Associate Policy and Regulatory Analyst

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an Associate Policy and Regulatory Analyst in Washington, DC to join our policy and regulatory analysis team working closely under our Strategic Growth Director of Client Services. This team supports infrastructure projects across their full life cycle, from early planning and siting through permitting, construction, and long‑term operations, by translating evolving policy and agency priorities into structured analysis that helps technical teams and clients anticipate challenges, understand regulatory context, and make informed decisions.

This is an analyst focused role grounded in real project delivery, where policy insight directly informs infrastructure strategy, permitting execution, and operational planning. This role will also play a key part in expanding SWCA’s regulatory intelligence capabilities, supporting heavy transmission and generation pursuits, and developing scoped regulatory risk analyses that strengthen client strategy and can be positioned as billable project deliverables.

This is a full time, benefitted, salaried position based in Washington, DC. Candidates must reside within commuting distance of the DC office. Hybrid work arrangements may be considered for highly qualified individuals.

• Monitor and analyze federal and state policy developments, rule makings, agency guidance, and regulatory trends affecting infrastructure, energy, natural resources, and environmental permitting.
• Translate complex policy and regulatory developments into clear, actionable insights for technical teams, leadership, and clients.
• Assist in the development of proposals and pursuit strategies, particularly for transmission and generation projects, by integrating regulatory risk analysis and policy positioning into competitive responses.
• Provide analytical input on regulatory risk, agency priorities, and policy signals that may influence project planning, permitting pathways, construction considerations, and long‑term operations.
• Support development of internal regulatory intelligence tools, policy trackers, and strategic briefings.
• Prepare executive‑level summaries that connect policy developments to project delivery considerations, including schedule, cost, feasibility, and risk management.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to integrate policy awareness into project planning, NEPA strategy, federal permitting coordination, and broader lifecycle decision‑making.
• Track litigation trends, agency actions, and emerging regulatory frameworks relevant to SWCA’s markets.
• Contribute analytical insights that support internal strategy discussions, technical teams, and client‑facing materials.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in environmental policy, public policy, environmental science, planning, or a related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience analyzing policy or regulatory issues related to infrastructure, energy, environmental permitting, or sustainability.
• Strong analytical writing skills with the ability to communicate complex regulatory issues clearly and concisely.
• Familiarity with federal regulatory processes, environmental review frameworks, or infrastructure‑related policy environments.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical or scientific information across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience working in consulting, research, regulatory analysis, or project‑support environments is preferred.
• Ability to operate in fast‑moving environments where policy signals evolve quickly and clarity may be incomplete.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing, 100% employee‑owned company that offers a full range of environmental services. Our North Star is to be the best place to work and a leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges, all while staying true to our commitment to employee ownership. At SWCA, we live our core values every day: we collaborate as #OneSWCA, we’re #Always Learning, we #Never Settle, and we #Give Back to our communities.

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