Level Environmental Planner

About the Opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an experienced, dynamic, self‑motivated Staff‑Level Environmental Planner with strong interpersonal skills and experience in natural resources evaluation and impact assessment. This individual will help successfully drive our projects throughout all project phases from early planning, assessment, and permitting through construction. The successful candidate will possess a well‑developed understanding of environmental permitting in the Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana) across multiple sectors including oil/gas, transportation, renewables, and land development, and have strong communication skills.

The successful candidate should have experience across a broad range of land use planning and permitting activities such as critical issues analyses, reviewing state and local regulations, ESA consultation; CWA permitting (Sections 404/401); NHPA compliance; and other applicable regulatory requirements. Skills include the ability to manage small to medium‑sized project tasks, track permitting activities, review permit applications for compliance with regulations, and track milestones within scope, schedule and budget.

Attendance at local public open houses and public hearings may be required at times.

This is a full‑time, hourly, regular (with benefits) position that will report into our Houston, Texas office. Pay rate will be based on individual qualifications, experience, and location. A person in this Houston‑based position can expect a salary between $26.16/hour and $33.39/hour for a Staff Environmental Planner and $23.37/hour and $29.49/hour for an Assistant Staff Environmental Planner. SWCA offers a team‑oriented work environment, competitive salaries, and a benefits package, including an employee stock ownership retirement plan (ESOP).

Houston and/or Baton Rouge area “hub” employees are preferred, though the flexibility of a hybrid work environment can be discussed. Remote work environments will only be considered for highly qualified candidates not local to Houston or Baton Rouge.

This requisition can hire at two levels –

• Assistant Staff Environmental Planner – Typically with at least one (1) year of relevant industry expertise and experience.
• Staff Environmental Planner – Typically with at least two (2) years of relevant industry experience and expertise.

The selected candidate will be responsible for contributing to environmental impact analyses, supporting the development of Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and helping to facilitate public and agency outreach.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Assist project managers or technical leads with the development of EAs and EISs, including NEPA documents, for business lines that may include oil and gas, land use planning, generation, transmission and others.
• Prepare key aspects of NEPA documents and navigate the NEPA process, including Pre‑NOI activities and project planning; development of the description of the proposed action and purpose and need; document structuring and content planning; public scoping; public comment review and response; and Records of Decisions and Findings of No Significant Impact.
• Demonstrate technical proficiency in an area of specialization, while demonstrating broad understanding across multiple resource areas.
• Apply knowledge of NEPA and other regulations/guidelines to a variety of environmental planning projects.
• Take initiative and resolve issues to ensure client needs are met effectively.
• Work closely with SWCA’s resource scientists and environmental planners, managers and directors in both natural and cultural resources throughout the company to promote SWCA’s business interests in adherence to its mission, vision, and values.
• Write technical reports and permit applications for approvals under the Clean Water Act (CWA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other resource planning/permitting, and/or natural resource disciplines.
• Assist in the writing and development of written deliverables for project work and assist project managers in budgeting, scheduling,…