Consulting Senior Associate, Land Use Planner (Entry Level)

ERM is seeking a Consulting Senior Associate - Land Use Planner with experience to play a key role in growing our planning practice, specifically within our renewable energy business in the Midwest U.

S. region. This role will also support our ERM planners and project managers across North America. The ideal candidate will have interest and experience with power generation, electrical transmission, renewable energy projects, and have had exposure to environmental permitting, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and state-level equivalent reviews for large-scale capital projects.

As a Consultant Senior Associate, you will be working on a range of land use and planning components for large capital projects, including for commercial-scale energy facilities to support the low carbon economy transition in the U.

S. This is an excellent opportunity for an environmental professional looking to advance their career with a global environmental leader and be part of ERM’s continuing growth in the renewable energy sector.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Deliver results to expand ERM’s client base, ideally in the Energy Sector. Serve as a key member of the core technical team to drive growth in the areas of land planning, facility siting & permitting, and environmental risk assessment in the energy sector.
• Take renewable projects through local land use permitting processes, including securing Conditional or Special Use Permits, negotiating conditions within local municipalities and counties (e.

g., buffer widths, vegetative screening, local stormwater review criteria), securing variances, and working with developers to optimize layouts based on local permitting requirements.

• Provide business value based on a strong understanding of clients’ needs, and raising the profile of ERM’s capabilities within key client organizations.
• Meet business health & safety performance standards, financial targets, overall project budgets and schedules, client satisfaction / expectations, and internal risk management and contractual requirements.

REQUIREMENTS :

• Bachelors and / or master's in environmental studies, planning, geography, or related field; JD, CEP, AICP or similar registration preferred but not necessary.
• national / state / local-level environmental reviews, facility siting and permitting, ideally for renewable energy projects.
• Ability to manage varying priorities and multiple tasks while forging a cohesive delivery team to meet concurrent deadlines on multiple projects.
• Ability to work both independently and within teams of subject matter experts.
• Experience in developing and implementing successful growth strategies with power generation, electrical transmission, renewable energy projects, mining, oil & gas, technology clients.
• 2+ years of consulting experience with land use planning, impact assessments, national / state / local-level environmental reviews, facility siting and permitting, ideally for renewable energy projects.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain long-term relationships with clients.
• High degree of technical competence and broad knowledge of impact assessment best practices.
• Well-developed teambuilding and influencing skills; unquestioned integrity; and the experience, confidence, and stature to effectively address client and business needs and challenges.
• Positive outlook, collaborative, and driven by the success of ERM as a global company.

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career.

We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues.

We call this capability our boots to boardroom approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.