Published: Feb 17, 2025 – The Senior Environmental Planner leads the execution and oversight of complex projects by managing schedules, budgets, and deliverables while ensuring compliance with environmental laws such as NEPA. This position develops scopes and budgets, prepares environmental review documents for transportation projects, and reviews work performed by less experienced staff to maintain high standards. The senior planner also collaborates effectively with clients and internal teams to address challenges, simplify complex information, and deliver successful outcomes.

Tips for Senior Environmental Planner Skills and Responsibilities on a Resume
1. Senior Environmental Planner, Green Horizon Environmental Solutions, Denver, CO
Job Summary:
- Co-ordinate internal resources, consultancies, and advisors to deliver approval applications on time and to budget
- Be responsible for scoping tender documents for third-party consultants
- Take responsibility for procurement and management of third-party contracts
- Expert review, input, and coordination of Development Application/Environmental Impact Statement development and related documentation
- Foster strong relationships and stakeholder management for landowners
- Consult with planning authority and project stakeholders
- Consult with local interest groups, heritage groups, and traditional owners
- Develop and manage action list and consultation register
- Say what needs to be said both to the internal team and to the client.
Skills on Resume:
- Project Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Tender Procurement (Hard Skills)
- Contract Management (Hard Skills)
- Environmental Documentation (Hard Skills)
- Stakeholder Engagement (Soft Skills)
- Communication (Soft Skills)
- Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Consultation Tracking (Hard Skills)
2. Senior Environmental Planner, Eco Strategies Group, Portland, OR
Job Summary:
- Serve as a project manager and leader related to environmental planning and permitting projects.
- Prepare and review technical analyses and documents, proposals, and/or qualifications information.
- Technical and financial management of environmental planning, permitting, and compliance tasks and projects.
- Provide support and expertise for environmental planning and permitting.
- Maintain an understanding of emerging regulations and industry requirements.
- Work closely with business development and project delivery teams to win and deliver projects.
- Develop execution strategies for planning and permitting projects
- Mentor staff to expand their understanding of technical and business aspects.
- Drive results for the team by consistently achieving objectives, even under tough circumstances.
Skills on Resume:
- Project Management (Hard Skills)
- Technical Writing (Hard Skills)
- Environmental Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Budgeting (Hard Skills)
- Regulatory Research (Hard Skills)
- Team Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Staff Mentoring (Soft Skills)
- Problem Solving (Soft Skills)
3. Senior Environmental Planner, TerraConsult LLC, Austin, TX
Job Summary:
- Conduct technical analyses following NEPA and MEPA regulatory requirements.
- Review environmental studies and work prepared by others.
- Prepare environmental documentation and presentations.
- Manage and execute environmental scopes and budgets amongst a diverse range of technical resource groups.
- Facilitate stakeholder meetings, public workshops, and public hearings.
- Maintain the highest level of quality assurance and control expected by VHB and clients.
- Build relationships with clients, project managers, colleagues, and sub‑consultants.
- Support business development activities including preparing scopes of work, fee estimates, and schedules
- Oversees the work of less experienced staff.
- Adapts to situations by adjusting approach and demeanor in real-time to match the shifting demands of different situations.
Skills on Resume:
- Technical Analysis (Hard Skills)
- Environmental Documentation (Hard Skills)
- Budget Management (Hard Skills)
- Stakeholder Engagement (Soft Skills)
- Quality Assurance (Hard Skills)
- Client Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Business Development (Soft Skills)
- Adaptability (Soft Skills)
4. Senior Environmental Planner, EnviroTech Partners, Sacramento, CA
Job Summary:
- Work collaboratively within the team and other in-house teams, including design, to embed sustainability principles
- Deliver an environmental planning advisory service on a range of applications
- Co-ordinate impact assessments (environmental, health, socio-economic, sustainability) and associated processes for a range of developments
- Review technical reports and work with technical consultants to progress them to the necessary standard for senior sign-off
- Co-ordinate project teams to complete their tasks in delivering projects on time and within budget
- Conduct research and site appraisals on projects for a client base
- Assist with the preparation of planning promotion documents and with the submission and negotiation of planning applications
- Assist with policy representations
- Provide planning appeal assistance
- Seek opportunities to grow the network internally and externally
- Look for opportunities to innovate and grow business
Skills on Resume:
- Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Advisory (Hard Skills)
- Impact Assessment (Hard Skills)
- Report Review (Hard Skills)
- Project Coordination (Soft Skills)
- Research (Hard Skills)
- Planning Assistance (Hard Skills)
- Business Development (Soft Skills)
5. Senior Environmental Planner, Blue Earth Consulting, Salt Lake City, UT
Job Summary:
- Serve as a project manager on small to moderately sized projects
- Serve as a deputy project manager on larger projects/programs
- Oversee the preparation of environmental documents, technical reports and memoranda, presentations, public notices, and other work products.
- Conduct research, write proficiently, and manage multiple project schedules with competing deadlines and budget constraints.
- Provide support to key sector clients, including interest and availability to function as an extension of client staff.
- Assist with public outreach activities, including presenting, as well as implementing communication strategies.
- Manage multiple meetings with a variety of stakeholders.
- Help to mentor junior staff.
- Strictly adhere to professional standards
- Demonstrate consistency and reliability, timeliness in meeting project deadlines
- Adhere to project scopes of work and budgets, communicate clearly and concisely, and work responsibly – on a team or independently.
Skills on Resume:
- Project Management (Hard Skills)
- Research and Writing (Hard Skills)
- Client Support (Soft Skills)
- Public Outreach (Soft Skills)
- Stakeholder Management (Soft Skills)
- Mentoring (Soft Skills)
- Professional Standards (Soft Skills)
- Time Management (Soft Skills)
6. Senior Environmental Planner, Northstar Environmental Services, Raleigh, NC
Job Summary:
- Working on a wide range of planning, science, transportation, and environmental regulation projects
- Leading and working on NEPA, SEPA, CEQA and compliance documents, and public involvement processes
- Coordinating, contributing to, and reviewing shorelines and critical areas studies, Growth Management Act documentation, Shoreline Management Act documentation, and technical discipline reports and studies.
- Coordinating federal, state, and local permitting processes and preparing application packages
- Strong project management, organization, coordination, and communication skills
- Interact with a multidisciplinary team to direct efforts to ensure compliance with various federal, state, and local environmental regulations.
- Direct communications with clients, regulatory agencies, a variety of stakeholders, and the public.
- Think creatively to resolve complex problems and identify solutions throughout a project’s planning, design, and construction phases.
- Displays client focus by initiating and expanding client relationships.
- Values differences by recognizing the benefit that different perspectives and cultures bring to the firm.
Skills on Resume:
- Environmental Compliance (Hard Skills)
- NEPA/SEPA/CEQA Documentation (Hard Skills)
- Permitting Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Project Management (Hard Skills)
- Team Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Client Communication (Soft Skills)
- Creative Problem Solving (Soft Skills)
- Client Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
7. Senior Environmental Planner, Summit Environmental Consulting, Phoenix, AZ
Job Summary:
- Leverage a high industry profile to provide significant leadership in the growth and development of MH's environmental planning/environmental management practice within Ontario and the environmental business unit as a whole
- Provide senior environmental planning expertise and team leadership on a variety of multi-disciplinary project teams
- Lead, implement, and manage all aspects of the environmental planning and approvals processes following the relevant EA processes (MTO/Municipal Class EA)
- Directing large multi-discipline teams and complex studies
- Take responsibility for business development and client relationship management
- Help build MH's experience and reputation for major infrastructure planning, particularly transit and roadway corridors and networks as well as major bridge projects
- Planning experience in other sectors (e.g. energy, utilities) would be a significant asset
- Help to grow MH's environmental planning/environmental assessment market share in strategic markets with a primary focus on Ontario and the Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area
- Leverage existing industry/client relationships and establish and foster new client relationships
- Take a lead role in strategic account management, proposal preparation, industry tracking, and generation of new business leads on major pursuits
Skills on Resume:
- Environmental Planning (Hard Skills)
- Project Leadership (Soft Skills)
- EA Process Management (Hard Skills)
- Multi-Disciplinary Team Coordination (Soft Skills)
- Business Development (Soft Skills)
- Client Relationship Management (Soft Skills)
- Infrastructure Planning (Hard Skills)
- Strategic Account Management (Soft Skills)
8. Senior Environmental Planner, EcoSphere Planning Group, Denver, CO
Job Summary:
- Drives the process and oversees the implementation of a project with updates to the schedule, budget, or deliverables for the programs.
- Remains knowledgeable about processes to guide others.
- Serves as the Task Lead for complex projects with the ability to write scopes and budgets.
- Develops an advanced understanding and ensures compliance with environmental laws (i.e., NEPA, local, state, and federal).
- Supports the Project Manager, delegates work to staff, and ensures permits are completed.
- Oversees and reviews the work of less experienced staff.
- Completes the scope of work, budget, and schedule as part of task expansion or new proposals without guidance from others.
- Prepares environmental review documents for complex transportation projects.
- Serves as the Task Lead for environmental documents without guidance from others.
- Collaborates by building partnerships and working cooperatively with internal partners and clients to meet shared objectives.
- Works proactively with clients to manage complexity by making sense of complicated, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems and meet challenges (i.e., schedule, and delivery).
Skills on Resume:
- Project Management (Hard Skills)
- Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Budgeting (Hard Skills)
- Delegation (Soft Skills)
- Documentation (Hard Skills)
- Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Problem Solving (Soft Skills)
- Client Management (Soft Skills)