CEQA/NEPA Planner

ESA seeks a highly self-motivated mid-levelCEQA/NEPA Environmental Plannerwith 5+ yearsof experience in CEQA and/or NEPA analysis and documentation to join our Southern California Community Development Business Group. The ideal candidate would be based out of ESA's Los Angeles or Irvine Office and must be located close enough to allow for semi-regular in-person work one to two days per week or as needed. Qualified candidates located within a commutable distance to any of our Southern California ESA locations will also be considered.

The ideal candidate must have demonstrable experience managing the preparation of CEQA and/or NEPA documentation, as well as client management. Strong preference for candidates with professional working experience with both technical writing and project management in environmental consulting. This opportunity is focused on collaboration, delivery, and client service. This role may require occasional travel for in-person team collaboration and project-related travel.

A written test will be required for selected candidates who meet the qualifications as part of the interview process to be performed in-person.

Who You Are

• You are a mid-level to senior-level professional with a strong desire to grow and advance your career and to develop your environmental planning and project coordination skills.
• You hold a bachelor's or master's degree with major course work in environmental planning, policy, and/or science; urban or natural/water resources planning; geography; or a related interdisciplinary field.
• You have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience, at least some of which working in a consulting environment, with responsibilities including conducting research, analyzing impacts, and writing sections of reports. Experience as part of a management team and/or substantial technical analysis experience with the California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, similar state/federal regulations, or preparation of resource-related permit applications is required.
• You have strong analytical and oral presentation skills with the ability to prepare clear, concise, and well-supported written documents to convey complex information understandably to colleagues, clients, agency staff, teaming partners, other project stakeholders, and the general public.
• You are an effective team member and communicator who contributes constructively and inclusively to solve project or team issues while working collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary environment. You are curious and interested in understanding your teammates' and your clients' needs and motivations.
• Strong preference given to candidates with strong working experience in project management.
• You can work in-person or in a hybrid fashion from an ESA Office. Primary remote work is also permitted with some in-office work expectation, contingent upon the individual's qualifications and experience.
• You have previous experience working as a consultant in which you've billed time to projects or other activities.

What You Will Do for ESA

• As a CEQA/NEPA Planner, you will serve as project manager for moderately complex and be an integral part of the project management team for more complex projects. You will be a contributing author for CEQA and NEPA documents for public and private sector clients.
• Within the Southern California Community Development Group, you will become integrated into multiple project teams focused on the planning and assessment of built environment projects (including, but not limited to, land use plans, residential, mixed use, commercial, industrial, sports entertainment, recreation, and transportation related projects). Depending on the project team's needs you will conduct research in specific or general project areas, including such topics as adopted plans, policies, and regulations, and other published information. While you will work primarily with the Community Development Group, you will have opportunity to engage in work with other ESA teams such as Water, Airports, and Energy Resources, as well as engage in data collection and analysis with technical practices such as biological/cultural resources and hydrology data collection teams.
• You will be responsible for managing the task or project delivery schedule, managing logistics, disseminating, and maintaining related information and resources, managing budget tracking and invoicing, meeting with team members to gauge progress toward task completion, and responding to team member or client questions about assigned tasks or projects.
• You will apply critical thinking and problem-solving to evaluate, select, and adapt standard techniques and procedures in the development of environmental planning documents. You will be required to effectively communicate with staff, clients, and teaming partners and serve as a trusted professional bringing creative and innovative solutions to clients.

What's Special About ESA

Joining ESA means becoming part of a close-knit team of environmental professionals who contribute to outstanding projects, improve environmental stewardship, and advance a more sustainable and resilient future for our communities and wild places.

At ESA, we provide benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance (paid at 70% for you AND your family), annual allocations of company shares through our employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), a 401(k) plan with company match, and paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays, to name a few. Spot and annual bonuses are available to reward the highest caliber work.

We also provide specific programs whether you want to further your technical expertise, sharpen your business acumen, or help lead the next generation of employee-owners. We want to support you in reaching your career goals through tuition reimbursement, professional development bonuses, and attendance at conferences.