Environmental Planning Engineer

Our client is building the AI-native future of environmental planning, permitting, and infrastructure development. They help energy developers, infrastructure companies, and planning professionals navigate complex regulatory processes faster and more accurately through a combination of advanced technology, environmental expertise, and regulatory intelligence.

As a venture-backed startup, they move quickly, embrace innovation, and challenge traditional consulting models. Their team combines deep subject matter expertise with cutting-edge technology to transform how environmental due diligence, permitting, and planning work gets done across America.

Based in San Francisco (hybrid 3 days/week). $120K–$200K base + meaningful equity.

The Opportunity

Our client is seeking an Environmental Planning Engineer with 2–5 years of experience to join their growing Regulatory & Environmental team. This role sits at the intersection of environmental planning, regulatory analysis, product development, and artificial intelligence.

You will review and validate environmental planning deliverables for real-world energy and infrastructure projects, conduct regulatory and permitting research across multiple jurisdictions, and work directly with product and engineering teams to improve the intelligence of the platform.

This is an ideal opportunity for a motivated environmental professional who wants to move beyond the traditional consulting career path and help create an entirely new category of AI-enabled environmental work.

What You'll Do

• Environmental Review & Quality Assurance
• Review and quality assure environmental planning deliverables before they are delivered to clients.
• Validate environmental analyses, permit assessments, environmental constraints reviews, and critical issues screenings.
• Ensure findings are accurate, defensible, properly cited, and aligned with applicable regulations and agency guidance.
• Identify gaps, inconsistencies, or unsupported conclusions and provide corrective recommendations.

Regulatory & Permitting Research

• Conduct research on environmental regulations, permitting requirements, and planning processes across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Analyze agency guidance, statutes, regulations, planning documents, and permit application requirements.
• Resolve complex environmental and permitting questions related to energy and infrastructure development projects.
• Monitor regulatory developments and emerging permitting trends.

AI Output Validation

• Review AI-generated analyses and environmental findings for accuracy and completeness.
• Identify and correct unsupported, misleading, or incomplete conclusions.
• Develop best practices and workflows for integrating AI into environmental planning processes.
• Help establish quality standards and validation procedures for AI-assisted deliverables.

Product & Knowledge Development

• Translate environmental expertise into structured knowledge that improves the platform.
• Contribute to regulatory databases, permitting frameworks, and environmental risk assessment methodologies.
• Draft prompts, workflows, business rules, and logic enhancements for the product and engineering teams.
• Collaborate closely with software engineers, product managers, and environmental specialists to continuously improve platform performance.
• Evaluate energy, utility, and infrastructure project sites for environmental, permitting, and land-use risks.
• Support environmental screening and due diligence efforts during site selection and project development.
• Prepare environmental risk summaries and development constraint analyses.
• Assist clients in understanding permitting pathways and key project risks.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Environmental Planning, Civil Engineering, Geography, Natural Resources, or a related discipline.
• 2–5 years of relevant professional experience in environmental consulting, planning, permitting, engineering, land use, environmental compliance, or regulatory analysis.
• Strong understanding of U.S. environmental regulatory frameworks and permitting processes.
• Experience conducting environmental research and interpreting agency guidance, regulations, and permitting requirements.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written communication skills with the ability to create clear, well-supported technical documentation.
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup…