Lead Environmental Planner - Pacific NW

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is expanding our team and actively looking for dynamic individuals who are following their passion in delivering the highest-quality project work. Our Pacific Northwest Team is looking for a self-motivated Lead Environmental Planner with attention to detail and strong communication skills. Individuals need to be willing and able to work with peers across various offices and accomplish tasks associated with a variety of projects in any given week.

The ability to work directly with clients is imperative. The interest in pursuing new business is also desirable.

This is a regular status (with benefits), full-time, salaried position, reporting to SWCA's Team Lead out of our Portland, OR office. Work can be based in the office, in a hybrid work arrangement, or remote (distributed) for those located in the Pacific Northwest sub-region, including Anchorage, Alaska.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is an employee-owned company of environmental professionals who specialize in environmental planning, natural and cultural resource management, and regulatory compliance. Our company purpose is to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today.

Final date to receive applications:
Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

You will be responsible for performing and overseeing multi-disciplinary environmental impact analyses, facilitating public and agency outreach, and providing quality assurance and leadership during the development of EAs and EISs. More senior positions (e.g., senior NEPA planner; principal NEPA planner) will be accountable for more business development and lead more complicated, multidisciplinary planning efforts, projects and teams.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Manage the preparation of EAs and help manage preparation of EISs addressing the development for a wide variety of projects, including revisions of federal resource management plans (RMPs) and land use plans, issuance of rights-of-way, approvals, and/or leases, policy amendments, etc.
• Support business line growth objectives for business lines that may include land use planning, generation, transmission, water, mining, and others.
• Assist teams by providing technical oversight and guidance for the preparation of key aspects of NEPA documents and the NEPA process, including Pre-Notice of Intent (NOI) activities and project planning; development of the description of the proposed action and purpose and need; NEPA document structuring and content planning; public scoping; public comment review and response; stakeholder engagement and public participation, and records of decisions and findings of no significant impact.
• Demonstrate excellent leadership behavior and professionalism while providing leadership at the project, team, and office level.
• Provide expertise to SWCA project managers on complex NEPA projects.
• Provide enterprise-level support by contributing to business development pursuits and proposals.
• Supervise and mentor early and mid-career staff in the development of the skills in NEPA analysis and document preparation.

We seek a team member who brings with him/her demonstrated experience in NEPA project management, environmental analysis, and agency consultation. We seek the following specific qualities:

• Bachelor's degree in environmental planning, environmental science, or another science-related field.
• A minimum of six (6) years of NEPA document preparation and experience in environmental consulting.
• Management experience on complex, multi-disciplinary projects; leading meetings with clients and agencies; directing project teams including subcontractors; preparing or directing staff in the preparation of technical studies and NEPA documents; and setting and adhering to project budgets and delivery schedules.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; attention to detail; and organization, schedule, and budget management skills.
• A strong understanding and experience with federal and state environmental regulations including NEPA, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the ability to develop project execution plans to satisfy regulatory compliance.
• A strong understanding of agency internal processes and procedures and positive existing relationships with federal land management and regulatory agencies, such as…