NEPA Specialist

NEPA Specialist/Project Manager

The NEPA Project Manager serves as both a project manager and technical lead on environmental projects focused on National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, primarily supporting transportation and infrastructure initiatives. This role manages environmental scopes, leads the preparation of NEPA documentation, and coordinates multidisciplinary teams to ensure regulatory compliance and successful project delivery. The position offers significant autonomy, schedule flexibility, and exposure to a diverse portfolio of infrastructure and environmental projects.

Responsibilities

• Manage environmental scopes for transportation and infrastructure projects, ensuring alignment with project goals and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the preparation, review, and quality control of NEPA documentation, including Categorical Exclusions and Environmental Assessments, while understanding the full documentation flow.
• Coordinate with internal field teams and technical specialists across disciplines such as natural resources, cultural resources, and hazardous materials.
• Communicate regularly with clients, agencies, and stakeholders to provide updates, gather input, and maintain strong working relationships.
• Lead and facilitate meetings, including public meetings, stakeholder sessions, and internal coordination meetings, to support project progress and transparency.
• Support permitting efforts and regulatory compliance, including Section 4(f), Section 106, and waterway permits, ensuring adherence to federal and state requirements.
• Lead environmental review processes for federally funded projects, ensuring timely and compliant completion of all required reviews and documentation.
• Produce NEPA-related documents and supporting environmental analyses, integrating technical inputs from multiple disciplines.
• Ensure compliance with federal regulations impacting land use and cultural resources, particularly under Section 4(f) and Section 106.
• Understand and navigate permitting and regulatory pathways tied to transportation projects, including coordination with agencies such as EPA and state transportation entities.
• Manage project budgets, scopes, and timelines, including oversight of internal task managers and coordination of their deliverables.
• Own the delivery of environmental components of projects, ensuring they meet quality, schedule, and budget expectations.
• Track project financials and monitor performance against budgets, identifying and addressing variances proactively.
• Develop project scopes and understand environmental cost drivers, including hazardous waste considerations, professional wetland scientist input, and waste site evaluations.
• Interface directly with transportation agencies, municipalities, and other clients, serving as a primary point of contact for environmental scope and NEPA-related matters.
• Lead client and stakeholder coordination, including organizing and conducting public, stakeholder, and internal meetings to communicate project status and gather feedback.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, backlog-driven environment, prioritizing tasks and resources effectively.
• Demonstrate initiative and strong interpersonal skills to foster a collaborative team culture and maintain high levels of client satisfaction.

Essential Skills

• Proven experience managing environmental scopes for transportation and infrastructure projects with a focus on NEPA compliance.
• Strong working knowledge of NEPA, including preparation and review of Categorical Exclusions and Environmental Assessments, and understanding of NEPA documentation flow.
• Experience leading environmental review processes for federally funded projects.
• Hands-on experience preparing NEPA-related documents and supporting environmental analyses.
• Familiarity with natural resources considerations and coordination of inputs from disciplines such as ecology, cultural resources, and hazardous materials.
• Experience with Section 4(f) and Section 106 compliance, including understanding of federal regulations related to land use and cultural resources.
• Knowledge of waterway permitting processes and coordination with relevant regulatory agencies, including EPA and transportation entities.
• Project management skills, including the ability to manage budgets, scopes, timelines, and internal task managers.
• Ability to track project financials and ensure delivery within budget while managing environmental cost drivers.
• Experience interfacing directly with transportation agencies, municipalities, and other public-sector clients.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to lead public, stakeholder, and internal meetings and provide clear project updates.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, backlog-driven environment.
• High level of initiative and strong personality fit for a collaborative, low-micromanagement culture.
• Comfort working both independently and as part of a cross-functional team to deliver complex…