Senior Environmental Permitting Manager

Company Description

Apex Clean Energy was founded with a singular focus: to accelerate the shift to clean energy. Through origination, construction, and operation of utility-scale wind, solar, and storage facilities, distributed energy resources, and green fuel technologies, Apex is expanding the renewable frontier across North America. Our mission-driven team of more than 400 professionals uses a data-focused approach and an unrivaled portfolio of projects to create solutions for the world’s most innovative and forward-thinking customers. For more information about how Apex is building the energy company of the future, visit apexcleanenergy.com.

Apex strives to excel in every phase of project realization, from origination and financing to construction and asset management. Our mission-driven team seeks determined, resolute individuals who strive to innovate and go above the call of duty, and who will relentlessly do their part to help accelerate the shift to America’s clean energy future. 

Job Description

At the direction of the Senior Vice President of Environmental, the Permitting Manager will work directly with the lead developer and the Directors of the Permitting team to obtain discretionary permits required for utility-scale wind, solar, and battery storage projects and associated transmission lines. In this role, you must possess the experience and skills required to assist in preparing the narrative, data, all other requisite deliverables, content, and quality for the preparation and submittal of siting and routing permit applications.

Our ideal candidate will come into this role with a genuine passion for renewable energy, education in a related field, and at least ten years of renewable energy project development that must include wind and solar energy development. Our ideal candidate will have worked on the development of numerous utility-scale wind and solar energy projects (i.e., 100MW or greater), is detail-oriented, and eager to work on complex applications. A big component of the job is reading, understanding, and interpreting complex permitting requirements with the help of the Permitting Team, developers, and legal counsel. Our ideal candidate also has experience and interest in reading and drafting ordinance language, preparing permitting schedules, relating the permitting requirements to the development timeline, identifying inconsistencies in permit requirements, and assisting in driving the active permitting process forward.

It is important that you are a personable self-starter who seizes the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and thrives in an environment that requires flexibility and adaptation to constant change, shifting demands, and tight, moving timelines.

• Hours: Full Time
• Type: Exempt
• Department: Environmental
• Travel: 10-20%
• Office Location: Remote or Headquarters in Charlottesville, VA, or Regional Offices in Lake Elmo, MN or Denver, CO

Primary Responsibilities

• The Permitting Manager is primarily responsible for assisting in drafting site permit applications for assigned utility-scale renewable energy projects at the direction of the Directors of the Permitting team. Other responsibilities include:
• Interpret state and local government land-use permitting requirements
• Gather supporting documentation and data required for the application submittal
• Read, compile, and analyze technical data (e.g. engineering and environmental reports and studies) to determine the permitting impact and pertinence towards application requirements
• Participate in the development and execution of a project permitting strategy in close collaboration with our internal legal team
• Collaborate with permitting consultants and internal and external legal teams
• Assist with compiling project notice lists to meet notice requirements
• Work cross-departmentally to maintain clear communication and smooth collaboration at all stages of the project development process as it pertains to permitting
• Travel to project site locations and attend land-use permit meetings and hearings, as applicable

Qualifications

Success Profile

To succeed as a Permitting Manager at Apex Clean Energy, you’ll need to excel within the following criteria:

• Undergraduate degree in a development related field with a strong academic record
• 10+ years of utility-scale energy development.
• Experience and/or strong interest in county and state permitting processes and participated in obtaining one or more wind or solar project site permits.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within multi-disciplinary teams while earning buy-in from team members to ensure on-time and on-budget delive