Senior Director, Permitting
Strata Clean Energy, Durham, NC, United States
Strata Solar Development is seeking a Senior Director, Permitting to lead and scale its national permitting organization across the Southeast, Central, and Western/Southwestern United States. This is a senior leadership role responsible for setting permitting strategy, driving execution excellence, and mentoring a geographically distributed team of permitting professionals supporting Strata’s utility-scale solar, battery storage and digital infrastructure portfolio.
The successful candidate will be an established permitting leader with deep experience navigating complex land use, environmental, and agency processes across multiple jurisdictions. This role requires strong executive presence, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to balance speed, risk management, and stakeholder engagement in a fast-paced development environment.
The Senior Director will oversee and develop a high-performing team of permitting professionals, while driving standardized processes, risk mitigation strategies, and cross-functional alignment across Development, Origination, Engineering, Transmission & Interconnection, Capital Markets, EPC, and Asset Management.
This role is expected to provide enterprise-level leadership and serve as a key strategic partner to executive management, ensuring projects are positioned for successful approvals, financial viability, and on-time delivery.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Oversight
Serve as Strata’s senior functional authority on permitting, establishing and leading company-wide permitting strategy to support project development goals and pipeline growth.
Develop scalable processes, tools, and frameworks to standardize permitting and land activities across regions.
Provide executive-level guidance on permitting risk, project viability, and timelines.
Partner with Development and Origination to influence site selection, project design, and early-stage feasibility.
Advise senior leadership on regulatory trends, policy changes, and market-specific permitting risks.
Team Leadership & Organizational Development
Lead, mentor, and oversee a high-performing permitting organization, including Southeast, Central and Western/Southwestern permitting teams.
Build organizational capability, including hiring, training, and succession planning.
Foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement across teams and regions
Establish performance expectations, KPIs, and accountability measures aligned with company objectives.
Permitting Strategy
Oversee the development and execution of comprehensive permitting strategies, including schedules, budgets, and risk mitigation plans.
Ensure alignment of permitting strategies with project timelines, financial models, and execution plans.
Provide oversight of all discretionary permits including land use approvals, environmental approvals, and federal/state/local authorizations.
Guide negotiation strategies for permit conditions, development agreements, and mitigation requirements.
Partner with Development leadership to identify fatal‑flaw permitting risks early and support disciplined go/no‑go decisions to protect portfolio schedule and capital.
Stakeholder & Regulatory Engagement
Maintain and elevate relationships with key regulatory agencies, government entities, and community stakeholders.
Represent Strata in critical meetings, hearings, and negotiations with permitting authorities, elected officials, community stakeholders, and external consultants when senior-level engagement is required.
Support high-impact negotiations with local officials and regulatory bodies.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with Development, Land, Engineering, Interconnection, Legal, and Commercial teams to ensure integrated project execution.
Partner closely with Execution and EPC teams to ensure constructability and compliance with permit conditions.
Ensure seamless transition from development to execution, including compliance with all permit conditions.
Risk Management & Continuous Improvement
Establish and refine permitting workflows, schedules, and reporting mechanisms to improve predictability and transparency across the portfolio.
Identify, assess, and mitigate permitting risks across the portfolio.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, reduce timelines, and lower costs.
Provide regular portfolio-level permitting status, risk, and schedule updates to Development leadership, with clear escalation of high‑impact issues
Travel
Travel nationally, as needed, to support project development, stakeholder engagement, and team leadership.
Qualifications and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, land use planning, geography, political science, real estate, engineering or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 12–15 years of progressive experience in permitting and/or environmental planning for utility-scale energy or infrastructure projects.
Demonstrated experience managing large, complex permitting portfolios across multiple jurisdictions.
Strong understanding of zoning, conditional use permits, environmental review processes, public hearings, and agency coordination.
Executive-level communication skills with the ability to influence internal leaders and external stakeholders.
Proven leadership experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
Highly organized, decisive, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-accountability environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking and executive presentations
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) and collaboration tools such as Teams.
Physical Requirements/Work Environment:
Work is primarily performed in an office environment with periodic travel to sites and frequent travel to support permitting and local affairs. Must be able to sit, stand, bend, twist, and lift up to 20 pounds. Ensure compliance with local labor laws and regulations.
About Us Strata Clean Energy is a leading developer, EPC, and service provider for utility-scale solar and storage systems in the United States. We control and self-perform all processes from our nationwide solar and storage developments, to construction, O&M, and Asset Management.
Our employees are empowered to drive our business in a collaborative, creative, and passion-driven environment that fosters long-term professional growth. There is a lot to learn at Strata, but we’re here to help you give your best and have a good time doing it.
At Strata, you’re part of something big. We’re leading the industry in sustainable energy careers. We are driving innovation to make a difference for our customers, our employees, and our planet. Join us in powering the future.
Strata Solar is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Strata Solar is an equal employment and affirmative action employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other status or characteristic protected under applicable law.
Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
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The successful candidate will be an established permitting leader with deep experience navigating complex land use, environmental, and agency processes across multiple jurisdictions. This role requires strong executive presence, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to balance speed, risk management, and stakeholder engagement in a fast-paced development environment.
The Senior Director will oversee and develop a high-performing team of permitting professionals, while driving standardized processes, risk mitigation strategies, and cross-functional alignment across Development, Origination, Engineering, Transmission & Interconnection, Capital Markets, EPC, and Asset Management.
This role is expected to provide enterprise-level leadership and serve as a key strategic partner to executive management, ensuring projects are positioned for successful approvals, financial viability, and on-time delivery.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Oversight
Serve as Strata’s senior functional authority on permitting, establishing and leading company-wide permitting strategy to support project development goals and pipeline growth.
Develop scalable processes, tools, and frameworks to standardize permitting and land activities across regions.
Provide executive-level guidance on permitting risk, project viability, and timelines.
Partner with Development and Origination to influence site selection, project design, and early-stage feasibility.
Advise senior leadership on regulatory trends, policy changes, and market-specific permitting risks.
Team Leadership & Organizational Development
Lead, mentor, and oversee a high-performing permitting organization, including Southeast, Central and Western/Southwestern permitting teams.
Build organizational capability, including hiring, training, and succession planning.
Foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement across teams and regions
Establish performance expectations, KPIs, and accountability measures aligned with company objectives.
Permitting Strategy
Oversee the development and execution of comprehensive permitting strategies, including schedules, budgets, and risk mitigation plans.
Ensure alignment of permitting strategies with project timelines, financial models, and execution plans.
Provide oversight of all discretionary permits including land use approvals, environmental approvals, and federal/state/local authorizations.
Guide negotiation strategies for permit conditions, development agreements, and mitigation requirements.
Partner with Development leadership to identify fatal‑flaw permitting risks early and support disciplined go/no‑go decisions to protect portfolio schedule and capital.
Stakeholder & Regulatory Engagement
Maintain and elevate relationships with key regulatory agencies, government entities, and community stakeholders.
Represent Strata in critical meetings, hearings, and negotiations with permitting authorities, elected officials, community stakeholders, and external consultants when senior-level engagement is required.
Support high-impact negotiations with local officials and regulatory bodies.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with Development, Land, Engineering, Interconnection, Legal, and Commercial teams to ensure integrated project execution.
Partner closely with Execution and EPC teams to ensure constructability and compliance with permit conditions.
Ensure seamless transition from development to execution, including compliance with all permit conditions.
Risk Management & Continuous Improvement
Establish and refine permitting workflows, schedules, and reporting mechanisms to improve predictability and transparency across the portfolio.
Identify, assess, and mitigate permitting risks across the portfolio.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, reduce timelines, and lower costs.
Provide regular portfolio-level permitting status, risk, and schedule updates to Development leadership, with clear escalation of high‑impact issues
Travel
Travel nationally, as needed, to support project development, stakeholder engagement, and team leadership.
Qualifications and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, land use planning, geography, political science, real estate, engineering or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 12–15 years of progressive experience in permitting and/or environmental planning for utility-scale energy or infrastructure projects.
Demonstrated experience managing large, complex permitting portfolios across multiple jurisdictions.
Strong understanding of zoning, conditional use permits, environmental review processes, public hearings, and agency coordination.
Executive-level communication skills with the ability to influence internal leaders and external stakeholders.
Proven leadership experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
Highly organized, decisive, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-accountability environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking and executive presentations
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) and collaboration tools such as Teams.
Physical Requirements/Work Environment:
Work is primarily performed in an office environment with periodic travel to sites and frequent travel to support permitting and local affairs. Must be able to sit, stand, bend, twist, and lift up to 20 pounds. Ensure compliance with local labor laws and regulations.
About Us Strata Clean Energy is a leading developer, EPC, and service provider for utility-scale solar and storage systems in the United States. We control and self-perform all processes from our nationwide solar and storage developments, to construction, O&M, and Asset Management.
Our employees are empowered to drive our business in a collaborative, creative, and passion-driven environment that fosters long-term professional growth. There is a lot to learn at Strata, but we’re here to help you give your best and have a good time doing it.
At Strata, you’re part of something big. We’re leading the industry in sustainable energy careers. We are driving innovation to make a difference for our customers, our employees, and our planet. Join us in powering the future.
Strata Solar is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Strata Solar is an equal employment and affirmative action employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other status or characteristic protected under applicable law.
Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
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