Senior Manager, Data Center Permitting- Data Center Engineering

SB Energy•Redwood City, CA

About The Position

SB Energy is seeking a Permitting Senior Manager dedicated to its Data Center team. The role leads building, civil, fire and life safety, and operational permitting for data center campuses and supporting facilities. It organizes complex approval workflows, clarifies responsibilities, and integrates permit schedules with phased construction, occupancy, and operational readiness across projects and jurisdictions. The position owns permitting execution for the Data Center team and partners with Development, Real Estate, Legal, and environmental specialists on related land-use, site-control, and environmental approvals. The role requires strong management skills, disciplined follow-through, and the ability to hold multidisciplinary teams and consultants accountable for complete, timely deliverables. It directs permitting consultants and coordinates architects, civil engineers, contractors, and internal stakeholders. It also develops repeatable processes, dashboards, templates, and lessons learned to strengthen permitting execution across the portfolio. The position may be based in Redwood City, California; Denver, Colorado; San Diego, California; or remotely. The listed base salary range is $150,000–$200,000. Total rewards may also include performance-based bonuses, equity grants, and a comprehensive health and wellness benefits package.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in permitting, land development, design management, or construction delivery, including substantial responsibility for building and civil approvals on complex projects.
Demonstrated management experience leading multidisciplinary teams and external consultants, establishing ownership, allocating resources, resolving conflicts, and driving commitments to completion.
Ability to organize simultaneous permitting workstreams across multiple buildings, parcels, phases, and jurisdictions under demanding schedules.
Strong working knowledge of building, civil, fire and life safety, and operational permitting, including agency reviews, inspections, occupancy approvals, and recurring permit requirements.
Experience building integrated schedules, permit matrices, responsibility assignments, action logs, risk registers, and concise leadership reporting.
Ability to read architectural and civil drawings, site plans, surveys, permit boundaries, and technical reports and identify missing information or conflicting assumptions.
Strong written communication, meeting facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills, including effective engagement with permitting authorities.
Proficiency with project tracking and scheduling tools, Excel, document-control systems, and drawing-review platforms such as Bluebeam.

Nice To Haves

Data center or mission-critical campus experience.
Experience with phased construction, Section 401/404 coordination, construction stormwater permits, and complex land assemblies.
Professional credentials such as PMP, AICP, PE, or RA.

Responsibilities

Lead building and civil permits for data centers and support facilities, including site development, grading, drainage, roads, utilities, foundations, core and shell, interiors, and coordinated trade permits.
Establish and maintain a consolidated permit matrix covering jurisdictions, scope, applicants, responsible owners, prerequisites, submission dates, review durations, approval milestones, conditions, and expiration dates.
Integrate permitting activities with design and construction schedules; identify critical dependencies, required design maturity, agency review cycles, and sequencing for early works and phased permit packages.
Lead recurring coordination meetings with clear agendas, decisions, action owners, and due dates; track commitments through closure and resolve handoff gaps between teams.
Direct permitting consultants and coordinate architects, civil engineers, contractors, and internal stakeholders; establish scopes, resource plans, deliverable expectations, and performance accountability.
Manage application readiness reviews, submission logistics, fees, agency comments, and resubmittals; ensure packages include coordinated drawings, calculations, forms, and required supporting studies.
Lead fire and life safety permitting with design professionals, fire marshals, and building officials, including fire protection systems, fire alarm, access, and applicable fuel-storage and hazardous-material approvals.
Maintain controlled records of application versions, agency correspondence, and approvals so teams use consistent information.
Assess permitting impacts of changes to building locations, utility routes, access roads, staging and laydown areas, and construction phasing; coordinate amendments before affected work proceeds.
Partner with Development, Real Estate, and Legal to align submissions with verified site control, parcel boundaries, ownership information, easements, access agreements, and parcel consolidation or subdivision requirements.
Support Development-led environmental permitting by coordinating design inputs and schedules for wetlands and streams, stormwater, air, species, and cultural-resource reviews, as applicable.
Maintain risk and issue registers; flag missing inputs, overdue decisions, and potential delays early; and present recovery plans, options, and leadership decisions needed.
Develop repeatable processes, dashboards, templates, and lessons learned; coach contributors and strengthen permitting execution across the portfolio.

Benefits

100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents.
401(k) with company match.
Generous paid time off and 11 paid holidays.
12 weeks of parental leave.
Life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage.
Flexible spending accounts for medical, dependent care, transit, and parking, with company contributions.
Mental, physical, and social wellness support, with company contributions.
Flexible work arrangements and hybrid office setup benefits.
Monthly reimbursement for phone, internet, and data.
Optional legal and pet insurance plans.
Device purchase support.
Performance-based bonuses and equity grants may be included in total rewards.