Environmental Permitting Development Team Member

About This Position

As part of Intersect’s Environmental Permitting team, you’ll help advance gigawatt-scale wind, solar PV, BESS, gas, and data center projects from early-stage development into construction. Your work will support environmental and land use strategy, critical permits, and navigation of complex regulatory landscapes across the U.S. You’ll collaborate closely with development, engineering, GIS, community engagement, real estate, legal, construction, and M&A teams to identify risks early, unlock opportunities, and ensure projects are positioned for long-term success.

Team Overview

This team plays a critical role in advancing Intersect’s mission to accelerate the renewable energy transition by securing the land use and environmental approvals that make large-scale infrastructure possible while maximizing long term ecological stewardship. Partnering across development, engineering, legal, and community engagement, the Environmental Permitting team navigates complex regulatory frameworks, builds durable stakeholder relationships, and removes barriers to project execution. Joining this team means working on high-impact projects at meaningful scale while developing deep expertise in permitting strategy, environmental diligence, and cross-functional leadership.

What you'll do

• Coordinate land access efforts for biological, cultural, and other resource surveys

• Coordinate with and solicit feedback from a network of geographically dispersed internal colleagues in the preparation of permit applications, environmental documents, and overall permitting execution strategy for energy projects

• Manage a network of external consultants in the scoping of biological, cultural, and other resource surveys and the preparation of diligence documents (including legal counsel for permit opinions and guidance) necessary for environmental permitting and financing processes

• Manage and keep up-to-date project permitting schedule, budget, and documentation to ensure successful permitting and financing hurdles

• Research and clearly/comprehensively summarize permitting requirements applicable to each project and track potential and new regulatory changes

• In partnership with the development team and Permitting lead, review zoning, floodplain, biological resources, wetlands, cultural resources, permitting fees, entitlement processes, community attributes and other site-specific considerations to identify potential risks and inform early-stage project development decisions

• Attend site visits in the field related to site assessment, community engagement, agency coordination, and construction compliance

• Attend local, state, federal land use planning and zoning meetings and industry association discussions; take clear, concise notes and summarize take-aways for internal teams

• Assist in coordination of public meetings and project hearings

• Prepare external presentation materials for, and participate in meetings with, key external stakeholders including local, state, and federal agencies, elected officials, project communities, environmental NGOs, and Native American tribes

• Support in the preparation, submittal, and coordination of agency approval of applications for discretionary permits and other entitlements critical to project viability and success

• Prepare and provide permit compliance documentation to regulatory agencies and other external stakeholders

• Develop internal presentation, communication, and approval materials for executive management and other internal stakeholders

• Review draft permit requirements, maintain project compliance matrix, and complete permitting exhibits for contracts with project engineering, procurement, construction contractors

• Provide ongoing support to various Environmental and Permitting team members, including the Head of Environmental & Permitting
  
  

What You'll bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Urban or Regional Planning, Natural Resources, Environmental Policy, Political Science, Geography, Geology, Hydrology, Economics, or a related field (Master’s degree or MBA is a plus)

• 2+ years of professional experience in environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, or development of power, energy, transmission, or other large-scale infrastructure projects

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Meticulous attention to detail and quality of work product

• Excellent organizational and project management skills

• Adaptability to change and ability to think outside the box

• Independence and ability to perform self-directed work, yet lacking fear to ask questions where needed

• Proven ability to plan, prioritize, and execute in a timely and accurate manner

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and cross-disciplinary environment

• Ability to summarize complex issues and identify opportunities or next steps with limited guidance

• Ability to learn and adapt to new software platforms and tools as needed, including critical review and QA/QC of generative AI analyses and summaries

• A strong thirst to learn and grow, and to participate in the nation’s clean energy transition

• Familiarity with land/environmental policy/law a plus

• Familiarity with Google Earth, ArcGIS a plus

• Ability and willingness to travel within the United States a minimum of once per quarter, with additional travel to project sites likely

• Familiarity with ArcGIS Enterprise for mapping, geospatial analysis, and site constraint identification, along with proficiency in Google Suite and Slack also a plus

• A proactive, collaborative work style to coordinate across internal teams and external agency partners.

• Commitment to environmental stewardship and authentic stakeholder engagement, aligned with Intersect's values of Equity, Humility, Authenticity, Long-run Value, and People Come First.