Company OverviewBlue Energy's mission is to unlock energy abundance, energy affordability, energy security, and turn-key decarbonization by developing the fastest path to deploying new nuclear MWs at scale. We are utilizing shipyard manufacturing supply chains and techniques from offshore oil and wind to reduce the cost of nuclear plants by over 60% and the manufacturing timeline to 24 months. Blue Energy is a platform technology that makes use of the latest NRC-approved reactors and is in negotiations with existing nuclear and industrial sites, enabling a much faster regulatory pathway to deploy our first unit. With our innovative centralized shipyard manufacturing approach, we can put nuclear power on a cost-reduction learning curve akin to wind, solar, and lithium-ion batteries.As a Environmental and Permitting Manager, you are the asset owner's representative in the environmental and permitting realm, ensuring the new plant and all pipeline projects meet federal and state environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements while collaboratively working with engineering, construction, operations and business development to ensure all technical aspects of the plant design, construction and execution maximize profits, by decreasing CapEX and OpEx while increasing generation revenue.Expectations:
- Raise issues and concerns quickly, we strive for a culture where everyone can communicate openly so problems can be resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is as important for technical issues as it is for non-technical and personnel issues. The longer things go unmentioned , the longer they fester and the more painful they are to resolve.
- Budget and Schedule are important! Everyone, as owners and owners representatives, is ultimately accountable for accomplishing our goals on time and on budget. However, if Doing it Right means we need to spend a little more time or money, raise the issue to me and we will discuss the best path forward. It's a balance and we can address all gray areas as a team.
- People make mistakes, especially when developing a First of a Kind product. Be open with mistakes of yourself and others, we want to ensure we understand every error, potential error or near miss so that we establish engineered controls or procedural steps to prevent recurrence. These errors, omissions and oversights can be resolved in a professional manner without people fearing reprisal, if we build the culture the right way. We are all responsible for building this kind of working environment.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the preparation, submission, and management of all necessary environmental and construction permits for the Blue Energy plant, including land use, water, air quality, and waste management permits. Recognizing that a portion of this work will be completed by contracted resources, experience managing significant contracts will be imperative to success.
- Ensure strict adherence to Federal environmental laws, regulations, and standards (e.g., NRC, EPA, state and local authorities), specifically related to large power plant construction, nuclear energy, radiation safety and construction work in coastal, near shore and/or intercoastal waterways.
- Oversee the preparation and review of Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Management Plans (EMPs), ensuring that they address all relevant environmental concerns and mitigation strategies and meet the requirements of the NRC license applications and NEPA processes.
- Coordinate with the Licensing Team and act as the primary liaison between the project team and regulatory agencies, environmental organizations, and community stakeholders. Ensure effective communication and transparency regarding environmental management practices.
- Develop and implement an environmental monitoring and audit program to assess the environmental impact of project activities, including radiation safety, water quality, air emissions, and wildlife impact. Prepare regular compliance reports for regulatory authorities.
- Identify potential environmental risks and develop mitigation strategies to minimize the environmental impact of construction and operations, including waste management, water conservation, habitat protection, and emergency response planning.
- Have an in-depth understanding of how all plant systems are designed, operated and will perform in the field. It is your responsibility to understand how everything works, works together and will potentially impact our environmental and permitting risk profile. If you have questions, it's likely someone else has the same question. Ask the question, get the answers and share the results.
- Work closely with our Engineering and Construction sub-contractors to identify issues with environmental, permitting and schedule that need to be resolved. If you realize you need help resolving an issue make sure you request assistance early and resist the urge to try and resolve all issues on your own (don't try to be a hero!)
- We will have frequent interaction with the Licensing Team who rely on us heavily to ensure all questions, concerns and issues raised by the regulator (NRC) are addressed accurately and timely
- Proactively provide support to the Licensing team and identify issues that need oversight by leadership to ensure resolution
- You will be expected, in addition to managing active construction project environmental and permitting activities, to participate in business development and pipeline project work to ensure projects in the pipeline meet all potential environmental and regulatory standards and that red flag reviews and environmental due diligence is completed efficiently and timeline to support investment decisions.
- There may be tight budgets and schedules to be managed in addition to the team's goals, you will be provided with the appropriate support and guidance but if you need help reach out to me as soon as possible
- Actively participate in construction and commissioning. This will involve frequent and potentially extended trips to the construction site to participate in, supervise and ensure the environmental and permitting related issues are being handled appropriately by on-site personnel and that critical path or near critical path schedule activities are on track. Team leadership to address inevitable technical issues during construction and commissioning will be a key aspect of this portion of the job responsibilities.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Ecology, or a related field. A Master's degree is preferred.
- Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience in environmental management and permitting, with at least 3 years of experience in the nuclear power or energy sector. Strong familiarity with nuclear regulatory frameworks and permitting processes, such as those set forth by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and local agencies.
- Technical Skills:
- Expertise in managing large-scale permitting processes and environmental assessments.
- Proficiency in environmental impact modeling software, GIS, and related tools.
- Deep understanding of Federal nuclear and environmental regulations, including NEPA, NRC regulations, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and ISO 14001 environmental management standards.
- Familiarity with project management software (e.g., MS Project, Primavera).
- Certifications: PMP or other project management certifications are a plus.
- Soft Skills:
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Strong leadership and decision-making capabilities.
We look forward to your application and helping foster an era of safe, clean, affordable, and abundant energy.Blue Energy is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly align with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this or other roles at Blue Energy now or in the future.