Senior Environmental Transportation Planner

HDR • Walnut Creek, CA

43d

About The Position

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story' Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world. We believe transportation is more than movement, it’s the foundation of connected, thriving communities. As part of HDR’s Transportation Business Group, you’ll help shape the systems that move people and goods safely, efficiently, and sustainably. From designing resilient highways and iconic bridges to advancing transit, passenger and freight rail, aviation, federal transportation ports and marine infrastructure, your work will directly support economic vitality, public safety, sustainable and resilient communities and quality of life. We bring together planners, engineers, architects, construction management staff, environmental, strategic communications, economists, management consultants and specialists across disciplines to solve complex mobility challenges with innovation, technical excellence, and a deep understanding of community needs. Whether you're modernizing aging infrastructure or pioneering next-generation transportation solutions, your contributions will help define the future of mobility. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead progress, drive meaningful impact, and leave a legacy of smarter, more connected transportation networks. We are all employee-owners at HDR, which is the foundation of our collaborative culture that connects employees around the world. Primary Responsibilities Our Northern California Transportation Business Group is looking for a strong Senior Environmental Transportation Planner with a thorough understanding and experience both supporting and managing a range of project types. The successful candidate for this position will be involved with working with our client, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in addition to other transportation agencies. The Senior Environmental Planner will report to the Environmental Transportation Planning Section Manager and will be an interdisciplinary team member who participates in transportation project development; prepares environmental analysis of proposed projects and design alternatives; identifies environmental impacts and formulates measures to mitigate impacts; prepares environmental clearance documents for infrastructure projects in compliance with all applicable local, State and Federal laws, regulations and policies, and has the ability to participate in construction monitoring and compliance reporting. This role will support the environmental planning and engineering teams in our local and regional transportation infrastructure practice. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in planning, preparation and analysis/review of CEPA/NEPA documents and permits for transportation clients including roadways/highways, transit, bicycle/trail, railways, ports, and aviation clients.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science or closely related field
• A minimum of 10 years technical and/or field experience in complex environmental planning projects
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite
• Self-starter with excellent writing and communication skills
• Strong conceptual, organizational, problem-solving and research abilities
• Technical and/or field experience dealing with environmental impact issues, associated permit processes and documentation preparation/review
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must
• A minimum of 2 years of project management experience is required, including writing scopes of work, developing and managing budgets, schedules, and quality control of deliverables.

Nice To Haves

• AICP certification
• Staff management experience beneficial
• Experience working with FRA, FTA and local transportation authorities is also beneficial.
• Ideal candidate should have 10 years of experience with an aptitude to grow within a highly diversified, collaborative, and cohesive team. Growth includes an interest to learn and develop new skills while helping other team members to take on challenging tasks.
• Work environments may vary based on the specific project, so candidate should be flexible and adaptable to work both independently or in conjunction with technical and specialized teams from local and regional offices.

Responsibilities

• Planning and management of multiple projects or tasks ranging from small- to large-size environmental planning and compliance projects
• Perform complex assignments with ability to make independent decisions on problems and methods
• Direct work of others in a team setting to complete required studies, documents and reports in accordance with local, state and federal regulations
• Reviews the work of others and provides quality control and assurance on projects.
• Demonstrate ability to facilitate, coordinate and present project elements and issues with multiple agencies, stakeholders and the public in efforts to educate and assist with consensus building
• Must have experience preparing environmental technical studies, surveys, research and construction compliance documentation that meets Caltrans and other transportation agency requirements and is specifically familiar with the Caltrans Standard Environmental Reference (SER).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees