Director of Environmental Affairs

Company: Vestas Deutschland GmbH
Location: Portland
Posted on: February 25, 2021

Job Description:

Director, Environmental Affairs --
US,--Portland-----Management-----Full-Time-- - ID:-- 14172 -- The Director of Environmental Affairs is responsible to provide strategy and leadership for key aspects of environmental risk assessment, permitting and mitigation for Vestas wind energy development, construction and operations. The primary role is to identify risks and develop and implement permitting strategies for greenfield development projects and M&A opportunities, as well as to provide support for development leads, financing, sales, construction and operations aspects of the business. Responsibilities-- -- Ensure the Vestas development portfolio consists of geographically diverse projects with low environmental risk, predictable timelines for resolving environmental issues that would influence project value or marketability, and high probability of successful commercialization. -- Provide oversight of all environmental compliance aspects of projects through site characterization studies, agency coordination, documentation of no permits warranted or permitting where appropriate, and effective management of environmental consultants.-- -- Provide expertise and functional direction on overall environmental risk screening and assessment, and permitting risk, strategies, requirements and mitigations for greenfield and potential M&A projects. -- Develop environmental survey and permitting strategies for wind projects across the US-- -- Manage complex environmental processes, oversee development of necessary documents for compliance with federal, state, and local regulatory requirements and project transactions.-- -- Support project investment decisions and project sale processes by creating robust environmental and permitting risk evaluation documentation for senior management and investors. -- Function as the internal Subject Matter Expert for responding to third party financing inquiries, origination leads/RFPs, and other topics involving environmental or permitting matters.-- -- Provide creative strategies to align regulatory requirements with commercial needs of projects and internal best practices that meet Vestas' core values.-- -- Develop relationships with and represent Vestas before key state, federal and local regulatory bodies, and environmental NGOs and other stakeholders as appropriate. -- Coordinate agency & NGO engagement and negotiations, scoping of data collection, permit preparation and submittals, and negotiation and resolution of complex permitting issues.-- -- Coordinate development-side environmental permitting processes for projects requiring eagle permitting, Threatened and Endangered species permitting, wetlands permits, federal lands permitting (i.e,.--NEPA) and environmental portions of state-level wind energy permits. -- Develop a network of reputable, reliable consultants and legal support for environmental studies and permit-related work. Coordinate consultant scopes of work with development team, including but not limited to Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments, Wetlands, Cultural and Special Status Species work.-- -- Maintain comprehensive knowledge of environmental policies and regulations that affect project siting, permitting and compliance, and communicate these effectively within the Development Team and broader company.-- -- Participate in regional and national environmental forums as needed to achieve company goals (e.g., to influence environmental regulations and renewable energy policy, enhance Vesta's reputation in the business, etc.). -- Coordinate Vestas' involvement in environmental research activities to facilitate company and industry effectiveness.-- -- Hire staff where appropriate, if needs of the development portfolio exceed workload capacity.-- Essential Functions-- -- Ability to work flexible hours (coordinating with various time zones)-- -- Able to effectively coordinate a cross-functional team-- -- Solve problems strategically; search out relevant information and gauge its importance when making decisions-- -- Ability to influence across organizational boundaries / with solid focus on working with & understanding different cultures-- Qualifications-- -- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Sales or Marketing. MBA preferred-- -- Minimum of 10 years of productive work experience in utility scale wind energy environmental affairs-- -- Solid experience in and understanding of the North American power sector, including legal / regulatory aspects, market environment, stakeholders, counterparties, and other areas that impact growth initiatives-- -- Extensive knowledge and capabilities in all the aspects of environmental permitting and environmental policy in the wind energy industry-- -- Knowledge of project development, including power sales, commercial markets, EPC, permitting, transmission, fuel supply, project financing, contracts, land acquisition, and financial analysis-- -- Demonstrated ability to build relationships and interface effectively with cross-functional employee groups and external stakeholders-- -- Comfortable multi-tasking and prioritizing competing demands in a fast-paced work environment-- -- Tenacious and creative problem-solver who is excited to assess, solve, communicate and implement strategic solutions to complex, multifaceted challenges with emphasis on attention to detail-- -- Has a strong network of relationships among key stakeholders in the market/industry-- -- Understands financial models, risks, rewards, and what promotes value in greenfield projects/ M&A opportunities-- -- Has in-depth know how in developing, negotiating, and implementing complex project agreements-- -- Can be an effective spokesperson and public representative for Steelhead Americas-- Physical Demands & Work Environment The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to effectively perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable team members with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Physical requirements will generally only entail normal movement / walking with minimal exposure to risk. Job may require occasional travel to customer meetings or project--sites;--primarily standard office environment. Conditions may vary when traveling to a job site including walking on wet, muddy or unlevel ground.-- What--We--Offer As a member of the Vestas team, we offer an attractive salary and one of the most comprehensive benefits plans in the industry. Among the many amenities we--offer:--healthcare; dental; vision; vacation and sick time; generous 401(k) plan; tuition assistance; and much more. It is the policy of Vestas to afford equal employment opportunity without regard to age, race, religion, color, gender, or national origin, and to afford equal opportunity to veterans and individuals with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, provincial, or local law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application or interview process should notify a representative within the People & Culture department.-- Vestas is the energy industry's global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service wind turbines across the globe, and with more than 113 GW of wind turbines in 81 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else.-- Through our industry-leading smart data capabilities and unparalleled more than 96 GW of wind turbines under service, we use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind power solutions.-- Together with our customers, Vestas' more than 25.000 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future. Vestas promotes a diverse workforce which embraces all social identities and is free of any discrimination. We commit to create and sustain an environment that acknowledges and harvests different experiences, skills and perspectives, and gives everyone equal access to opportunity.-- We invite you to learn more about Vestas by visiting our website at www.vestas.com and following us on our social media channels.

Keywords: Vestas Deutschland GmbH, Portland , Director of Environmental Affairs, Executive , Portland, Oregon