Job Description
About Our Client
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Our client is building the AI-native future of environmental planning, permitting, and infrastructure development. They help energy developers, infrastructure companies, and planning professionals navigate complex regulatory processes faster and more accurately through a combination of advanced technology, environmental expertise, and regulatory intelligence.
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As a venture-backed startup, they move quickly, embrace innovation, and challenge traditional consulting models. Their team combines deep subject matter expertise with cutting-edge technology to transform how environmental due diligence, permitting, and planning work gets done across America.
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Based in San Francisco (hybrid 3 days/week). $120K–$200K base + meaningful equity.
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The Opportunity
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Our client is seeking an Environmental Planning Engineer with 2–5 years of experience to join their growing Regulatory & Environmental team. This role sits at the intersection of environmental planning, regulatory analysis, product development, and artificial intelligence.
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You will review and validate environmental planning deliverables for real-world energy and infrastructure projects, conduct regulatory and permitting research across multiple jurisdictions, and work directly with product and engineering teams to improve the intelligence of the platform.
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This is an ideal opportunity for a motivated environmental professional who wants to move beyond the traditional consulting career path and help create an entirely new category of AI-enabled environmental work.
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What You'll Do
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- Environmental Review & Quality Assurance
- Review and quality assure environmental planning deliverables before they are delivered to clients.
- Validate environmental analyses, permit assessments, environmental constraints reviews, and critical issues screenings.
- Ensure findings are accurate, defensible, properly cited, and aligned with applicable regulations and agency guidance.
- Identify gaps, inconsistencies, or unsupported conclusions and provide corrective recommendations.
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Regulatory & Permitting Research
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- Conduct research on environmental regulations, permitting requirements, and planning processes across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
- Analyze agency guidance, statutes, regulations, planning documents, and permit application requirements.
- Resolve complex environmental and permitting questions related to energy and infrastructure development projects.
- Monitor regulatory developments and emerging permitting trends.
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AI Output Validation
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- Review AI-generated analyses and environmental findings for accuracy and completeness.
- Identify and correct unsupported, misleading, or incomplete conclusions.
- Develop best practices and workflows for integrating AI into environmental planning processes.
- Help establish quality standards and validation procedures for AI-assisted deliverables.
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Product & Knowledge Development
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- Translate environmental expertise into structured knowledge that improves the platform.
- Contribute to regulatory databases, permitting frameworks, and environmental risk assessment methodologies.
- Draft prompts, workflows, business rules, and logic enhancements for the product and engineering teams.
- Collaborate closely with software engineers, product managers, and environmental specialists to continuously improve platform performance.
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Infrastructure & Site Due Diligence
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- Evaluate energy, utility, and infrastructure project sites for environmental, permitting, and land-use risks.
- Support environmental screening and due diligence efforts during site selection and project development.
- Prepare environmental risk summaries and development constraint analyses.
- Assist clients in understanding permitting pathways and key project risks.
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Required Qualifications
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- Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Environmental Planning, Civil Engineering, Geography, Natural Resources, or a related discipline.
- 2–5 years of relevant professional experience in environmental consulting, planning, permitting, engineering, land use, environmental compliance, or regulatory analysis.
- Strong understanding of U.S. environmental regulatory frameworks and permitting processes.
- Experience conducting environmental research and interpreting agency guidance, regulations, and permitting requirements.
- Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong written communication skills with the ability to create clear, well-supported technical documentation.
- High attention to detail and commitment to quality.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment with evolving responsibilities.
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Preferred Qualifications
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- Experience supporting renewable energy, transmission, utility, transportation, telecommunications, or other infrastructure projects.
- Familiarity with NEPA, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Section 106, state environmental review processes, and related permitting frameworks.
- Experience with GIS platforms such as ArcGIS.
- Experience performing environmental due diligence or site feasibility reviews.
- Interest in artificial intelligence, automation, and technology-enabled environmental workflows.
- Experience working across multiple jurisdictions and regulatory agencies.
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