Director of Permitting

Position Overview: The Head of Permitting at Essentia is a leadership role responsible for directing, managing, and optimizing the entire permitting process for fiber-to-the-home projects. This role is critical to our success in delivering compliant, on-time telecommunications infrastructure solutions. As a leader, you will work closely with internal teams, external stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and clients to ensure seamless project execution while maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance and client satisfaction.Key Responsibilities: • Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement a comprehensive permitting strategy that aligns with Essentia’s business goals. Set clear objectives, performance metrics, and strategic priorities for the permitting team. • US Telecom Permitting Expertise: Leverage your 3-5 years of experience in the US mainland telecommunications market to navigate complex federal, state, and local permitting requirements. Ensure compliance with FCC, state public utility commissions, and local zoning ordinances. • Permit Acquisition: Lead the identification, preparation, submission, and acquisition of all necessary permits from local, state, and federal authorities. Conduct feasibility studies and risk assessments to determine permit requirements, including in highly regulated jurisdictions. • Project Management: Oversee the entire permitting lifecycle, ensuring all project requirements are met on time and within budget. Manage project timelines, resource allocation, milestone tracking, and issue resolution, particularly in US telecom environments. • Stakeholder Collaboration: Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, regulatory agencies, municipalities, utilities, and other stakeholders. Proactively address concerns, negotiate requirements, and resolve conflicts. Navigate US-specific regulatory bodies, including local planning commissions and state-level telecom authorities. • Regulatory Compliance: Stay up-to-date with industry regulations, zoning codes, environmental standards, and permitting requirements. Ensure all permits meet US legal and environmental standards, minimizing regulatory risks. • Documentation and Reporting: Maintain accurate records of permits, approvals, correspondence, and project documentation. Generate detailed reports for clients, regulatory bodies, and internal management, providing insights on permitting status and performance metrics. • Risk Management: Identify potential permitting challenges, assess their impact on project timelines, and develop proactive solutions. Implement contingency plans to address unforeseen obstacles, particularly in US telecom projects. • Process Improvement: Continuously enhance permitting processes, adopting industry best practices, digital tools, and automation solutions to optimize efficiency. Conduct regular process audits and training sessions for the team. • Team Leadership: Mentor, train, and guide permitting team members, fostering a culture of accountability, growth, and excellence. Conduct performance evaluations, set career development goals, and recognize outstanding achievements.The Successful Candidate Will Possess: Experience: • Minimum of 7 years of experience in permitting and project management, with at least 3-5 years of experience directly in the US mainland telecommunications market (excluding Alaska, Guam, Hawaii) with US-based companies / principals. • Proven track record of successfully obtaining permits for complex projects in US telecommunications. • Extensive experience working with regulatory bodies such as FCC, state public utility commissions, and local municipalities. Technical Skills: • Proficiency in project management tools (MS Project, AutoCAD, GIS tools, permitting management systems). • Strong understanding of telecom permitting requirements, including federal, state, and local regulations. Education and Certification: • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Urban Planning, Environmental Science, Business Administration, or related field preferred. • Professional certifications in Project Management (PMP), Environmental Planning, or related fields are a plus. Leadership and Strategic Skills: • Exceptional leadership abilities with a track record of managing and developing teams. • Strong negotiation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills. • Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to present complex information clearly. • Proactive, solution-oriented, and highly adaptable to a fast-paced environment.

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