Planning Director - Colorado Front Range

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Planning Director - Colorado Front Range to lead the growth and expansion of our Planning and NEPA team in the Colorado Front Range Offices (Broomfield, CO; Fort Collins, CO). This position requires technical expertise in NEPA, State and County Permitting, along with the ability to lead experts and team members across the planning discipline to consistently produce work of superior quality for clients throughout Colorado and Wyoming. This position also requires excellent leadership skills to successfully manage the execution of project work, cultivate our business development processes, deliver for our clients, and build an exceptional planning team. The Planning Director will report to the Front Range Senior Director. This is a regular, full-time, salaried position with compensation based on individual qualifications and experience. This position can be based in either Broomfield or Fort Collins, with hybrid work arrangements permitted.

When it comes to SWCA's planning practice, the Colorado Front Range is an area of excellence renowned for the quality of our work, commitment to our clients, and unparalleled team of professionals. We continuously strive to be the premier environmental consultancy in this market by offering a work environment that promotes employee engagement and development. The successful candidate will coordinate closely with peers across the North Region and throughout the company.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing, 1,600 staff, employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

Candidates must submit a brief letter of interest with their application.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

As the Planning Director, you will have the following responsibilities:

People Leadership (35% of workload)

• Lead the growth and expansion of our Planning and NEPA team in the Front Range/Colorado.
• Identify gaps in planning resources expertise, identify and attract top talent to SWCA, and advocate for strategic hires when needed.
• Support career mobility and growth within SWCA through active coaching and mentorship of team members.
• Promote a culture of leadership, teamwork, engagement, high-quality service, and client satisfaction.
• Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain talent within our RMP offices. Lead strategic hiring efforts and focused retention efforts.
• Directly manage principal and lead-level staff.
• Drive engagement of the team by recognizing high performance and implementing approaches that build and sustain high levels of motivation.
• Support career mobility and growth within SWCA through active coaching and mentorship of team members.
• Work with leadership to determine compensation and bonus allocation.
• Connect with staff, peers, and senior management by leading regular staff meetings, brown bags, and trainings and contributing to regular regional and national leadership meetings.
  • Ensure that the team's work is well-coordinated across the business.
  • Participate in setting business goals for the office.
  • Cascade objectives through the organization to ensure alignment between local efforts and regional/national goals.

Technical Leadership (30% of workload)

• Take responsibility for implementing SWCA Quality Control Procedures within the Front Range Planning Program. Ensure that the program meets its commitments to quality and create an environment of accountability for meeting agreed-upon expectations through the use of tools and controls, such as quality audits.
• Create and ensure the use of a process to systematically gather and apply lessons learned on technical performance across projects.
• Create a culture where experimenting to find new solutions is valued and supported.
• Support the execution of work by managing projects and contracts, as well as providing senior-level technical leadership and support. Develop and approve research designs.
• Leverage experts effectively, engaging the right talent to achieve project objectives.
• Ensure that the planning program has the space, tools, and research aids that it needs, including reference libraries, subscriptions, and field gear.
• Stay current on relevant regulations and communicate changes and trends to staff and clients.
• Coordinate with the nationwide NEPA Technical Director, Practice Group Champions, and the Practice Group in general to advance local and nationwide technical needs and initiatives.
• Ensure that the work of each unit of the planning program, including operations and maintenance programs with streamlined regulatory environments (e.g., mining, electric transmission and distribution), is executed in complementary and coordinated ways. Establish systems and programs to produce consistent results.

Client and Market Leadership (25% of workload)

• Maintain and generate awareness of market and industry trends, particularly the latest regulatory changes or technical advances, that impact the business through news sources, event attendance, and using your professional network. Build SWCA's brand as a thought leader in the science of environmental consulting.
• Identify new technically focused opportunities to diversify the business, contribute to go/no-go analyses and lead teams (or act as leading technical contributor) in their pursuit. Provide senior review of proposals.
• Contribute to the growth and maintenance of client relationships, both locally and regionally.

Financial Leadership (10% of workload)

• Contribute to the development and management of the operational budget, particularly with regards to tools and trainings needed to accomplish program goals and ensure that budget objectives are achieved throughout the year through tracking and sound financial decision making.
• Ensure appropriate level of review and approval of proposals, contracts, budgets, and expenditures through mastery of and adherence to the SWCA approvals matrix.
• Monitor financial KPIs and redirect efforts as needed (e.g., productivity/utilization, multipliers, overruns, sales, etc.).
• Work with Project Controls to conduct quality audits of projects within area of responsibility to ensure that projects are on track, risks are mitigated, and issues are escalated and resolved.
• Facilitate communication between project managers, project controls, and accounts receivable.

• Bachelor degree in planning, environmental studies, environmental management, or a field related to SWCA's planning services.
• Extensive experience in NEPA or NEPA Planning. Experience should include leading teams, office work, and report completion, as well as reviews of technical work products, and scheduling and budgeting of projects.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in increasing levels of responsibility in management, including supervising and mentoring of professional staff, including recruiting, mentoring, developing, and coaching.
• Expert-level understanding of federal, state, and local regulations relevant to NEPA and environmental permitting in the Front Range/Colorado.
• Strong understanding of financial metrics common to our industry.
• Extensive experience building and maintaining strong partnerships, both internal and external.
• Strong client-facing skills (e.g., communication, relationship building, problem solving).
• Proven record of developing new business and leading major proposal efforts.

Preferred qualification:

• Working knowledge of the Front Range/Colorado market and deep familiarity with its resources.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full spectrum of environmental services. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email or call 1-480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Denver, CO or Fort Collins, Co based position can expect an annual salary of $123,396.00-$161,616.00. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA's Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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