Senior Environmental Planner, Renewables - AECOM

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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.

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 Los Angeles, San Diego or Orange, CA offices. Our EPP team serves numerous federal, state and local government, non-governmental organization, and private industry clients, delivering a variety of resource management, infrastructure, and development-related projects. 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:

• 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.
• Project management 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 electric transmission and renewable energy projects.
• Serve as a Project Manager on medium- to large-sized projects.
• Support our clients with their entitlement needs for renewable energy applications.
• Oversee the work of early career staff and mentor others.
• Work directly with clients and subconsultants.
• Assist with writing and coordinating certain technical reports or sections as needed.
• Contribute to marketing and business development, preparation of proposals, and formulating proposal cost estimates as a seller-doer.
• Conduct occasional site visits, research, data collection, and technical writing.
• 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.
• Support the preparation of natural resource permit application packages, and mitigation and monitoring plans.
• Review and interpret conceptual engineering drawings, such as plan and profile, to ascertain information required for environmental documentation.
• Interpret and apply applicable government codes, ordinances, and regulations.
• Assist in maintaining project records (e.g., electronic filing, basic database management).
• Act as a quality verifier for technical work products. 
• Participate in professional associations/events relevant to the industry.
•  Attend occasional evening and/or weekend meetings based on project needs.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Adobe, Google Earth, OneDrive, and other application programs.

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 wide-ranging environmental problems within diverse community profiles.

AECOM’s Sustainable Legacies program describes our approach to the environment, social equity and governance (ESG.) We embed sustainability throughout our business and help clients embed sustainable practices into their work. We help clients reduce their impact on the environment, achieve compliance and reduce risks.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, environmental science, or related field.
• 6 years of relevant experience or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education in managing and preparation of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents.
• A valid U.S. Driver's license is required for this role.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in urban planning, environmental science, or related field.
• 10+ years’ experience successfully managing and preparing CEQA and NEPA documentation, strong understanding of current state and federal regulations and guidance.
• Electric transmission and renewable energy (e.g., solar, wind, energy storage) experience through preparing CEQA and/or NEPA documents, routing and siting, critical issues analysis, land use entitlement applications and/or overseeing multi-disciplinary technical teams for resource technical studies.
• Experience as Project Manager on environmental planning and permitting projects.
• Experience with California planning and resource agencies, and with processing project applications for land use entitlements.
• Strong individual and collaborative research and analytical abilities.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the editing, oversight, and preparation of technical reports.
• Strong organizational skills, spreadsheet/document tracking skills, and an ability to work on several projects or issues simultaneously.
• Actively participated in management of environmental projects including client interaction, schedule and budget controls, and invoicing.
•  Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Adobe, Google Earth, OneDrive, and other application programs.
• Knowledge of GIS.
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a team, identifying what needs to be accomplished and regularly completing tasks.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as interpersonal skills to effectively manage tasks and interact with clients, staff and subconsultants.

• Due to the nature of this role, U.S Citizenship is required.

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About AECOM

AECOM is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits program to meet the diverse needs of our employees. Depending on your employment status, AECOM benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absence, voluntary benefits, perks, U.S. and global well-being programs, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, retirement savings plan, and employee stock purchase plan.

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2023. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion – a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation and benefits programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We also provide a robust global well-being program. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.