Project Level Environmental Planner

About the opportunity

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 Salt Lake City office is looking for a self-motivated Project-Level Environmental Planner with attention to detail and strong communication skills. Depending upon experience and qualifications, this individual can get hired as either an assistant project environmental planner, an associate environmental planner, or a project environmental planner.  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 regular status, full-time position, reporting to one of SWCA’s Sr. Project Managers out of our Salt Lake City office. Work can be based in the office, or in a hybrid work arrangement or distributed, for those located in the region.  

This position is available at the below levels and title will be based on years of relevant experience:  

• Assistant Project Environmental Planner - Typically with three (3) years of relevant industry experience and expertise 

• Association Project Environmental Planner – Typically with five (5) years of relevant industry experience and expertise 

Please also submit a cover letter to be considered for this role. Please highlight in your cover letter if you have relevant government experience, especially Federal agency experience. 

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. 

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing, 1,800 staff+, 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. 

What you will accomplish

You will be responsible for performing NEPA compliance and non-NEPA environmental planning efforts across a wide range of natural resource, land use, and infrastructure projects. These could include environmental impact analyses, facilitating public and agency outreach, and providing quality assurance and leadership during the development of Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs). Fajer question – any non-NEPA planning?  Associate Project Environmental Planner responsibilities include more complex activities and potentially more project management work.  Specific responsibilities include: 

• Contribute to preparing EAs and EISs addressing the development for a wide variety of projects, revision of federal resource management plans (RMPs) and land use plans, issuance of rights-of-way, approvals, and/or leases, policy amendments, etc. In addition, this position will help lead, write, and manage tasks for the preparation of NEPA documents related to projects managed by federal agencies or for those that occur on federal lands. 

• Participate in non-NEPA environmental planning, including land use and resource management planning, planning level environmental analyses, feasibility and constraint analyses, regulatory strategy development, permitting support, and pre-decisional planning activities that help clients evaluate constraints, risks, and opportunities early in project development.  

• Support business line growth objectives and participate or lead parts of the development of EAs and EISs, including NEPA documents, for business lines that may include land use planning, generation, transmission, mining, and others. 

• Assist teams by providing technical assistance 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 scoping; public comment review and response; and Records of Decisions and Findings of No Significant Impact. 

• Provide expertise to SWCA project managers on NEPA and other planning projects. 

• Help contribute to planning business development pursuits and proposals. 

Experience and qualifications for success

Required Qualifications 

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning, environmental science, biology, environmental science, natural resource management, planning, geology, or another science-related field. 

• A minimum of three (3) years of NEPA document preparation    A working knowledge of federal and state environmental regulations including NEPA, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the ability to support project preparation of plans to satisfy regulatory compliance. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Five (5) or more years of NEPA document preparation and 5 years of experience in environmental consulting.  A working understanding of agency internal processes and procedures and positive existing relationships with federal land management and regulatory agencies, such as the BLM, BOEM, USFS, NPS, BOR, DOE, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and/or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is strongly preferred. 

• Experience with public lands, natural resource issues, wind and solar projects, transportation projects, transmission lines, and/or oil and gas projects, and/or infrastructure projects in the western US.  

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; attention to detail; and organization, schedule, and budget management skills. 

• Experience with supporting business development with federal agencies, resource management plans (RMPs), mining, oil and gas, and renewable energy developers or other non-federal applicants that seek permits or leases from federal agencies helpful. 

SWCA is a 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). If you are seeking an opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled and diverse professionals who embrace sound science and creative solutions, then SWCA will be a great fit for you!   

If you need assistance accessing SWCA’s website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.  

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 Salt Lake City, UT-based position can expect a salary of: Assistant Project Environmental Planner -- $28.09/hour to $36.04/hour; Associate Project Environmental Planner -- $66,144/year to $84,885/year.  Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA’s Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive benefits package (https://www.swca.com/careers/benefits-wellness/), forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.  

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 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. 

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