Environmental Planner

ABOUT THE POSITION

VHB’s growing Washington, DC office is looking for an Environmental Planner to join our team. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a dynamic team and across diverse disciplines, giving you exposure to a wide variety of projects in size and scope. Our office is currently engaged in a number of the region’s most exciting projects, including the Long Bridge Project, Virginia Railway Express (VRE) L’Enfant Station and Fourth Track, Union Station Expansion, Crystal City Metro East Entrance, and the Crystal City to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (CC2DCA) Multimodal Connector as well as energy, transportation, and Federal lands projects nationwide.   

In this role, you would participate in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews in the Washington, DC region and nationwide. VHB is involved in some of the most transformative transportation and urban development projects in the Washington, DC region. Outside the Washington, DC region, the DC office supports planning and NEPA reviews for a range of agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Surface Transportation Board, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and Federal Highway Administration. The Washington, DC office also collaborates with some of the country’s top law firms in NEPA-related litigation. This is an excellent opportunity for an early career professional looking to make a bigger impact in planning and NEPA. This position requires the ability to work collaboratively with multiple disciplines, including planners, urban designers, environmental scientists, and engineers, to advance large-scale infrastructure projects through alternatives analysis, NEPA, and preliminary engineering.   

Responsibilities:

• Manage environmental multiple planning projects and tasks
• Build relationships with clients, project managers, colleagues, and sub‑consultants
• Oversee technical reviews associated with natural, human, and cultural resource analyses as related to NEPA
• Provide strong coaching, mentoring, and everyday feedback to department staff
• Lead and support business development activities as needed; preparing scopes of work, fee estimates, and schedules
• Prepare environmental reports and provide presentations
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, public workshops, and public hearings, as needed
• Provide quality assurance and quality control
• Support senior management team

Skills and abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and existing network
• Strong understanding of transportation NEPA
• Strong technical writing and presentation skills
• Ability to solve problems and think creatively
• Detail-oriented and highly organized
• Familiarity with environmental justice and Title VI, socioeconomics, Section 4(f), and Section 106
• Capable of coordinating and performing multiple tasks among teams
• Demonstrated leadership and mentoring skills required
• Ability to travel, if required

Qualifications:

• B.A. in planning, environmental planning, or environmental science. M.S./M.A. degree a plus
• 11+ years of experience in environmental consulting, including strong project management skills
• State and federal DOT experience a plus
• Envision Sustainability Professional a plus

We are VHB! We’re an inspired and innovative team of engineers, scientists, planners, and designers who partner with clients in the transportation, real estate, institutional, and energy industries, as well as federal, state, and local governments. Our work helps improve mobility, enhance communities, and contribute to economic vitality. We do this while balancing development and infrastructure needs with stewardship of our environment. 

Our people make us great! VHB provides a differentiating employee experience, which includes: 

• Diverse and inclusive culture of collaboration and innovation
• Opportunity to work on complex, transformational projects
• Community and social responsibility as sustainable stewards
• Focus on learning, development, and career growth
• Best-in-class benefits, including flexible, hybrid workplace  

We are consistently rated one of the top AEC firms to work for across our 30+ offices on the East Coast. We’re growing, and we hope you’ll join us! 

VHB is a proud Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. Since our founding, we have intentionally fostered a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion—supported by deep-rooted core values, one of which is diversity. All individuals receive consideration for employment based on their qualifications without discrimination for race/ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, pregnancy, marital status, or any other basis protected by law.

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