatory strategy
Project and task management experience is required

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in environmental/natural resources law, environmental science, natural resources, planning, or a related field preferred
Supervisory, mentoring, staff leadership, or technical advisory experience is preferred
Professional registration or credentials in the candidate’s discipline, such as Professional Wetland Scientist, Certified Wildlife Biologist, Project Management Professional, or comparable credential, is preferred where applicable

Responsibilities

Manage complex projects, schedules, staffing plans, scopes, budgets, risks, and change management activities with a high degree of initiative and independence
Coordinate with clients, stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and multidisciplinary internal project teams to develop practical, science-based solutions
Represent clients at public hearings, open houses, regulatory agency meetings, and other forums where technical information must be communicated clearly and confidently
Perform, oversee, and provide quality review of technical work, including work prepared by other staff and subject matter experts
Serve as an advisor and mentor to project teams, and provide direct supervision or technical direction to staff as applicable
Develop project proposals, scopes of work, budgets, and delivery strategies for medium to complex environmental projects
Support marketing, client relationship development, and business development activities by identifying client needs and opportunities to add value
Identify and evaluate project-specific environmental constraints, engineering design considerations, regulatory requirements, critical issues, permit strategies, and permit matrices
Coordinate with agency personnel for consultations, data reviews, pre-application meetings, permit strategy discussions, and issue resolution
Write, review, and integrate complex, multidisciplinary technical reports for external clients, regulatory filings, desktop assessments, field surveys, and public-facing documents
Prepare and review environmental permit applications and supporting documentation for federal, state, and local approvals
Interpret complex or ambiguous scientific, regulatory, and project information to make evidence-based recommendations and advance project decisions
Present technical information at public meetings, hearings, open houses, conferences, and agency meetings
Facilitate successful environmental permitting and compliance for multiple and varied projects while maintaining quality, schedule, budget, and client service expectations
Coordinate, conduct, and/or lead field work and implement health, safety, security, and environmental practices during project execution