Director of Permitting

Job Description

The Director of Permitting is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategy, structure, and performance of SOLV Energy's permitting program across all project types, including utility-scale solar, BESS, high-voltage, and O&M. This role establishes enterprise-wide permitting standards, develops and manages a team of Regional Permitting Managers, and serves as the executive point of escalation for complex regulatory, jurisdictional, and stakeholder matters. The Director is SOLV Energy's senior external relationship holder with regulatory agencies and clients on permitting-related issues, and plays a key role in business development, contract development, and cross-functional alignment.

This role can be based full-time with regular in office presence in San Diego, CA or Edison, NJ, or remote in Dallas, TX or Denver, CO. Specific location details and expectations will be discussed during the interview process.

Position Responsibilities and Duties

Program Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and own SOLV Energy's enterprise permitting strategy, standards, and processes across all project types and geographies
• Build, lead, and develop a team of Regional Permitting Managers (West, Central, East) who handle day-to-day permitting execution
• Define regional coverage models, workload allocation, and staffing plans aligned with the project pipeline
• Establish and maintain permitting playbooks, templates, and best practices that can be deployed consistently across all regions
• Drive continuous improvement of permitting workflows, tools, and reporting to increase efficiency and reduce schedule risk
• Own and track key permitting KPIs across the portfolio; provide executive-level reporting and trend analysis

Escalation & Senior Relationship Management

• Serve as the senior point of escalation for complex, high-stakes, or politically sensitive permitting matters that exceed the regional manager level
• Cultivate and maintain executive-level relationships with key AHJs (federal, state, and local), regulatory bodies, and community stakeholders across SOLV's operating territories
• Represent SOLV Energy at public hearings, agency meetings, and industry forums at the Director level
• Advocate on behalf of projects and owners in front of elected officials, planning commissions, and agency heads
• Identify and monitor regulatory trends, legislative changes, and policy shifts that could affect SOLV's project portfolio; brief leadership accordingly
• Lead negotiation strategy with AHJs when code interpretations or requirements conflict with project design or established practice

Business Development & Client-Facing Support

• Provide permitting due diligence, risk assessment, and entitlement consulting support during the business development and preconstruction phase
• Represent SOLV Energy's permitting capabilities during client interviews, RFP responses, and preconstruction meetings
• Develop and review contract exhibits related to owner and contractor permitting responsibilities
• Provide senior-level permitting consultation and advisory services to clients as needed throughout the project lifecycle
• Collaborate with the Impact Group (community relations, government affairs, ESG) to align permitting strategy with stakeholder engagement - ensuring early community support and government goodwill ahead of permit filings

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with Engineering, Preconstruction, Scheduling, Estimating, and Operations to embed permitting requirements and timelines into project plans
• Work with Legal and Finance on permitting-related risk, contractual compliance, and cost recovery matters
• Ensure that permitting program costs are tracked, budgeted, and where applicable, job-charged for financial accountability

Minimum Skills or Experience Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in the renewable energy or EPC construction industry, with significant focus on utility-scale project permitting
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience managing permitting teams and programs at scale
• Demonstrated success building and leading regional or national permitting functions
• Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local AHJ requirements across multiple U.S. geographies
• Proven track record managing executive-level relationships with regulatory agencies, government officials, and clients
• Experience developing permitting strategy during project pursuit and preconstruction phases
• Strong executive presence with the ability to represent SOLV Energy at the highest levels of client, government, and industry engagement
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Environmental Studies, Construction Management, Planning, or related field preferred
• Ability to travel up to 40% of the time; regional travel as required for escalated matters and strategic relationship management

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring employer sponsorship now or in the future.

SOLV Energy Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At SOLV Energy we celebrate the power of our differences. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces that improve our communities. SOLV Energy prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind against an employee or applicant based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, or ethnicity, mental or physical disability, veteran status, parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits

Employees (and their families) are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance. Employees can enroll in our company's 401(k) plan and are provided vacation, sick and holiday pay.

Compensation Range

$150,080.00 - $187,600.00

Pay Rate Type: Salary

SOLV Energy does not accept unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies. We require all third-party recruiters to communicate exclusively with our internal talent acquisition team. SOLV Energy will not pay a placement fee to any third-party recruiter or agency that has not coordinated their recruiting activity with the appropriate member of our internal talent acquisition team.

In addition, candidate introductions or resumes can only be submitted to our internal talent acquisition recruiting team if a signed vendor agreement is already on file and the third-party recruiter or agency has received formal instructions from our internal talent acquisition team to submit candidates for a particular job posting.

Any unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes sent by third-party recruiters to SOLV Energy or directly to any of our employees, or received through our website or career portal, will be considered property of SOLV Energy and will not be eligible for a placement fee. In the event a third-party recruiter submits a resume or refers a candidate without a previously signed vendor agreement, SOLV Energy explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire the candidate(s) without financial liability to such third-party recruiter.

If you're interested in a meaningful career with a brighter future, join the SOLV Energy Team.