Director, Development Permitting & Environmental

We are seeking a Director Development Permitting & Environmental to lead the owners-side environmental development and permitting capability supporting Talen Energys power generation battery storage and digital infrastructure portfolio. The role owns early environmental screening site-specific diligence permitting strategy and schedule agency engagement and acquisition of approvals needed to advance projects from site evaluation through Final Investment Decision (FID) and transition to execution. The Director will convert environmental and regulatory complexity into practical recommendations that improve project viability schedule certainty and investment readiness.

Reporting to the Chief Asset Development Officer this leader will support simple-cycle and combined-cycle facilities using aeroderivative and large-frame F- and H-class gas turbines; utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS); and powered-land or data center opportunities. The role will work closely with Corporate Environmental and other internal stakeholders while managing external consultants. Detailed studies and permit applications may be outsourced but the Director retains accountability for development-stage strategy schedule budget risk quality agency relationships and consultant performance. The scope is development and project-specific permitting not routine operating-fleet compliance with disciplined transfer of permit conditions and continuing obligations to Project Delivery Operations and other accountable compliance owners.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Environmental Development & Permitting function including screening standards permitting playbooks stage-gate deliverables consultant governance regulatory intelligence document controls and portfolio reporting.
• Partner with Site Origination Project Development and assigned Project Owners to screen greenfield brownfield and co-located opportunities; identify environmental fatal flaws; define early diligence and kill criteria; and recommend whether to advance mitigate pause or exit before material spend.
• Develop and maintain a permitting roadmap for each active project identifying required approvals agency and public-engagement pathways study windows expected permit review periods application dependencies risks and mitigations budget schedule critical dates and contingency plans.
• Coordinate closely with Corporate Environmental Legal Project Delivery Operations and External Affairs to align development-stage environmental and permitting work with applicable Talen policies procedures standards and environmental management-system requirements. Seek early input and provide advance notice when projects may affect existing permits compliance programs operating assets enterprise positions or material legal or regulatory risk.
• Lead air-permitting strategy for gas-fired generation and other stationary sources. Direct applicability analyses emissions estimates dispersion modeling control-technology evaluations and applications involving NSR PSD nonattainment NSR Title V NSPS emission credits NESHAP/MACT BACT LAER greenhouse-gas requirements and state programs.
• Direct site-specific diligence and field programs including Phase I and when warranted Phase II Environmental Site Assessments; wetlands and waters delineations; threatened and endangered species reviews; cultural and historic-resource evaluations; floodplain and habitat reviews; noise and visual studies; and legacy-liability assessments.
• Lead or coordinate Clean Water Act Sections 401 and 404 approvals NPDES and stormwater permits erosion and sediment-control approvals wastewater and water-supply or withdrawal authorizations wetlands mitigation and related environmental permits.
• Establish environmental strategies for BESS and powered-land or data center developments including emergency or on-site generation water and wastewater stormwater hazardous materials spill prevention noise mitigation and interfaces with local approvals owned by Site Origination.
• Select scope direct and hold accountable environmental consultants air modelers wetland and ecological specialists cultural-resource firms laboratories and environmental counsel. Manage procurement quality interfaces budget schedule and acceptance criteria and challenge unsupported assumptions.
• Serve as the principal development-stage environmental interface with EPA state agencies the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State Historic Preservation Offices Tribal representatives watershed authorities and local regulators. Lead consultations permit negotiations responses public notice and hearings as appropriate.
• Integrate environmental requirements into project configuration engineering procurement contracting and construction planning. Maintain permit and obligation trackers incorporate mitigation commitments into project documents and coordinate with Corporate Environmental and Legal to transfer continuing obligations to Project Delivery Operations and other accountable compliance owners.
• Own environmental workstream plans budgets schedules assumptions and risk registers. Provide decision-ready status risk mitigation and approval recommendations to Project Owners Development Controls Finance Legal executives and investment-governance forums.
• Perform environmental diligence for acquisitions partnerships and existing-site reuse; monitor regulatory developments; and convert lessons learned and agency feedback into stronger standards consultant networks and portfolio strategy.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in environmental science environmental engineering chemical engineering biology ecology natural resources environmental planning geology or a related discipline.
• 10 years of progressive experience in environmental permitting consulting energy development or complex infrastructure including substantial responsibility for development-stage capital projects.
• Demonstrated success advancing utility-scale energy or comparable industrial projects from screening and diligence through permit acquisition FID notice to proceed or construction readiness while managing schedule budget risk and cross-functional interfaces.
• Direct experience permitting or supporting simple-cycle and combined-cycle gas generation using aeroderivative and large-frame F- and H-class turbines with working knowledge of emissions air modeling control technology water noise site-layout and operating-profile considerations.
• Experience with utility-scale battery energy storage and the environmental requirements relevant to site development construction hazardous materials stormwater spill prevention emergency planning and operations.
• Strong working knowledge of the Clean Air Act Clean Water Act NEPA Endangered Species Act National Historic Preservation Act CERCLA RCRA and related state siting and environmental-review requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead agency engagement and permit negotiations interpret complex technical studies manage external consultants and counsel and maintain defensible applications schedules budgets records and commitments across multiple projects.
• Strong project leadership business judgment analytical ability and executive communication skills including the ability to translate environmental findings into clear project and capital-allocation recommendations. Ability to travel regularly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree and/or relevant professional credential such as Professional Engineer Certified Environmental Professional Professional Wetland Scientist CHMM or PMP.
• Direct experience in PJM states including familiarity with state environmental agencies regional water authorities federal field offices and permitting practices affecting generation storage transmission and large-load development.
• Experience with powered-land hyperscale data center or other large-load development including air permits for emergency or on-site generation water and wastewater strategy and environmental site readiness.
• Experience with greenfield and brownfield projects including retired or operating generation sites legacy contamination remediation acquisitions repowering and reuse of industrial infrastructure.
• Experience supporting construction-phase compliance financing or acquisition diligence public hearings contested or high-profile matters and transition of permit obligations to construction and operating organizations.

Leadership Profile

• Owner-minded environmental leader who accepts accountability for strategy decisions risk consultant performance and outcomes rather than merely coordinating studies and applications.
• Practical strategist who protects compliance and permit defensibility while recognizing that solutions must also be safe financeable constructible operable and aligned with project economics and schedules.
• Decisive under uncertainty and willing to surface fatal flaws quantify exposure challenge optimistic assumptions and recommend mitigation or exit before momentum overrides evidence.
• Credible relationship builder who earns trust with agencies communities Project Owners functional peers and consultants while creating scalable standards tools talent and institutional knowledge.

Success Measures

• Timely decision-quality environmental screening and permitting roadmaps with material constraints and fatal flaws identified before significant capital or schedule commitments.
• Required permits and approvals obtained on defensible terms within approved schedules and budgets with clear visibility into agency public-process mitigation and compliance risks.
• Few avoidable late-stage surprises redesigns consultant rework cycles or permit-driven delays caused by incomplete diligence weak applications missed study windows or poorly managed interfaces.
• Environmental readiness at stage gates and FID with permit conditions mitigation commitments costs schedules operating constraints and continuing obligations reflected in project decisions execution documents and handoffs.
• Strong consultant performance regulatory relationships records and executive communication.

Why Talen Energy

Power the Future

Talen Energy is one of the largest competitive energy and power generation companies in North America. We operate power plants that use diverse fuel sources in the most attractive wholesale power markets and sell energy

to wholesale and retail customers in selected competitive markets. Our passion for excellence grows value through safe and efficient operations. We have an inclusive diverse respectful and collaborative workplace and a strong commitment to innovation teamwork and integrity. We generate energy for a brighter tomorrow.

Collaboration

Our passion for excellence grows value through safe and efficient operations. We have an inclusive diverse respectful and collaborative workplace.

Talen Energy offers an exceptional benefits program to its employees. Benefits include comprehensive health dental vision prescription plans life insurance and disability addition employees are eligible to participate in Talen Energys 401(k) plan. Talen Energy also provides competitive vacation and sick time to its employees.

We are committed to providing a safe drug and alcohol-free workplace. Consistent with applicable law and any collective bargaining agreements positions may be subject to pre-employment random post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing.

Talen Energy is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer dedicated to diversity and the strength it brings to the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color age sex religion national origin veteran status sexual orientation genetic information gender identity disability perceived disability or any other protected characteristic as may be defined by applicable law.

If you need assistance with the application process please email us at

Please note that roles supporting Talen Energys nuclear facilities are subject to rigorous background investigation and security clearance requirements consistent with federal regulatory standards.

Note to Search Firms and Recruitment Agencies

Talen Energy is committed to fostering direct engagement with prospective candidates and managing our recruitment activities internally. From time to time Talen Energy and its companies partner with select executive search firms and recruitment agencies under formal written agreements aligned to specific business needs.

Talen Energy does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from search firms or agencies without a current fully executed agreement authorized by an appropriate company representative. Any candidate information submitted in the absence of such an agreement will be considered the property of Talen Energy and neither Talen Energy nor its subsidiaries will be obligated to pay any fees or compensation related to those submissions.

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