Land Use Planner Jobs in Reno, NV (NOW HIRING)

Redwood Materials is building grid-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and this role answers the first question every project faces: can this site host one? As the Land Use Engineer on the Energy Storage Project, you lead land use and development due diligence during the earliest project phases, turning raw, ambiguous site information into a defensible development basis - confirmed site conditions, a clear permitting and entitlement path, utility service availability, and a resolved environmental and regulatory profile. You support active customer pursuits alongside the Business Development, Policy, and Product teams, then hand a gap-closed development package to the detailed design team. The work rewards people who move fast without sacrificing the depth that sets projects up for permitting and execution success.

Responsibilities will include:

• Own scope, resourcing, and schedule for land use and development due diligence on assigned early-phase projects, from initial site screening through handoff to detailed design, coordinating across Business Development, Policy, the Product team, engineering, and project controls
• Produce early site-screening and constraints analysis from title, survey, environmental, and jurisdictional information during pursuit qualification, then harden the development basis and provide diligence exhibits that attach to the contract as pursuits advance
• Scope, procure, and manage site surveys, geotechnical investigations, and hydrology and drainage studies, integrating findings on topography, boundaries, easements, subsurface conditions, floodplain, and stormwater into the developable-area and constraints analysis
• Lead environmental due diligence under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and applicable state review acts, coordinating federal requirements including Clean Water Act Section 404 wetlands review, Endangered Species Act consultation, and National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 cultural resources review
• Drive local entitlements - zoning, conditional and special use permits, site plan and design review, setbacks and buffers, and variances - and develop and maintain the permit matrix, entitlement schedule, and budget across federal, state, and local approvals
• Identify and secure non-power utility service (water, sewer, and fiber), including availability confirmation, service applications, will-serve letters, and coordination of extensions or on-site systems, while selecting and managing environmental and technical consultants and supporting agency and community outreach
• Deliver feasibility studies as a go/no-go input with a constraints register, drive the gap analysis to closure with an owner on every item, and produce the land use and development Basis of Design package as the formal handoff to detailed design

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Environmental Science, Planning, or a related field, preferably Civil or Environmental Engineering, or equivalent experience demonstrating exceptional ability in land development, environmental, or civil disciplines
• Strong knowledge of land use and development due diligence, including boundary and topographic surveys, geotechnical investigations, and hydrology, drainage, and floodplain studies
• Working knowledge of environmental review and permitting under NEPA and state environmental review acts, plus federal wetlands, endangered species, and cultural resource processes
• Familiarity with local planning and entitlement processes across multiple jurisdictions, including zoning, conditional and special use permits, site plan and design review, variances, and grading and stormwater permits
• Working knowledge of grid-scale battery energy storage site development requirements - footprint, setbacks, fire and life-safety separation distances, access, and balance-of-plant siting - sufficient to translate product configurations into land and permitting requirements
• Experience developing and managing permit matrices, entitlement schedules and budgets, and utility service coordination and agreements, along with land development or infrastructure permitting and coordination with utilities and public agencies
• Experience selecting and managing survey, geotechnical, environmental, and civil consultants, including scoping, budgeting, and deliverable review
• Professional Engineer (PE) license, American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification, or comparable professional credential preferred; project management and/or EPC experience a plus
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparing agency submittals and supporting community and stakeholder outreach, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to prioritize and execute in parallel in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
• A passion for sustainability and making the world a better place!