Senior Environmental Planner, Renewables

Company Description

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

AECOM has an exciting opportunity for a Senior-level Environmental Planning professional to join our Environmental Planning and Permitting (EPP) team in Southern California.  This is a hybrid role and can be based out of AECOM’s Western Region locations including: Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, Orange, CA, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Phoenix, AZ or Las Vegas, NV.

Our EPP team serves numerous private industry renewable energy clients, as well as federal, state and local government, and non-governmental organizations, supporting them on a variety of renewable energy projects including solar, wind, battery storage and hydrogen throughout the western U.S. In this role you will lead project teams and work with our environmental planning practitioners and technical subject matter experts to prepare environmental documents, with a particular focus on supporting permitting and entitlement work for our growing line of work with renewable energy developers and federal land management agencies. This role would involve serving as a seller-doer, including managing clients, project teams and complex projects, and leading and supporting new and ongoing business development activities.

The responsibilities of this role would include, but are not limited to:

• Oversee management and preparation of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents, including Categorical Exemptions, Categorical Exclusions, Initial Studies, Environmental Assessments, Mitigated Negative Declarations, Findings of No Significant Impacts, Environment Impact Reports, and Environment Impact Statements.
• Manage early-stage due diligence efforts for siting renewable energy projects and associated infrastructure.
• Project management on mid- to large-sized projects, including developing and tracking project schedules, budgets, invoicing, and coordination with clients, technical staff and subconsultants.
• Work on environmental documents related to high profile infrastructure projects, with particular emphasis on renewable energy and electric transmission projects.
• Support our clients with their entitlement needs for renewable energy applications.
• Oversee the work of early career staff and mentor others.
• Oversee and support writing and coordinating technical reports or sections as needed.
• Act as a quality verifier for technical work products. 
• Contribute to marketing and business development, preparation of proposals, and formulating proposal cost estimates as a seller-doer.
• Attend and/or present at project and public meetings and assist in preparing meeting materials and compiling meeting results, including PowerPoint presentations, and other materials.
• Interpret and apply applicable government codes, ordinances, and regulations.
• Participate in professional associations/events relevant to the industry.
• Conduct site visits and attend occasional evening and/or weekend meetings based on project needs.

About AECOM’s Environment Business Line
Join AECOM to be part of an expert global team who is connected through a well-developed, worldwide, internal technical practice network through which you can learn from and brainstorm with the best in the world. AECOM is an industry-leading, world class environmental firm, and we want you to succeed within it.  We respect and encourage your own pathway to excellence via our Freedom to Grow initiative.

AECOM is known for our award-winning technical excellence, leading-edge science and innovative project delivery. We provide sustainable solutions for some of the world’s most challenging issues. Our global clients and their projects are diverse and interesting. They span market sectors and geographies and require innovative technical solutions to solve wi