Principal Consultant, Project Manager

ERM•Walnut Creek, CA

1d•$121,274 - $152,491

About The Position

If you're a seasoned program leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, operations, and environmental stewardship, this is your opportunity to shape high‑impact work across Northern California’s power sector. At ERM, you’ll guide complex permitting programs that influence regional infrastructure, environmental compliance, and long‑term client success. Why This Role Matters Our utility clients face increasing pressure to maintain safe, resilient infrastructure while meeting evolving environmental and regulatory standards. ERM’s vegetation management permitting programs play a critical role in supporting wildfire mitigation, grid reliability, and streamlined operational decision‑making. As Principal Consultant, Program Manager in Northern California, you’ll ensure alignment across teams, elevate program performance, and strengthen ERM’s strategic partnership with a major power sector client. What Your Impact Is In this role, you will: Lead a high‑performing regional program team responsible for delivering a portfolio of permitting activities. Drive strategic cohesion across multiple projects, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. Serve as the primary client liaison, steering program objectives and performance metrics. Guide and mentor Program Managers and Project Managers, strengthening ERM’s leadership presence. Enhance operational effectiveness by implementing tools, processes, and workflow improvements that accelerate permitting outcomes. What You’ll Bring Required Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Business, Project Management, or related field. Minimum 5 years of experience leading cross‑functional teams in consulting, utilities, or environmental services. Proven ability to manage multi‑project programs and oversee multidisciplinary teams. Strong organizational, analytical, and strategic planning skills with the ability to balance competing priorities. Excellent communication skills and demonstrated success building and maintaining strong client relationships. Proficiency with program management tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, Excel), GIS platforms, and Microsoft Office Suite. Preferred Master’s degree in a related discipline. Leadership certifications such as PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or similar. 10+ years of program/project management experience within comparable sectors. Key Responsibilities Lead a regional program team and manage Project Managers, ensuring alignment with client objectives and contractual deliverables. Own program strategy, performance, and delivery of all commitments under the contract. Drive staff planning, resource allocation, and organizational structure to support program success. Serve as the primary liaison with client leadership, maintaining proactive communication and strategic alignment. Facilitate close collaboration across environmental, operational, and permitting teams to resolve constraints and maintain compliance. Manage budgets, forecasting, and financial performance; ensure accurate reporting and cost control. Support development of tools and dashboards that improve program visibility, tracking, and reporting. Establish QA/QC standards for permit packages and documentation; ensure compliance with municipal and environmental regulations. Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and enhance permitting turnaround times. Utilize MS Project and Excel for scheduling, tracking, and reporting; maintain familiarity with GIS and data workflows. For the Principal Consultant, Project Manager position, the anticipated annual base pay is $121,274–$152,491 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible). We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k) or RRSP/DPSP, and other applicable benefits to eligible employees. Note: Bonuses, commissions, and other forms of additional compensation are not guaranteed and subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures. Who We Are: As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level. Please submit your resume and brief cover letter. ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes. ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Thank you for your interest in ERM! #LI-FA1 #LI-Hybrid At ERM, sustainability is our business. We are the world’s largest advisory firm focused solely on sustainability, offering unparalleled expertise across business and finance. ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, through our unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. Our diverse global team of experts works with the world’s leading organizations to help them set clear sustainability targets, measure progress and operationalize strategy through deep implementation and business transformation. With more than 50 years of experience, our ability to integrate sustainability solutions and our depth and breadth of technical knowledge are why organizations choose to partner with us as their trusted advisor. Every one of us firmly believes in the potential to create value for our clients through an integrated approach to sustainability (because we have personally seen it and professionally achieved it). Our team members are passionate about client service. We work closely with our clients to help them operationalize their sustainability goals and meet their environmental, health and safety objectives while advancing ERM’s purpose through delivering tangible progress in what the United Nations coined The Decade of Action. Organizing our people across globally integrated communities of technical and strategic talent positions ERM to be a “boots to boardroom” leader in bringing that value creation to our clients, partners, and the world. We recruit exceptional professionals with a personal and professional passion for sustainability and nurture them to even greater success as specialists. We prepare our consultants to bring integrated, innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients and provide opportunities for ongoing development across a variety of subject areas related to technical, business, and personal growth. At ERM, effort pays off and becomes career defining work that leaves a positive imprint on our planet. ERM Homepage Explore All Open Roles Explore Early Careers Roles Explore Experienced Professional Roles Explore Partnership Roles

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Business, Project Management, or related field.
Minimum 5 years of experience leading cross‑functional teams in consulting, utilities, or environmental services.
Proven ability to manage multi‑project programs and oversee multidisciplinary teams.
Strong organizational, analytical, and strategic planning skills with the ability to balance competing priorities.
Excellent communication skills and demonstrated success building and maintaining strong client relationships.
Proficiency with program management tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, Excel), GIS platforms, and Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related discipline.
Leadership certifications such as PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or similar.
10+ years of program/project management experience within comparable sectors.

Responsibilities

Lead a regional program team and manage Project Managers, ensuring alignment with client objectives and contractual deliverables.
Own program strategy, performance, and delivery of all commitments under the contract.
Drive staff planning, resource allocation, and organizational structure to support program success.
Serve as the primary liaison with client leadership, maintaining proactive communication and strategic alignment.
Facilitate close collaboration across environmental, operational, and permitting teams to resolve constraints and maintain compliance.
Manage budgets, forecasting, and financial performance; ensure accurate reporting and cost control.
Support development of tools and dashboards that improve program visibility, tracking, and reporting.
Establish QA/QC standards for permit packages and documentation; ensure compliance with municipal and environmental regulations.
Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and enhance permitting turnaround times.
Utilize MS Project and Excel for scheduling, tracking, and reporting; maintain familiarity with GIS and data workflows.