Senior Environmental Specialist - NEPA

JOB SUMMARY

The position is located in Washington D.C. within the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Chief Counsel (PHC), Environmental Analysis and Compliance Division (EACD).  Carolyn Nelson is the Federal point of contact and Director of the EACD.

The EACD is responsible for overseeing and managing activities that provides policy direction and guidance to PHMSA offices in carrying out the agency’s responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other related environmental laws (e.g., Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act); Executive Orders (EOs); and Department of Transportation (DOT) policies (e.g., DOT Order 5610.1C, “Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts”).  The Environmental Specialist provides technical and operational execution for Environmental and Hazardous Materials (HM) programs or projects, ensuring that tasks are designed and conducted in accordance with applicable regulations, guidance, and client-specified requirements. Operating under the direct supervision and guidance of the Federal Program Lead, this position serves as key technical support for the agency's Rulemaking and Special Permits - Programmatic Categorical Exclusion (CE) review process. The Environmental Specialist provides technical data analysis, assists with verifying the completeness of environmental reviews, and drafts critical regulatory compliance documentation to ensure the highest technical quality of division deliverables.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This position serves as one of EACD’s technical advisors working individually and in conjunction with agency experts, providing input in developing, interpretating, and implementing environmental considerations into PHMSA’s decision-making process related to pipeline safety and hazardous safety program policies, procedures and criteria.

Provides and implements policy guidance, consultative assistance, and staff coordination in one or more of the following areas: advising on rulemakings to establish new or revised safety regulations covering pipeline and hazardous materials safety; advising on the potential environmental impacts of a special permit or approval that waives an existing regulatory requirement; participating in the environmental reviews for grants proposals; implementing procedures for compliance with NEPA; and other ad hoc environmental policy questions as they arise.

Primary duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Provides technical direction and execution for environmental projects of considerable size, scope, or complexity under the guidance of the Program Lead.
• Ensures that programmatic tasks are conducted in compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and associated agency regulations.
• Executes weekly data acquisition from client portal systems, utilizing database search parameters and specific disposition and status filters to isolate active permit records.
• Performs data management on exported datasets, executing formatting, removing duplicate entries, and sorting structures to ensure clean tracking.
• Conducts initial technical screenings and categorizations of new and modified special permits into the appropriate CE subparts.
• Maintains and updates the programmatic master compliance tracking list on a routine basis, ensuring precision when tracking revision historical details for modified permits.
• Compiles weekly data into standardized monthly packages and assists in drafting the initial programmatic Monthly CE Memo template for regulatory reviews.
• Supports division QA/QC workflows by preparing technically sound, complete draft products and analysis sheets prior to final review by the Program Lead.
• Participates in programmatic coordination meetings and cross-team calls (including external technical support contractors and program office stakeholders), documenting key notes, milestones, and tracking ongoing action items.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must possess a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study (e.g., Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, or related technical discipline). A Master's Degree in a relevant field will be considered equivalent to two (2) years of general experience.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of total professional work experience, with a minimum of six (6) years of experience providing technical guidance or project support on large Environmental and/or Hazardous Materials projects.
• Six (6) to eight (8) years of experience preparing NEPA documentation, conducting environmental analyses, and coordinating with federal, state, and local agencies. 
• Proven experience in: NEPA Compliance Strategy and permitting; Special Permits, Grants, and Rulemaking, Environmental Assessments (EAs), Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), and Categorical Exclusions (CEs).
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required, including comfort with data filtering.
• Exceptional, proactive verbal and written communication skills are mandatory, along with strong attention to technical detail and data validation integrity.
• Prior experience providing professional support to federal agencies (such as the Department of Transportation or Department of Defense) is preferred.
• A related professional certificate or license is preferred but not required (e.g., Project Management Professional [PMP], Professional Engineer [PE], or Professional Geologist [PG]).
• Bonus points for experience with Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and Oil pipelines.