Senior Environmental Planner

Job Description

This Opportunity

The Planning Team has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Environmental Planner to join our Lincoln Nebraska office! This position will have a key leadership role in the delivery of existing environmental programs and also help to shape and grow the environmental planning practice across the region. Experience with FHWA NEPA regulations and a proven track-record and working relationships with NDOT NEPA procedures is required. Duties include providing technical transportation and environmental planning assistance to minimize the environmental impacts of transportation and/or development-related projects. Tasks may include providing support and guidance for developing alternative analyses for corridor studies, assessing the environmental impacts of proposed transportation actions, public involvement, stakeholder coordination, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Serves as a key coordinator with subject matter experts, local, state, and federal agencies, and private entities. Substantiates documentation to advise on project areas by applying and integrating urban and regional planning with a focus on sustainability. Assists project leadership and/or leads environmental reviews following standard procedures of NEPA, including the coordination and preparation of categorical exclusions, environmental assessments, or environmental impact assessments. Supports corrective/mitigation strategy development, permitting, and/or mitigation activities. Ensures that responsibilities are delivered and adhered to with a level of quality that meets or exceeds industry standards.

Supports and/or leads business development activities, including identifying, pursuing, and securing project work. Ability to demonstrate relevant qualifications, best practices, project management expertise, and strong familiarity of stakeholder coordination needs.

Your Impact

• Lead the development of NEPA documentation for transportation projects.
• Assist with business development and proposal activities across the Midwest.
• Assist with overseeing and working with cross-functional teams in executing project work.
• Interact with regulatory agencies, subcontractors, and clients in a confident and professional manner.
• Provide environmental risk identification and impact assessment, offering input with moderate to high-level threat mitigation and permitting activities projects to minimize impacts to the health of the environment and the population.
• Determine well-defined data collection methods for identifying and compiling observational, spatial, operations, and environmental data from multiple sources for projects, investigations, and surveys.
• Comply with regulatory requirements pertaining to the data integrity, documentation, procedures, training, monitoring systems, reporting, and record compliance and retention.
• Use GIS, topographic maps, aerial photographs, GPS data, and other visualization tools to determine and map exact locations of project areas, site impact, and associated resource sensitivities.
• Prepare data and visualizations such as tables, charts, accurate reports, and illustrations for the interpretation or presentation of data, findings, or analyses Prepare and assist with completing environmental survey reports, data entry, impact assessment, and permitting activities for assigned projects (e.g. Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act permitting, NEPA, etc.).
• Prepare technical reports and presentations that explain research, findings, and recommendations to address, prevent, control, or restore environmental impacts.
• Perform professional environmental planning work and conduct investigations, inspections, and environmental studies and surveys to gain further information on a particular environmental problem or issue, verify site characteristics, and/or to plan for future environmental needs.
• Assist with scoping, strategic planning, and developing permitting execution strategy for clients on projects.
• Support and/or lead proposal development activities, including research, writing, staff coordination, budgeting, and documentation.
• Remain current in latest environmental planning subject matter, practices, regulations, and techniques.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
  
  
  

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Planning, Biology, Urban Planning, Geography, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience.)
• 5 to 7 years of experience working in the transportation and environmental planning field, completing impact assessments, permitting, design support, and public involvement.
• Working knowledge and experience with relevant environmental laws, permitting requirements, notification and compliance practices, and applicable Regional/State/Federal regulatory framework.
• Familiarity with local, state, and federal permitting agencies, including FHWA and NDOT
• Demonstrated experience contributing to technical reports, preparing environmental impact evaluations, siting reports, and environmental permit applications, including field surveys and reporting, and resource and impact evaluations.
• Project management experience including tracking hours and expenses for project work.
• Demonstrated experience with consulting practices, conducting NEPA analysis for transportation related projects, and preparation of associated documentation.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to a technical and non-technical audience.
• Highly capable self-leadership with attention to detail, multi-tasking, and prioritization of responsibilities in a dynamic work environment.
• Ability to work independently and provide guidance and leadership to junior team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
• Experience with discipline-specific software (i.e., ArcGIS).
• Proficiency with business writing, office automation and communication software, technology, and tools.
• Developed critical thinking and problem-solving skills required to reach conclusions from testing results, data collation, and identify the most effective solutions to accomplish objectives of assigned projects.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Ability to work schedules conducive to project-specific requirements that may extend beyond the typical workweek.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree is preferred.
• Essential Professional Licensure/Certification.
  
  
  

About WSP

ABOUT US

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.

www.wsp.com

WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.

At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.