Director, Environmental Permitting

ABOUT JOULENT

Joulent is a new kind of energy company built for our technology future. We develop, own, and operate large-scale, behind-the-meter power generation that delivers firm power directly to hyperscale data centers, bypassing the constraints of a stretched grid.

We are building a fast-paced multi-GW pipeline of thermal and hybrid generation across ERCOT, PJM, SPP, and MISO, TVA, SERC and WECC, with institutional capital committed.

THE ROLE

We are hiring a Director, Environmental Permitting to own permitting strategy and implementation across Joulent’s project portfolio. You will be the company’s subject matter expert on what it takes to permit and maintain compliance for our facilities.

You will work with project development teams from site screening through construction start: scoping air, water, land, and natural resource permits for each project; building agency engagement strategies; and translating multi-jurisdictional requirements into permitting matrices that drive schedules, budgets, and investment decisions. You will direct the environmental consultants and outside counsel who prepare studies and applications, and step in hands-on when a project needs it. You will work closely with development, engineering, land, community affairs, and legal.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Screen prospective sites for permitting fatal flaws (air attainment status, wetlands, protected species, cultural resources, water availability) before Joulent commits capital
• Define the full permitting scope for each project (air, water, land, natural resources, and local approvals) and maintain a living permitting matrix tied to development schedules, milestones, and budgets
• Lead air permitting strategy for gas turbine and reciprocating engine facilities, including applicability determinations, emission limits, and control technology decisions that shape equipment selection and site design
• Develop permit sequencing and construction-start strategies, including early or at-risk construction provisions where state rules allow, to protect critical-path schedules
• Build and maintain relationships with EPA regional offices, TCEQ, LDEQ, and other state and federal agencies; lead pre-application meetings and agency negotiations
• Direct environmental consultants and outside counsel on studies, modeling, applications, and agency responses; own scope, schedule, cost, and quality across that network
• Manage public comment and contested case risk with Community & Public Affairs and legal, including hearing preparation where required
• Translate permitting requirements into scope, schedule inputs, and risk flags for go/no-go and capital allocation decisions
• Hand off permit conditions to engineering, EPC, and operations teams with clear compliance obligations for construction and commissioning
• Track federal and state regulatory and policy developments and advise leadership on impacts to the portfolio
• Build permitting playbooks, templates, and institutional knowledge as the company scales

WHAT YOU BRING

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental, chemical, or civil engineering, environmental science, or a related field
• 10+ years of environmental permitting experience, concentrated in power generation or large industrial facilities, across multiple states
• Deep expertise in air permitting for combustion-based generation: PSD/NSR, Title V, minor source and standard permits, BACT/LAER, dispersion modeling, GHG applicability, NSPS and NESHAP, and Acid Rain/Part 75 requirements
• Working knowledge of water and natural resource permitting such as Clean Water Act Sections 404/401, NPDES/state discharge and stormwater permits, water rights and supply, ESA consultation, NHPA Section 106 and NEPA where a federal nexus exists
• Strong understanding and experience in the application of state level permitting authority processes.
• Direct agency engagement: pre-application meetings, negotiated permit terms, and contested or high-profile permitting processes
• Proven record directing consultants and outside counsel and holding them accountable to cost and schedule
• Ability to turn complex, multi-jurisdictional requirements into clear scope documents non-specialists can use to make decisions

Nice to have

• Professional Engineer (PE) license
• Experience with behind-the-meter, co-located, or first-of-a-kind generation configurations
• Prior experience at a developer, IPP, or growth-stage company
• Existing relationships with EPA, U.S. Fish U& Wildlife, TCEQ, or LDEQ staff

WHO YOU ARE

• You own outcomes, not just processes. You set the plan and drive it without waiting for structure.
• You flag risks early and bring options, not just problems.
• You advise at the executive level and still roll up your sleeves on an application.
• You make sound calls with incomplete information and move at development speed, not utility speed.

WHY JOULENT

You will own a function that determines whether, and how fast, Joulent builds. No layers of approval, no committee reviews, and no permitting process designed around a portfolio that moves at utility pace.

LOCATION & TRAVEL

This role is based at Joulent’s headquarters in Houston, Texas; Austin-based candidates will also be considered. Expect approximately 25% travel to project sites, agency offices, and community meetings across the U.S.

Joulent is an equal opportunity employer.