About Us

At HDR, we specialize in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. While we are most well-known for adding beauty and structure to communities through high-performance buildings and smart infrastructure, we provide much more than that. We create an unshakable foundation for progress because our multidisciplinary teams also include scientists, economists, builders, analysts and artists. That's why we believe diversity is our greatest strength. HDR is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer.

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We believe that the way we work can add meaning and value to the world. That ideas inspire positive change. That coloring outside the lines can illuminate fresh perspectives. And that small details yield important realizations. Above all, we believe that collaboration is the best way forward.

Primary Responsibilities

The Senior Environmental Planner will be experienced in environmental technical document preparation for large scale projects in the Transportation, Water, and Resources sectors. You would be interacting and leading HDR environmental sciences & planning staff CEQA & NEPA practitioners, and other multi-disciplinary staff. The position will drive quality environmental technical document development in Southern California, focusing on Transportation, Water, Resources. The candidate must have a strong CEQA & NEPA technical understanding and experience in transportation, water-related programs, renewable energy, power, oil and gas, mining, or industrial sector. The candidate should possess a balanced portfolio of skills to perform business development which requires networking and developing leads, establishing/managing client relationships, and strategic thinking for both our clients and internal programs.

In the role of Senior Environmental Planner, we'll count on you to:

• Manage the preparation of large-scale CEQA & NEPA documents for a wide-range of project types/sectors.
• Supervise and coordinate the activities of assigned sector; recommend measures to improve performance and increase efficiency; manage staff utilization and profitability.
• Track personnel actions and staff development including support for recruiting and hiring and training measures for assigned staff.
• Lead sector quality control, including assurance that quality work is planned and organized through a pro-active project management system, and implements corrective measures as needed.
• Provide hands-on mentoring and team participation to create a bridge between technical resources and client requirements and ensure there is appropriate leadership and supervision engaged on technical assignments.
• Work with client development leadership to prioritize the marketing and business development efforts of the organization and prioritizes business efforts that provide maximum return on investment.
• Champion a quality-culture within the sector organization, and within production teams, serving the sector's clients.
• Direct the technical messaging and professional attendance at professional organizations and industry events.
• Promote the Drive to Zero culture where safety of staff and clients is paramount.
• Interpret, implement, and enforce company policies.
• Perform other duties as needed

Keywords: Senior Environmental Planner, CEQA, NEPA

Required Qualifications

• BS or BA degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience in CEQA & NEPA environmental documentation, regulatory compliance and permitting and familiarity with the suite of technical disciplines represented in the group (e.g. wetlands, vegetation, soils, cultural, wildlife, and GIS).
• Substantial CEQA & NEPA experience with Southern California clients, including but not limited to City and County of San Diego, Ports of San Diego and Long Beach, NCTD, Caltrans, SANDAG, OCTA, Metrolink, Metro, SANBAG, and RCTC.
• Experience writing proposals, developing scopes of work, budgets, and schedules for complex environmental projects with multidisciplinary teams and multi-agency efforts.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite, strong people skills, excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• The candidate should demonstrate strong conceptual, organizational, problem solving, research abilities, and possess a comprehensive understanding of federal and state regulatory policy.
• Must have the ability to productively interact with various teams and have excellent organizational, project management and communication both written and verbal skills.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in environmental science or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in environmental technical writing, CEQA & NEPA document preparation and substantial knowledge of endangered species act and regulatory permitting requirements.
• Experience with Microsoft Project and Teams
• Previous consulting industry experience
• Experience with California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and/or New Mexico markets

Why HDR

At HDR, we know work isn't only about who you work for it's also about what you do and how you do it. Led by the strength of our values and a culture shaped by employee ownership, we network with each other, build on each other's contributions, and collaborate together to make great things possible. When you join HDR, we give you license to do the same. We help you take charge of your career, giving you multiple growth opportunities along the way.