Permitting and Compliance Manager

Position Purpose

The Planning and Permitting Manager leads the planning, regulatory approval, and permitting workstream for solar embedded generation projects developed in partnership with electric cooperatives or other electric distribution utilities, including the EG-to-EC deal mechanism — cooperative power-supply procurement, National Electrification Administration (NEA) approval, and the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) or unsolicited-proposal route — that anchors each partnership. The role secures and maintains all national and local government permits, DOE/ERC regulatory approvals, and embedded generation partnership documentation required to develop, construct, and operate projects, while managing relationships with the National Electrification Administration (NEA), DOE,ERC, LGUs, and host electric cooperatives to ensure project development proceeds on schedule and in full regulatory compliance. Given Berde's Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT), ISQ-backed asset-ownership model, under which projects are owned and operated by the company for 20+ years, the role also carries ownership-lifecycle awareness — permitting, contracting, and compliance decisions must hold up over the full operating life of each asset, not just through COD. Upon hire, the role assumes continuity of the company's existing live permit and compliance tracker and all open regulatory filings, with a structured transition/overlap period to be completed before 31 August 2026.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and manage the end-to-end permitting roadmap and timeline for each embedded generation project, from site identification through to COD.
• Lead and own the EG-to-EC deal mechanism — structuring cooperative power-supply procurement, securing National Electrification Administration (NEA) approval, and managing the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) or unsolicited-proposal route for each partner electric cooperative or electric distribution utilities.
• Identify permitting, regulatory, land, and stakeholder risks early and develop mitigation plans to avoid schedule delays.
• Lead the preparation and filing of DOE applications (Renewable Energy Service/Operating Contract, Certificate of Endorsement) and ERC applications (Certificate of Compliance, PSA/Connection Agreement approval, provisional authority where applicable).
• Coordinate with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and electric cooperative Boards/management on embedded generation partnership approvals, board resolutions, and cooperative-level regulatory requirements.
• Secure environmental compliance certificates (ECC/CNC) with the DENR-EMB and manage related environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements.
• Obtain local government permits (business permits, locational clearances, building permits, barangay clearances, tree cutting permits) and manage relationships with LGU offices in project host areas.
• Lead land acquisition/lease documentation, right-of-way negotiations, and community/social acceptability activities in coordination with local stakeholders and the host electric cooperative or electric utilities including landuse conversion permits and coordination with National Irrigation Administration
• Lead permitting and regulatory workstreams for solar-plus-storage (battery energy storage system, BESS) projects, including storage-specific DOE/ERC/WESM filing requirements and environmental scoping, consistent with Berde's growing hybrid pipeline
• Monitor and assess regulatory developments (EPIRA amendments, RE Act IRR updates, ERC/DOE circulars, Distributed Energy Resource (DER), Energy Storage Systems, Distribution/Grid Code revisions) and advise management on implications for embedded generation projects.
• Maintain a centralized permit compliance tracker and ensure timely renewal of all licenses, permits, and regulatory filings for operating projects, inheriting and continuing the existing live tracker and all open regulatory filings upon hire, with a transition/overlap period completed before 31 August 2026 so that no filing or renewal lapses.
• Represent the company in regulatory consultations, public hearings, and technical working group meetings with DOE, ERC, NEA, and electric cooperative associations (e.g., PHILRECA).
• Manage a small team of planning/permitting officers and external counsel/consultants supporting regulatory filings.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure technical, financial and corporate information align with regulatory filing requirements
• Prepare management reports and executive presentations summarizing permitting status, regulatory risks, critical path activities, and recommended actions.

Qualification and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Environmental Science, Political Science, Law, or a related field.
• A Law degree or units in Environmental Planning is an advantage, particularly for regulatory and permitting negotiations.
• Additional training/certification in environmental compliance, urban/regional planning, or regulatory affairs is a plus.

Experience Requirements

• At least 7–10 years of experience in permitting, regulatory affairs, or project planning within the Philippine energy sector.
• Direct experience working with DOE, ERC, NEA, DENR-EMB, and LGUs on power generation or embedded generation project approvals.
• Prior experience partnering with, or working within, an electric cooperative, rural electrification-related organization, or electric distribution utilities is strongly preferred.
• Track record of successfully securing permits and regulatory approvals within committed project timelines.
• Experience handling community relations, land acquisition, or right-of-way negotiations in provincial/rural project sites.
• Experience with cooperative power-supply procurement processes, including the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) or unsolicited-proposal route, is strongly preferred.