Senior Manager, Environmental & Permitting

Brunel has partnered with SB Energy to hire a Senior Manager, Environmental & Permitting for their growing Development & Origination team. Backed by SoftBank and Ares, SB Energy develops, builds, owns, and operates large-scale power and data center infrastructure projects across the U.S.

In this role, you will lead environmental and permitting activities supporting SB Energy’s development and construction portfolio of utility-scale energy generation, energy storage, and data center projects across the U.S., managing complex local, state, and federal permitting processes while working closely with internal teams, regulatory authorities, consultants, communities, and other key stakeholders.

About SB Energy:

SB Energy is a fast-growing energy and infrastructure company backed by SoftBank and Ares. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, they develop, build, own, and operate large-scale power and data center infrastructure across the United States.

Since launching in 2019, SB Energy has quickly become a leading integrated platform with more than 3 GW in operation and a strong pipeline of future projects nationwide. Their team combines innovation, technical expertise, and execution excellence to deliver reliable, secure, and forward-thinking infrastructure that helps power America’s future.

About the role:

The Environmental & Permitting Senior Manager will be responsible for acquisition of discretionary land use and environmental permits and authorizations in support of SB Energy’s development and construction portfolio for utility-scale energy generation, energy storage, and data center projects across the U.S.

The Senior Manager will lead and oversee complex environmental and permitting activities throughout project development and construction, working cross-functionally with Development, Origination, Engineering, Transmission/Interconnection, Capital Markets, Data Center, and other support teams. This role will also manage external consultants, support project financing activities, maintain project schedules and budgets, and build effective relationships with regulatory authorities, local communities, and other stakeholders.

Location: San Francisco / Bay Area, San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; Austin/Houston/Dallas, TX. Hybrid.

Travel: The position may require up to 30% domestic travel.

Responsibilities:

• Plan and oversee the management and advancement of local, state, and federal permitting processes and manage project compliance during the development and construction phases of energy generation, energy storage, and data center projects.
• Prepare, evaluate, and/or manage the preparation of natural resource surveys, land use applications, environmental impact reports, and other technical reports.
• Understand the practical implications of existing permits and propose permitting strategies.
• Work collaboratively with other cross-functional teams including Development, Origination, Engineering, Transmission/Interconnection, Capital Markets, Data Center and other support teams.
• Identify external consultants with relevant, local expertise and experience; prepare scope of work and contract documents; and oversee quality of work product.
• Support project financing activities.
• Develop and successfully deliver on project schedules and budgets.
• Travel nationally up to 30%.
• Build effective relationships with authorities having jurisdiction, neighbors, the local community, third-party stakeholders, and any other relevant stakeholders.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• A bachelor's degree in environmental science, biology, land use planning, ecology, geography, or another relevant field.
• At least 8-12+ years of professional experience.
• At least 5 years of experience in supporting environmental compliance and permitting issues in the United States for energy generation, energy storage, and/or data center projects, including their associated infrastructure, such as interconnection/collection substations, collector lines, generation lines, access roads, etc.
• Strong understanding of local, state, and federal discretionary permits and environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act (CWA) (stormwater/erosion prevention/WOTUS NWPs), Clean Air Act (CAA) (GHG, thermal generation air emissions, etc), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (federal Rights-of-Way), Endangered Species Act (ESA) (take permits), Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) (avian impact avoidance), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (hazardous waste), Environmental Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) (Tier II reporting), and/or other state environmental or permitting agencies such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC), Wyoming Industrial Siting Council (WISD), Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB), etc.
• Experience obtaining discretionary land use permits and authorizations, including conditional use permits, special use permits, zone changes/amendments, development agreements, general/comprehensive plan amendments, BLM/BIA/DOE Rights-of-Way, tax abatements, and natural resource permits for energy generation, energy storage, and data center projects.
• Experience securing federal approvals.
• A thorough understanding of environmental and wildlife impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, analytical and planning abilities, and good judgement.
• The ability to manage multiple time-sensitive projects simultaneously.
• Experience working with and developing relationships with permitting specialists, regulators, project managers, environmental lawyers, scientists, planners, engineers, and contractors.
• Expert communication and organization skills.
• Strong sense of ownership over individual contributions and team success.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $160,000–$190,000.

The pay range mentioned above is a guideline. We tailor each offer based on your unique skills, experience, location, and market benchmarks—while ensuring internal parity across our team. In addition to competitive base pay, total compensation may include a discretionary annual bonus and a market leading comprehensive health and wellness benefits package. Final details will be discussed during the later stages of the hiring process.

SB Energy’s Benefits programs are designed to support our team members and their families while keeping their well-being, happiness, and varying needs in mind. SB Energy employees may enroll in our benefits programs and take advantage of customized perks and offerings, including those designed to support families, however defined. We offer the following benefits to all team members:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance: 100% premium covered by the company, for employees and dependents
• Long-Term Disability (LTD), Life Insurance, AD&D and Voluntary Legal Insurance Plan
• Competitive Retirement Benefits with 401(k) company match
• Generous Paid Time Off and 11 Paid Company Holidays
• Flexible working arrangements
• 12 weeks fully paid Parental Leave
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – Medical & Dependent FSA; Transit & Commuter FSA with employer contributions
• Mental Health Wellness Offerings
• Discounted Physical Wellness plan & Pet Insurance
• Monthly reimbursement for Phone/Internet/Data
• Phone Equipment Purchase Benefits
• Thoughtful Hybrid Workplace Set-up Benefits