What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal Consultant, Vegetation Management Environmental Workstream Planner position at ERM Group?
Lead Environmental Planning That Shapes California’s Energy Future
Step into a strategic leadership role as Principal Consultant, Vegetation Management Environmental Workstream Planner (Casual/Part‑Time), supporting ERM’s growing Impact Assessment & Planning practice in Northern California (Walnut Creek or Sacramento). In this high‑visibility position, you’ll guide critical vegetation management planning and compliance efforts for one of California’s largest utilities—advancing community safety, infrastructure resilience, and sustainable operations. This is your opportunity to apply deep environmental expertise within a global consulting firm while shaping how essential environmental planning is delivered across the state.
Why This Role Matters
ERM’s Impact Assessment & Planning (IAP) team is one of the fastest‑growing practices in our global organization. As a Principal Consultant and Environmental Workstream Planner, you will play a pivotal role supporting an ongoing contract with a major California utility, ensuring their Vegetation Management operations meet complex regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements. Your leadership will directly influence project outcomes, regulatory success, and ERM’s reputation for excellence in California’s utility sector.
ERM’s Impact Assessment & Planning (IAP) team is one of the fastest‑growing practices in our global organization. As a Principal Consultant and Environmental Workstream Planner, you will play a pivotal role supporting an ongoing contract with a major California utility, ensuring their Vegetation Management operations meet complex regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements. Your leadership will directly influence project outcomes, regulatory success, and ERM’s reputation for excellence in California’s utility sector.
What Your Impact Is
- Lead end‑to‑end environmental planning and compliance efforts across Vegetation Management operations and maintenance activities
- Serve as the Contract Environmental Workstream Planner, driving project review and permitting across agencies including USFS, BLM, CA State Parks, NPS, USFWS, CDFW, and Coastal Zone authorities
- Guide multidisciplinary teams to meet client deliverables, maintain project excellence, and ensure adherence to regulatory guidance
- Strengthen client relationships through trust, communication, and proactive updates
- Mentor junior team members, offering technical direction and development opportunities
- Build corrective action plans, address scheduling challenges, and support unit‑rate pricing invoicing
- Drive innovation within ERM’s IAP service offerings to anticipate client needs and maintain our competitive edge
- Meet safety, financial, schedule, and quality performance targets across projects
What You’ll Bring
Required
- Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in environmental studies, biology, planning, geography, civil/environmental engineering, or a related field. Or equivalent experience
- 6 (10 years preferred) of consulting experience in impact assessments, CEQA/NEPA review, and California natural resource regulatory agency permitting
- Experience supporting California electric/gas transmission and generation markets
- Expertise with California Coastal Commission and Local Coastal Plan Coastal Zone Development Permitting
- Proven success in business development with clients in power generation, electrical transmission, renewables, mining, oil & gas, and technology
- Strong relationship‑building skills and ability to secure new IA consulting work
- Broad understanding of impact assessment best practices and key environmental management issues
- Excellent team‑building, communication, and influencing skills
- High integrity, collaborative mindset, and a commitment to ERM’s global success
Preferred
- JD, CEP, AICP, or similar professional registration
- Vegetation management knowledge (preferred but not required)
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the Contract Environmental Workstream Planner for permitting and project reviews under multiple CA regulatory agencies (USFS, BLM, CA State Parks, NPS, USFWS, CDFW, CA Coastal Zone, and others)
- Oversee cross‑disciplinary teams ensuring high‑quality, timely deliverables
- Build and maintain strong, trust‑based relationships with the utility client
- Provide clear, actionable guidance to project teams and ensure compliance with client expectations
- Interface with the client’s contract owner, delivering weekly updates and performance insights
- Mentor junior staff and provide technical leadership
- Develop corrective action plans related to staffing or schedule delays
- Support unit‑rate pricing and invoicing activities
- Champion innovation within the IAP service line
- Meet ERM’s standards for health & safety, financial performance, project delivery, client satisfaction, and risk management
For the Casual/Part Time Principal Consultant, Vegetation Management Environmental Workstream Planner position, the anticipated hourly base pay is $60.55–$77.36 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible).
We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k) or RRSP/DPSP, and other applicable benefits to eligible employees.
Note: Bonuses, commissions, and other forms of additional compensation are not guaranteed and subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures.
Who We Are:
As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.
As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.
At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.
Please submit your resume and brief cover letter.
ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.
ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Thank you for your interest in ERM!
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Salary : $61 - $77