The Director of Environment & Permitting is a senior leadership role responsible for environmental compliance, permitting strategy, and operational Safety, Health, & Environmental performance across the company.
This role leads environmental and permitting activities companywide and serves as a key partner to the Vice President in driving disciplined execution in the field. The Director ensures permits are secured, regulatory obligations are met, risks are controlled, and health and safety systems are consistently applied across all operations.
Key Responsibilities:
Environmental and Permitting
- Lead all federal, state, and local permitting activities for new projects, expansions, modifications, and renewals
- Develop and maintain environmental policies, procedures, and management systems
- Ensure compliance with air, water, waste, land use, reclamation, and reporting requirements
- Oversee preparation and submission of permit applications, technical studies, and agency filings
- Manage regulatory agency relationships including EPA, BLM, and Nevada authorities
- Oversee environmental monitoring, inspections, corrective actions, and compliance reporting
- Manage environmental budgets and financial assurance programs
- Identify and mitigate environmental risks across operations
Safety, Health, & Environmental Leadership
- Support and strengthen implementation of the company's Safety Management System across all sites
- Ensure compliance with OSHA, PSM, and applicable state requirements
- Partner with Operations Leaders to manage high-risk work and contractor performance
- Lead serious incident investigations and ensure timely, disciplined corrective action
- Track leading and lagging indicators and drive measurable improvement
- Support internal audits and site compliance reviews
- Reinforce field engagement and leadership visibility expectations
- Maintain emergency preparedness and response readiness
Leadership and Organizational Accountability
- Align site leaders around clear environmental and safety expectations
- Build capability within the EHS team through coaching and accountability
- Provide concise reporting to executive leadership and the Board
- Represent the company in regulatory, community, and public forums
- Establish clear annual objectives tied to regulatory, environmental, and safety performance
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Engineering, Safety, or related field; Master’s preferred
- 12–15 years of progressive experience in environmental management and/or health and safety leadership
- Strong knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local environmental regulations and OSHA requirements
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing consultants
- Demonstrated ability to influence operations and drive accountability
- Budget management experience, including financial assurance programs
- Experience with Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and California regulatory agencies preferred
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
- On-time permit submissions and approvals
- Strong environmental compliance record with no significant violations
- Timely closure of environmental and safety corrective actions
- Reduction in serious injury and high potential events
- Audit completion and corrective action closure rates
- Budget adherence for environmental and SH&E programs
- Staff development, retention, and performance
Working Conditions:
Primarily office-based, with regular travel (up to 40%) to project and operations sites. Interaction with regulatory agencies, community stakeholders, and field teams is expected. Occasional extended hours may be required during permitting milestones, inspections, or incident response.