Senior Coastal Adaptation/Permitting Specialist

We’re currently hiring for a Senior Coastal Adaptation/Permitting Specialist to provide leadership support for one of WRA’s natural resources and permitting teams that focuses on coastal and estuarine ecology, coastal adaptation, and regulatory permitting requirements specific to the San Francisco Bay Area and northern California coast. This position directly supervises staff and manages projects, while providing subject matter leadership and business development across disciplines to support the team and WRA’s other practices. This role helps to set the strategic direction for WRA’s coastal adaptation work, elevates our external profile in this growing market, and serves as a leader and internal resource for coastal projects, especially along the Bay shoreline and tidal marsh.
This role spans several areas of impact:
Staff Management
Assist the Team Lead in proactively addressing staffing issues that emerge within the team and more broadly within the company
Oversee and mentor early career professionals on permitting, and preparation of technical studies, project management, and professional development.
Project Management
Oversee and collaborate with project managers, and technical staff to deliver high-quality written work products to support projects related to coastal, estuarine, and salt marsh ecosystems in California, particularly within the San Francisco Bay Area.
Manage large projects, including management of internal staff and budgets, and management of external clients and teaming partners.
Delegate tasks to WRA technical experts and lower-level staff.
Market Segment Leadership
Advance WRA’s in-house expertise in coastal adaptation approaches including living shorelines, marsh/wetland/seagrass/kelp restoration for resilience, sediment management, hybrid green-gray infrastructure, and managed retreat planning.
Engage in coastal resiliency, shoreline, sea level rise, and Bay fringe project opportunities as they arise across the company, regardless of which team or office originates the pursuit.
Serve as a resource on special permitting pathways relevant to coastal work, including Coastal Development Permits, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404/10 permits, Regional Water Quality Control Board Section 401 Water Quality Certification and state Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) permits, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) permits, and other state and federal coastal regulatory processes.

Employment type
Full-Time

Work arrangement
Hybrid