Permitting Specialist

Who We Are

We are a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm who values diversity and inclusion and celebrate the differences that make each of us unique. Our culture is built on mutual respect, recognizing that our variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives leads to better solutions, which fosters our continued success for our employee-owners and clients.

Who You Are

A Permitting Specialist with a minimum of 5+ years of experience in preparing permit applications and environmental impact documents, such as habitat impact assessments and CEQA/NEPA impact evaluations for a range of projects involving wetlands, waters, and sensitive species and habitats in the 9-county San Francisco Bay Area. Our ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience, but we will also consider candidates who meet the qualifications with 2 - 7 years of experience.

You are known for preparing clear, concise, well-written and supported documents, for your high-level of organization and responsiveness, and for your ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of colleagues and clients and regulatory agencies, both verbally and non-verbally.

You have a solid foundational knowledge of relevant environmental regulations and regulatory agency permitting pathways and processes in California, particularly in San Francisco Bay Area. This includes experience with permits and in preparing permit application packages for approval from the:

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• San Francisco District (Clean Water Act [CWA] Section 404)
• San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Clean Water Act Section 401 and Porter Cologne Act)
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Fish and Game Code Sections 1602, 2080.1, 2081)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries (Federal Endangered Species Act Sections 7 and 10)
• San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) permits

Coastal Development permits, and State Lands Commission leases, is desirable, but not required. You regularly support or lead permit strategy development and regulatory agency consultations for a wide range of projects. Experience in conducting field surveys, particularly wetland delineations and biological resources assessments, is preferred to supplement technical environmental regulations knowledge. Experience with permitting voluntary restoration activities and compensatory mitigation projects is desirable. Familiarity with permittee-responsible mitigation solutions, turn-key solutions, mitigation/conservation banks, habitat conservation plans/natural community conservation plans, or in-lieu fee programs is also considered a plus.

You are an effective team member who proactively identifies and contributes constructively to address project challenges. You are driven by contributing to projects that benefit ecosystems and communities and demonstrate a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. You work well independently and under the direction of technical specialists and are experienced in successfully completing tasks with competing deadlines.

At minimum, you hold a Bachelor’s degree with major course work in environmental science, ecology, natural resources, biology, environmental planning, or a related interdisciplinary field.

What You Will Do for ESA

As a Permitting Specialist you will support an interdisciplinary team of biologists, wetland scientists, engineers, planners, GIS professionals, cultural resources specialists, and other technical specialists. You will work to facilitate and obtain regulatory agency approvals for exciting and innovative projects that address sea level rise on our shorelines, restore aquatic and upland resources, and create equitable infrastructure solutions for at-risk communities. You will be involved in all phases of a project life-cycle, working with project managers, project design engineers, and clients to: identify environmental constraints, develop and implement permit strategies, coordinate with the regulatory agency staff, coordinate with biological and cultural resource specialists, prepare permit applications, respond to requests for additional informational, provide comment on draft permit documents, and communicate compliance needs to team members.

Projects range in complexity from small-scale maintenance actions (i.e., bank and levee repairs, sediment removal, culvert replacements) to complex, multi-beneficial, nature-based habitat restoration, enhancement, and adaptation projects (tidal, coastal, and riverine environments), capital improvement projects (utility, transportation, energy, and flood protection infrastructure improvements), and regional conservation programs (habitat preserves, mitigation banks).

You will thrive in a fast-paced, challenging, and highly rewarding environment by managing multiple responsibilities and deadlines, while working on a team or independently. You will serve as the lead author or task lead on tasks of low to moderate complexity, delegating assignments and mentoring less experienced associates. Working under the direction of a Principal or Senior Permitting Specialist on more complex projects, you will be responsible for coordinating across disciplines to compile permit application packages for a variety of regulatory agencies. You will use your strong writing skills and technical knowledge to prepare documents that are clear, concise, and wellsupported.

In all of your work, you will: demonstrate and perpetuate values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in your interactions with other ESA employee-owners, clients, teaming partners, and vendors/contractors; treat others with respect, empathy, and dignity; continuously seek opportunities to increase personal awareness and deepen understanding and growth related to systemic inequities and the impact of biases and micro-aggressions in the work place; and commit to speaking up and/or addressing inappropriate or exclusionary behaviors.

You may be responsible for other ad-hoc tasks as assigned by your supervisor. Must be willing and able to work long, irregular hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

What’s Special About ESA

Joining ESA means becoming part of a close-knit team of environmental professionals who contribute to outstanding projects, improve environmental stewardship, and advance a more sustainable and resilient future for our communities and wild places.

At ESA, we provide benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance (paid at 70% for you AND your family), annual allocations of company shares through our ESOP, a 401(k) plan with company match, and paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays, to name a few.

We also provide specific programs whether you want to further your technical expertise, sharpen your business acumen, or help lead the next generation of employee-owners. We want to support you in reaching your career goals through tuition reimbursement, professional development bonuses, and attendance at conferences.

For this position with 2 - 7 years of experience, the range is $78,936 - $114,457 annually based on our anticipated hiring locations as noted in the above job details. If hired at a more advanced level with 5+ years of experience, the position range is $91,696 - $137,545 annuallybased on our anticipated hiring locations as noted in the above job details. Actual compensation is determined by a number of factors including but not limited to an individual’s related experience, education, skills, and the city in which the applicant lives.

What’s Special About Our Biological Resources and Land Management Team in Northern California

Protecting the environment while supporting local community needs is more important and challenging than ever. Our Biological Resources and Land Management (BRLM) Team uniquely partners across all of ESA’s practices to deliver solutions to clients in the Natural Resources Management, Water, Transportation, Energy, Community Development and Airport sectors. Our biologists, botanists, wetland scientists, conservation planners, Permitting Specialists, and regulatory compliance specialists:

• survey landscapes to identify natural resources;
• inventory, research, and study species populations;

• identify ways to avoid, minimize, and mitigate project impacts;
• plan for regional conservation and restoration;
• help design and permit sustainable and resilient solutions;
• provide biological resource and water quality monitoring to protect sensitive resources during construction; and
• monitor the evolution of restored areas against site goals and objectives.

Our Regulatory Permitting Specialists provide expertise for many clients throughout California, with particular focus on permitting habitat restoration and enhancement projects. Our work matters because it helps communities shape a positive future for their citizens in balance with conserving our state’s sensitive natural resources.

We value creative thinking, teamwork, and multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement and integration. To read about some of the exciting projects we have recently completed, check out ESA’s project page: Projects — Environmental Science Associates (esassoc.com)

In accordance with ESA’s duty and responsibility to provide and maintain a safe workplace that is free of known hazards and to minimize the exposure to potential hazards, any employee who works from an ESA office or conducts any other in-person ESA work-related activity is required to submit their proof of vaccination status or have received an approved exemption and accommodation.

ESA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. (EOEM/V/F/D)