Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist

Summary:

The Environmental Compliance Professional serves as the central point of contact for all environmental matters during construction, acting as the key liaison among project owners, regulatory agencies, engineering teams, EPC contractors, and equipment suppliers. This role is responsible for ensuring that all construction activities are executed in strict accordance with environmental permits, regulatory requirements, and project standards. Reporting to both the Owner’s Project Manager and the Construction Site Manager, the Environmental Compliance Professional also provides direct support to the Owner’s Environmental Manager as needed, helping safeguard compliance, mitigate risk, and keep the project moving without regulatory surprises.

The location for this on-site project will be Livingston County, Illinois. Travel will be required to this location on an ongoing basis.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Act as the project Subject Matter Expert (SME) for a range of environmental disciplines, including stormwater, spills, hazardous waste, groundwater, surface water, air, archeology, paleontology, biology, noxious weeds, and restoration.
• Manage EPC contractors, equipment suppliers and site teams to ensure environmental compliance, working closely with geo-technical specialists, MET teams, and survey crews.
• Review civil and stormwater design to integrate environmental requirements for erosion and pollution control across infrastructure elements such as road and drainage crossings, operations and maintenance buildings, and substation oil containment.
• Participate in EPC proposal reviews to assess contractors’ understanding of environmental compliance, confirm proper allocation of scope and costs, and ensure alignment with company environmental guidelines, design drawings, and relevant local, state, and federal regulations.
• Evaluate site drawings with internal and external parties to identify opportunities for minimizing erosion and sediment control issues during construction.
• Conduct task-specific kickoff meetings with crews before starting new construction tasks to ensure alignment with the environmental program.
• Review and oversee the preparation of NPDES permits, stormwater and spill plans, and other required construction permits and documentation, such as take permits, air quality permits, and right-of-way documents. Ensure accuracy and completeness in all permitting and documentation.
• Assess all project documentation to confirm that general conditions and best management practices (BMPs) are clearly communicated with contractors.
• Collaborate with the environmental team to develop and deliver compliance training, focusing on sediment and erosion control as well as spill prevention, trash management, and minimizing track out to maintain compliance with construction permits and plans.
• Interface with regulatory agencies, engineers, construction contractors, and other environmental representatives as needed.
• Organize regular environmental compliance meetings with the Project Manager, Construction Site Manager, external and internal environmental team, and EPC contractors during construction and mobilization phases to ensure expectations are met.
• Provide ongoing support during construction to assist Project Managers, Construction Site Manager and third-party engineering/environmental consultants, including engagement with USACE and state agencies as required.
• Monitor contractor compliance with the environmental program and manage external incident reporting.
• Build and maintain databases to track environmental issues and their closure, utilizing ArcGIS-based observations to communicate and monitor issues and task completion.
• Collaborate with the environmental team to manage restoration activities and the closure of NPDES permits following post-construction. Perform phased signoffs for the EPC contractor and ensure the management of internal quality control documents, such as seed tags, internal signoffs, and landowner signoffs.
• Lead the handoff process for multi-phase environmental obligations, transitioning responsibilities between development, construction, and operations.

Skills:

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in environmental compliance for utility-scale energy projects.
• Knowledge of federal and state environmental regulations pertaining to stormwater, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, environmental due diligence, and related programs.
• Extensive experience in the design, implementation, and maintenance of stormwater best management practices (BMPs), including a strong understanding of associated costs.
• Proven ability to collaborate across multiple project sectors and effectively manage environmental contractors.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to provide professional and detailed correspondence.
• Willingness to travel as needed, with travel requirements ranging from 60% to 90%, depending on project needs.
• Ability to multitask, adapt quickly, work well under pressure in both large teams and individually, and operate independently with minimal supervision.
• Skill in analyzing, organizing, and interpreting data from diverse sources, and translating findings into clear, actionable, written deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to influence project outcomes through collaboration.
• Experience with ArcGIS is considered an advantage.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in an environmental field, along with professional development hours demonstrating ongoing environmental construction training.
• Preferred candidates will possess certifications such as:

  • Stormwater Inspector

  • Wetland Delineator

  • Restoration Professional

  • Avian Management