CEQA Permitting Lead

Westwood Professional Services, Inc.

Westwood Professional Services, Inc. is seeking a CEQA Permitting Lead to join our renewables team in one of our California offices.The CEQA Permitting Lead is responsible for leading permitting efforts related to development of renewable energy, batter storage and transmission projects throughout California. The primary responsibilities include navigating permitting processes and utilizing subject matter experts and technical staff to complete projects. The Lead serves as a subject matter expert and a trusted technical advisor to our clients while also directly supporting projects as a technical specialist. Westwood has a highly experienced and dynamic team of individuals dedicated to providing high-level professional services to our clients. 

• Manage environmental services and deliverables for renewable energy projects.
• Act as a primary technical contact for clients in your area of expertise.
• Work with other subject matter experts in Wildlife, Wetlands and Waters, Cultural, Analytics, and ESAs to ensure the best project outcomes.
• Independently perform environmental tasks on a variety of projects.
• Stay informed about new methods and developments to recommend new practices or system changes.
• Evaluate ethical dilemmas to determine appropriate courses of action.

• Advanced knowledge of CEQA requirements, environmental sciences, formal and informal communication, teamwork, and leadership.
• Advanced knowledge of permitting and environmental deliverables.
• Basic knowledge of project management principles.
• Basic knowledge of construction practices and constructability.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to quality.
• Demonstrate empathy and critical listening skills
• Show assertiveness and a collaborative spirit when addressing and resolving conflict
• Ability to lead a technical team with proficiency in resource management and task delegation.
• Ability to sustain a team culture that aligns with the organization’s culture.
• Ability to offer ongoing mentorship to staff to promote individual growth and enhanced capabilities across the organization.

• 10+ years of experience
• 3+ years of experience leading CEQA work as part of a broader multi-disciplinary project team
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., environmental sciences, environmental management, water resources, or engineering) from an ABET/EAC-accredited program.
• Experience working for (1) a consulting firm or (2) an EPC, developer, or construction contractor in the renewable energy sector.

Westwood Professional Services Inc. (Westwood) was established in 1972 and has since become a leader in many of the markets it serves. Westwood is a full-service, multidiscipline professional engineering firm and serves wind, solar, power delivery, residential and commercial development, and public infrastructure clients and their projects from multiple offices across the U.S.

In 2023, Zweig Group ranked Westwood nationally at #12 and #30 respectively on its Hot Firms and Best Firms to Work for lists. Zweig also awarded Westwood two national 2nd place awards for Marketing Excellence. Westwood was recently recognized as #79 in the ENR Top 500 Firms in 2023. The firm consistently ranks on industry top 25 lists and receives recognition for its involvement on award-wining projects nationwide.

Westwood provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We believe that diverse backgrounds strengthen our business. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.