Project Level Environmental Planner

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 Houston, TX team is looking for a self-motivated Project-Level Environmental Planner with attention to detail and strong communication skills.

We are considering candidates at the below levels of positions, based on relevant years of experience to the role:

• Assistant Project Environmental Planner - Three (3) years of relevant experience and expertise
• Associate Project Environmental Planner - Five (5) years of relevant experience and expertise
• Project Environmental Planner - Seven (7) years of relevant experience and expertise

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 permanent, full-time, regular (with benefits), position, reporting to one of SWCA's Project Managers. Hybrid or remote schedules will be considered if the candidate is not local to Houston.

Our company purpose is to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today. You are invited to be a part of our success story.

Application deadline: 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 environmental impact analyses, facilitating public and agency outreach, and providing quality assurance and leadership during the development of EAs and EISs. More senior positions will have greater independence and work on larger and more complicated tasks and projects. Specific responsibilities include:

• Contribute to the preparation of a variety of environmental planning documents addressing the development of a wide variety of projects and revision of project plans. This may include leading, writing, or managing the preparation of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and pre-NEPA or other support documents related to projects managed by federal agencies as well as environmental reports or other project planning documents for project occurring on state, or private lands
• Manage tasks and smaller projects as appropriate to skill level and related to biological resource assessments and constraints analyses, state and federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultations, Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 and Section 401 permitting, and other tasks as appropriate.
• Support business line growth objectives and lead or contribute to the development of NEPA document, including EAs and EISs, for business lines that may include transportation, oil & gas, disaster recovery 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-NOI activities and project planning; development of the description of the proposed action and purpose and need; NEPA document structuring and content planning; public involvement and outreach including public scoping; public comment review and response; 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 enterprise-level support by contributing to business development pursuits and proposals, potentially including scope and budget creation.
• Work with the South Central / Gulf Coast team to develop individual and collective NEPA analysis and document preparation skills.

We seek a team member who brings 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.
• Experience normally obtained with a minimum of (3) years of demonstrated writing technical documents, participating on project teams, preparing or directing staff in the preparation of technical studies and/or setting and adhering to project budgets and delivery schedules.
• Experience with agencies such as: FEMA, USACE, EPA, DOT and/or FERC.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; attention to detail; and organization.
• A working knowledge of federal and state environmental regulations including NEPA and /or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and Environmental Justice Executive Orders
• A working understanding of agency internal processes and procedures with federal land management and regulatory agencies.
• Exposure to natural and cultural resource issues, wind projects, transportation projects, oil/gas project, and/or renewables projects.

PREFERRED or HELPFUL

• • At least five (5) to seven (7) years of NEPA document preparation and experience in environmental consulting. Experience may include complex or 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.
  • Experience with scheduling and budget management skills.
  • Ability to be recognized by clients and agencies as a NEPA project manager or deputy project manager that can lead or assist with an EA or an EIS from pre-NEPA planning phases through project completion.
  • Experience with business development with federal agencies, disaster recovery, oil and gas, and renewable energy developers or other non-federal applicants that seek permits or leases from federal agencies in the Gulf Coast / South Central geography.

WHY WORK AT SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Houston-based position can expect the following rates:

• Assistant Project Environmental Planner - $29.49/hr. - 37.84/hr.
• Associate Project Environmental Planner -$69,451.00/yr.- $89,129.00/yr.
• Project Environmental Planner - $78,711.00/yr. - $101,861.00/yr.

Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA's Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

#ind-swca

#LI-JR1