Senior Project Manager | Environmental - AVL

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nLocation: Asheville, North CarolinaReports To: Environmental Department Manager / Group LeaderStatus: Full-Time, Exempt\nOverview of Bunnell-Lammons Engineering, Inc.\nAt Bunnell-Lammons Engineering (BLE), our core principles shape everything we do. We put people first, prioritizing our clients, employees, and community in every decision. We believe trust is earned through honesty, dependability, and delivering on our promises. Clear, timely communication keeps our clients and partners informed, while a commitment to excellence drives us to produce work that consistently sets the standard in our industry. Most importantly, we honor every commitment we make and believe that no challenge is too complex when the right people work together. These values define who we are, how we operate, and the kind of team we continue to build.\nPosition Overview\nWe are seeking an experienced Senior Environmental Project Manager to lead complex environmental consulting projects and serve as a trusted technical advisor to clients across the private and public sectors.\nThe ideal candidate will have strong experience in Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, environmental due diligence, site investigation, Brownfields redevelopment, soil, groundwater, and soil gas assessments, regulatory compliance, risk-based environmental management, and remediation strategies, including soil excavation and vapor intrusion mitigation systems. This individual will manage projects from initial scope development through investigation, regulatory coordination, reporting, closure, and, when necessary, remediation.\nThe Senior Environmental Project Manager will work closely with developers, property owners, commercial and industrial clients, attorneys, lenders, regulators, and other project stakeholders to identify and manage environmental liabilities associated with property acquisition, development, redevelopment, and ongoing operations.\nA key component of this position is the ability to evaluate environmental conditions and regulatory requirements and develop practical, technically defensible strategies that achieve project objectives while minimizing unnecessary investigation, regulatory exposure, and remedial expenditures were supported by site conditions, risk assessment, and applicable regulations.\nThis position requires a combination of technical expertise, project management, regulatory knowledge, client relationship skills, and business development capability. The Senior Environmental Project Manager will also provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior environmental professionals and support the growth of BLE's environmental services.\nMinimum Qualifications\n\n Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Geology, Biology, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline; Master's degree preferred.\n Minimum 5–10 years of progressive experience in environmental consulting, environmental investigation, environmental due diligence, remediation, regulatory compliance, or a related field.\n Demonstrated experience managing complex environmental projects from proposal and scope development through project completion and regulatory closure.\n Professional registration or certification such as PG, PE, CHMM, or similar preferred.\n 40-hour HAZWOPER certification preferred or required where applicable to project responsibilities.\n 8-hour HAZWOPER Supervisor Training certification preferred or required where applicable to project responsibilities.\n Demonstrated experience with Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments.\n Experience with environmental due diligence associated with property acquisition, disposition, financing, redevelopment, or development.\n Experience with Brownfields, voluntary cleanup programs, LUST programs, or other state and federal environmental regulatory programs.\n Strong understanding of soil, groundwater, surface water, soil gas, hydrogeology, and environmental risk assessment.\n Experience with environmental field investigation techniques including drilling oversight, sampling, logging, monitoring well installation, and field data collection.\n Demonstrated ability to interpret analytical data and develop technically sound conclusions and recommendations.\n Strong written and verbal communication skills.\n Proven ability to manage project budgets, schedules, scopes, subcontractors, and deliverables.\n Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain client relationships.\n Ability to mentor and provide technical guidance to junior staff.\n\nSkills & Competencies\n\n Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental regulations.\n Strong understanding of ASTM environmental site assessment standards and practices.\n Demonstrated knowledge of Phase I and Phase II ESAs and environmental due diligence.\n Strong understanding of site characterization, conceptual site models, data-gap analysis, and risk assessment.\n Knowledge of risk-based corrective action (RBCA) principles and their application to environmental investigations and regulatory closure.\n Understanding of Brownfields redevelopment and voluntary cleanup programs.\n Ability to evaluate environmental liabilities in the context of property acquisition, development, redevelopment, and investment decisions.\n Ability to develop practical regulatory and technical strategies that appropriately manage environmental risk.\n Ability to distinguish between conditions requiring active remediation and conditions that may be appropriately addressed through risk-based closure, institutional controls, engineering controls, monitoring, or other regulatory mechanisms, when supported by applicable requirements.\n Strong project management and organizational skills.\n Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, budgets, schedules, and priorities.\n Strong technical writing and report preparation skills.\n Excellent client communication and presentation skills.\n Ability to negotiate and communicate effectively with regulators, clients, attorneys, contractors, and other stakeholders.\n Proficiency with GIS and other technical software used in environmental consulting preferred.\n Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a multidisciplinary consulting team.\n\nKey Responsibilities\nEnvironmental Assessment & Due Diligence\n\n Lead and manage Phase I Environmental Site Assessments for commercial, industrial, institutional, and development properties.\n Lead and manage Phase II Environmental Site Assessments and follow-up environmental investigations.\n Conduct and oversee environmental due diligence associated with property acquisition, disposition, financing, development, and redevelopment.\n Evaluate historical, current, and potential environmental conditions that may affect property value, development plans, regulatory obligations, or environmental liability.\n Identify Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs), Controlled RECs, Historical RECs, and other environmental concerns as applicable to project requirements.\n Work with developers, property owners, attorneys, lenders, and other stakeholders to communicate environmental findings and their potential implications.\n Develop investigation strategies that provide clients with sufficient information to make informed property and development decisions.\n\nSite Investigation & Characterization\n\n Lead environmental investigations involving soil, groundwater, surface water, soil gas, and other environmental media.\n Oversee and manage drilling, monitoring well installation, sampling, logging, field screening, and subcontractor activities.\n Develop and refine Conceptual Site Models (CSMs).\n Conduct data-gap analyses and determine appropriate additional investigation requirements.\n Evaluate analytical data and identify contaminant sources, pathways, receptors, and potential exposure risks.\n Prepare and review sampling plans, work plans, investigation reports, and other technical documents.\n Review and validate laboratory analytical results and technical work products.\n\nRisk Assessment & Remediation Strategy\n\n Conduct environmental risk assessments related to impacted soil, groundwater, surface water, and soil gas.\n Evaluate the nature and extent of environmental impacts and their potential implications for current and future property use.\n Develop risk-based corrective action and regulatory strategies appropriate to site conditions and client objectives.\n Evaluate whether environmental conditions require active remediation or may be appropriately addressed through alternative regulatory or risk-management approaches.\n Develop technically defensible strategies intended to minimize unnecessary remedial activities and expenditures while maintaining compliance with applicable regulations and protecting human health and the environment.\n Evaluate remediation alternatives when remediation is required, including consideration of cost, effectiveness, schedule, constructability, regulatory requirements, and long-term liability.\n Support development of remedial investigation reports, feasibility studies, corrective action plans, remedial designs, and closure documentation.\n Assist clients in navigating environmental liabilities associated with redevelopment and property transactions.\n\nBrownfields & Redevelopment\n\n Lead environmental projects supporting Brownfields assessment, redevelopment, and regulatory closure.\n Support clients participating in state and federal Brownfields and voluntary cleanup programs.\n Coordinate environmental investigations and regulatory activities with development schedules and construction objectives.\n Evaluate environmental conditions in the context of proposed redevelopment plans.\n Develop strategies that integrate environmental requirements with clients' development, construction, financing, and property-use objectives.\n Coordinate with developers, civil engineers, geotechnical professionals, contractors, attorneys, and other project stakeholders.\n\nUST/AST Investigation & Compliance\n\n Manage UST/AST investigation, assessment, compliance, and corrective action projects as applicable.\n Oversee site assessments, sampling, corrective action plans, closure assessments, and regulatory reporting.\n Maintain working knowledge of federal UST regulations and applicable state-specific requirements.\n Support clients with regulatory compliance, release response, and closure strategies.\n Coordinate with regulators and contractors on UST/AST-related environmental projects.\n\nRegulatory & Client Interface\n\n Serve as a primary technical contact for clients and regulators.\n Interpret federal, state, and local environmental regulations and communicate their practical implications to clients.\n Prepare and review regulatory submittals, work plans, sampling plans, investigation reports, corrective action plans, closure requests, and related documentation.\n Communicate environmental risks, regulatory requirements, project alternatives, and recommendations clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.\n Develop productive working relationships with regulatory agencies.\n Participate in regulatory negotiations and meetings on behalf of clients where appropriate.\n Keep clients informed of project progress, risks, changes in scope, and regulatory developments.\n\nProject Management\n\n Manage multiple environmental projects simultaneously while maintaining technical quality, budget, schedule, and client expectations.\n Develop project scopes, work plans, schedules, budgets, and fee estimates.\n Monitor project financial performance, including labor utilization, project costs, invoicing, and profitability.\n Manage subcontractors, laboratories, drilling contractors, remediation contractors, and other project resources.\n Identify scope changes and communicate potential impacts to clients and BLE leadership.\n Coordinate internal resources across environmental, geotechnical, geostructural, CMT, and other BLE service lines as appropriate.\n Ensure projects are completed in accordance with contractual requirements, applicable regulations, BLE procedures, and QA/QC standards.\n\nTechnical Leadership & Mentorship\n\n Serve as a senior technical resource for environmental investigations, assessments, due diligence, remediation, and regulatory matters.\n Review technical reports, work plans, sampling plans, data evaluations, and other project deliverables.\n Mentor and develop junior scientists, engineers, geologists, and field personnel.\n Provide technical guidance on field methods, data interpretation, regulatory requirements, and project execution.\n Assist staff in developing technical skills and obtaining professional certifications and licenses.\n Promote consistent application of technical standards, QA/QC procedures, and best practices.\n\nClient Development & Business Development\n\n Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective clients.\n Identify opportunities for additional environmental services within existing client relationships.\n Develop proposals, scopes of work, fee estimates, and presentations.\n Participate in client interviews, presentations, conferences, and networking activities.\n Develop relationships within the commercial real estate, development, industrial, financial, legal, and public sectors.\n Support growth of BLE's environmental due diligence, LUST, LAST, Brownfields, investigation, regulatory, and remediation services.\n Identify opportunities for cross-selling BLE's multidisciplinary services.\n Contribute to strategic initiatives designed to expand BLE's environmental market presence.\n\nRegulatory & Quality Compliance\n\n Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental regulations.\n Maintain and enforce BLE QA/QC standards for technical deliverables.\n Ensure field activities are conducted in accordance with approved work plans, safety requirements, and regulatory requirements.\n Stay current with regulatory developments, environmental standards, investigation technologies, and industry best practices.\n Serve as a technical resource for regulatory interpretation and environmental compliance matters.\n\nFinancial & Operational Accountability\n\n Monitor project financial performance and profitability.\n Maintain accurate project budgets and forecasts.\n Review project financial reports and identify potential budget or schedule issues.\n Assist Department Manager with workload forecasting and resource planning.\n Support development of departmental goals related to revenue, utilization, profitability, client development, and project delivery.\n Identify opportunities to improve project execution, efficiency, and profitability.\n\nWhy Join Us?\n\n Industry-leading reputation with a diverse and growing project portfolio.\n Opportunity to work on complex environmental investigation, due diligence, Brownfields, redevelopment, and remediation projects.\n Opportunity to work directly with developers, property owners, commercial and industrial clients, regulators, an