Assistant Project Manager (Energy)

Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, our experts lead their fields and guide our work with rigor, a creative spirit, and vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties around the globe and are committed to fostering an inclusive community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. We’re a place to apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental talents on work that’s critical to our clients and the communities they support. 

Stantec has an outstanding record and extensive nationwide portfolio of transmission, wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects that we have helped to bring online. Our team specializes in environmental services and engineering with staff located throughout the country. Stantec has a team of over 3,000 environmental professionals located in over 170 offices throughout the US. We have a team of recognized experts who have dedicated their careers to electrical transmission and renewable energy project development, and we are known and trusted as credible experts. We leverage this diverse team of experienced staff to successfully support projects that include diverse ecosystems, stakeholders, and design requirements. Stantec supports clients during the early stages of routing and siting; followed by regulatory support and permitting; completion of construction; and ongoing operations and maintenance.

Your Opportunity

Stantec’s Environmental Services practice seeks an experienced Assistant Project Manager/Environmental Scientist to provide environmental assessment, regulatory, permitting, compliance, reporting, and project delivery support for electric transmission, solar, wind, BESS and oil/gas pipeline clients and their projects, particularly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This role is intended for an experienced professional who will work directly with project managers to support projects by directing teams of subject matter experts, manage scope, schedule and budget and interface directly with clients. The role also includes the option to participate in limited field work, report writing and preparation of permit application documents.

Your Key Responsibilities

The main focus of this position is to support electric transmission, solar, wind, BESS and oil/gas pipeline projects through environmental assessments, permitting, agency coordination, compliance, and reporting with collaboration from a robust team of subject matter experts. The successful candidate will analyze issues, interpret scientific and regulatory information, and select appropriate methods and solutions to resolve project challenges. Technical capabilities related to state regulatory filings, environmental science and permitting, data management, quality review, and multidisciplinary reporting are important to the role to ensure high-quality deliverables and added value to Stantec’s clients.

Project delivery and coordination responsibilities include:

• Coordinating project tasks, schedules, staffing, scopes, budgets, risks, and change management activities for broad, varied, and diverse assignments independently and with oversight
• Coordinating with clients, stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and multidisciplinary internal project teams to develop practical, science-based solutions
• Supporting client representation at public hearings, open houses, regulatory agency meetings, and other forums where technical information must be communicated clearly and professionally
• Performing technical work and providing quality review of work prepared by other staff and subject matter experts, as appropriate to the assignment
• Providing mentoring and informal guidance to junior-level staff, which may include assisting with task assignments, coaching, knowledge transfer, and checking work for quality and consistency
• Supporting the development of project proposals, scopes of work, budgets, and delivery approaches for environmental projects of moderate complexity
• Contributing to client relationship development, client service, and process improvement activities by identifying client needs, upcoming concerns, and opportunities to improve project delivery

Environmental, regulatory, and permitting responsibilities include:

• Identifying and evaluating project-specific environmental constraints, engineering design considerations, regulatory requirements, critical issues, permit strategies, and permit matrices
• Coordinating with agency personnel for consultations, data reviews, pre-application meetings, permit strategy discussions, and issue resolution
• Writing, reviewing, and integrating technical reports, regulatory filings, desktop assessments, field survey documentation, and public-facing materials 
• Preparing and reviewing environmental permit applications and supporting documentation for federal, state, and local approvals
• Interpreting scientific, regulatory, and project information; drawing logical conclusions; and making evidence-based recommendations that support timely project decisions
• Communicating technical information effectively to clients, project teams, agencies, and medium-sized groups, adapting communication style as appropriate
• Supporting successful environmental permitting and compliance for varied projects while maintaining quality, schedule, budget, safety, and client service expectations
• Additional responsibilities may include coordinating, conducting, and/or leading field work and implementing health, safety, security, and environmental practices during project execution

Your Capabilities and Credentials

• Minimum of five years of related environmental consulting, permitting, regulatory, scientific, or project delivery experience, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience
• Demonstrated experience supporting energy-related projects, including electric transmission, wind, solar, battery energy storage, biogas, oil/gas, or related infrastructure projects
• Practical knowledge in one or more areas of environmental science, permitting, regulatory strategy, natural resource assessments, routing and siting, environmental compliance, or related disciplines
• Working knowledge of environmental sciences, biology, wildlife science, wetlands, land use, environmental justice, cultural resources, and related technical areas, with the ability to integrate information across disciplines
• Permitting experience with one or more utility regulatory bodies, such as the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Ohio Power Siting Board, North Dakota Public Service Commission, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, Illinois Commerce Commission, Iowa Utilities Commission, or Michigan Public Service Commission
• Federal environmental regulation and permitting experience in the Upper Midwest region with various U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field offices, and National Environmental Policy Act environmental review processes
• State permitting experience with Departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, State Historic Preservation Offices, Departments of Health, Pollution Control Agencies, or comparable agencies
• Local permitting experience for Conditional Use/Special Use Permits, highway departments, zoning and planning boards, floodplain administrators, emergency management agencies, or similar local authorities
• Experience implementing or advising on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wind Energy Guidelines tiered protocols for desktop reviews, environmental surveys, consultations, permitting, and compliance
• Ability to work under general supervision, exercise independent judgment, analyze issues, interpret information, and resolve problems generally within standard practice guidelines
• Ability to mentor and provide informal guidance to junior-level staff, including coaching, knowledge transfer, task support, and quality review as applicable
• Demonstrated commitment to health, safety, security, environment, sustainability, ethics, inclusion, accountability, and high-quality client service
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including concise technical writing, report preparation, client updates, and the ability to communicate information effectively to project teams, clients, agencies, and medium-sized groups
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 15% for agency meetings, open houses, public hearings, site visits, field work, client events, and conferences

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, natural resources, biology, planning, environmental studies, or a related field; master’s degree in environmental/natural resources law, environmental science, natural resources, planning, or a related field preferred
• Minimum of five years of related work experience in environmental consulting, electric transmission or renewable energy permitting, regulatory compliance, natural resource assessments and studies, routing and siting, project delivery, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience
• Experience supporting broad, varied, and diverse environmental assignments, including coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, reviewing technical work, monitoring scope/schedule/budget considerations, and advising project teams or clients on regulatory and permitting considerations
• Task coordination and project delivery experience is preferred; mentoring, informal staff guidance, coaching, knowledge transfer, task coordination, coaching, or technical review experience is valued
• Professional registration or credentials in the candidate’s discipline, such as Professional Wetland Scientist, Certified Wildlife Biologist, Project Management Professional, or comparable credential, is preferred where applicable

This position will be in a typical office environment working with computers and remaining sedentary for long periods of time. Field work may include exposure to the elements including inclement weather.

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.

Stantec is a place where the best and brightest come to build on each other’s talents, do exciting work, and make an impact on the world around us. Join us and redefine your personal best.

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