Director of Permitting

SOLV Energy is a leading provider of infrastructure services to the power industry, designing, building and maintaining utility scale solar, battery storage and high voltage substation projects nationwide.

Job Description Summary:

The Director of Permitting is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategy, structure, and performance of SOLV Energy’s permitting program across all project types, including utility-scale solar, BESS, high-voltage, and O&M. This role establishes enterprise-wide permitting standards, develops and manages a team of Regional Permitting Managers, and serves as the executive point of escalation for complex regulatory, jurisdictional, and stakeholder matters. The Director is SOLV Energy’s senior external relationship holder with regulatory agencies and clients on permitting-related issues, and plays a key role in business development, contract development, and cross-functional alignment.

This role can be based full-time with regular in office presence in San Diego, CA or Edison, NJ, or remote in Dallas, TX or Denver, CO. Specific location details and expectations will be discussed during the interview process.

Job Description:

*This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned

Position Responsibilities and Duties: 

Program Leadership & Strategy 

• Develop and own SOLV Energy’s enterprise permitting strategy, standards, and processes across all project types and geographies 

• Build, lead, and develop a team of Regional Permitting Managers (West, Central, East) who handle day-to-day permitting execution 

• Define regional coverage models, workload allocation, and staffing plans aligned with the project pipeline 

• Establish and maintain permitting playbooks, templates, and best practices that can be deployed consistently across all regions 

• Drive continuous improvement of permitting workflows, tools, and reporting to increase efficiency and reduce schedule risk 

• Own and track key permitting KPIs across the portfolio; provide executive-level reporting and trend analysis 

Escalation & Senior Relationship Management 

• Serve as the senior point of escalation for complex, high-stakes, or politically sensitive permitting matters that exceed the regional manager level 

• Cultivate and maintain executive-level relationships with key AHJs (federal, state, and local), regulatory bodies, and community stakeholders across SOLV’s operating territories 

• Represent SOLV Energy at public hearings, agency meetings, and industry forums at the Director level 

• Advocate on behalf of projects and owners in front of elected officials, planning commissions, and agency heads 

• Identify and monitor regulatory trends, legislative changes, and policy shifts that could affect SOLV’s project portfolio; brief leadership accordingly 

• Lead negotiation strategy with AHJs when code interpretations or requirements conflict with project design or established practice 

Business Development & Client-Facing Support 

• Provide permitting due diligence, risk assessment, and entitlement consulting support during the business development and preconstruction phase 

• Represent SOLV Energy’s permitting capabilities during client interviews, RFP responses, and preconstruction meetings 

• Develop and review contract exhibits related to owner and contractor permitting responsibilities 

• Provide senior-level permitting consultation and advisory services to clients as needed throughout the project lifecycle 

• Collaborate with the Impact Group (community relations, government affairs, ESG) to align permitting strategy with stakeholder engagement — ensuring early community support and government goodwill ahead of permit filings 

Cross-Functional Coordination 

• Partner with Engineering, Preconstruction, Scheduling, Estimating, and Operations to embed permitting requirements and timelines into project plans 

• Work with Legal and Finance on permitting-related risk, contractual compliance, and cost recovery matters 

• Ensure that permitting program costs are tracked, budgeted, and where applicable, job-charged for financial accountability 

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