Vice President Environmental Energy Technical Director

WSP•Phoenix, AZ

26d•Onsite

About The Position

WSP USA is seeking a Vice President, Environmental Energy Technical Director to join its South Mountain Earth and Environment Team in Tempe, Arizona. The role provides technical, project, and project-management leadership across the South Mountain energy portfolio, including energy infrastructure siting and routing, permitting, and construction for electric transmission lines and substations, renewable energy projects, and midstream pipelines involving CO₂, natural gas, and hydrogen. The position manages multidisciplinary projects across geographic locations and development phases, including routing and siting, federal, state, and local land-use permitting, and construction compliance. It also involves client coordination and project financial management; business development and proposal support; environmental field data collection and preparation of environmental documents and permit applications; agency coordination; public and stakeholder engagement; staff development; and implementation of quality assurance and quality control programs. The ideal candidate has extensive experience with the Arizona Corporation Commission Certificate of Environmental Compatibility process.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Planning, Urban Planning, Geography, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
12+ years of demonstrated knowledge and professional experience in licensing and permitting, including the ACC CEC process, in Arizona and other southwestern states, preferably related to utility infrastructure development and operations.
5+ years of experience leading the Arizona Corporation Commission Certificate of Environmental Compatibility process.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including defining and understanding client requirements, managing expectations, communicating with clients, and overseeing project staff and subcontractors.
Ability to travel 10% to 20% of the time for client, project, and internal meetings.
Knowledge and demonstrated expertise with NEPA and related federal and state laws and regulations, including the Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications applicable to the candidate’s technical expertise.

Responsibilities

Serve as a technical director, project director, and project manager for projects within the South Mountain energy portfolio.
Develop and mentor staff.
Serve as a subject matter expert in the Arizona Corporation Commission Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (ACC CEC) process.
Manage multidisciplinary projects in various geographic locations and phases of development, including routing and siting, federal, state, and local land-use permitting, and construction compliance.
Coordinate with clients and manage project financial performance, including preparing and monitoring project scope, budget, schedule, and forecasts.
Expand existing client portfolios and establish new leads.
Lead and support proposal preparation for task orders and new contracts.
Lead environmental field resource data collection and prepare environmental documents and permit applications.
Coordinate with federal, state, and local agencies for project permitting.
Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, including engineers, attorneys, planners, GIS analysts, permitting and environmental resource specialists, land agents, and construction compliance monitors.
Communicate with the public and community stakeholders at hearings and public meetings.
Implement corporate and project-specific quality assurance and quality control programs, including methodology and document review, field reviews, project compliance inspections, and site meetings.