Principal Project Management Team Lead

About the opportunity:

SWCA is seeking a Principal Project Management Team Lead for one of our national energy client programs, with the purpose of expanding our primarily western program into the central and eastern United States. The successful candidates will keep the team healthy and engaged, provide outstanding service to clients, manage projects, develop new business, and mentor others to do the same.

The Principal Project Management Team Lead will work seamlessly across offices and projects, and report to a Program Management Delivery Director. Our team is highly collaborative and multidisciplinary, working out of multiple SWCA offices. This is a full-time, regular (with benefits), salaried position. The position can be hybrid or distributed and is expected to be based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Application Deadline: The application is due at 5:00 PM EST on January 19, 2026 .

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing, 1,850 staff, employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star)is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning , we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack .

What you will accomplish:

The Principal Project Management team lead will oversee program team project work and manage projects. The successful candidate will also manage quality assurance tasks and processes to ensure delivery of high-quality work, and assist with expanding our multi-disciplinary program team. This position will require highly developed critical thinking skills to recognize and solve problems proactively and independently, as well as identify and mitigate risks and impediments through persistence, creative thinking, and a focus on client satisfaction. This will include working with Program Management Delivery Directors, Vice Presidents for Delivery – Program Management, executive leadership, and staff and leaders across SWCA to further employee development and mentoring, provide senior level technical leadership, and develop strategic team goals by contributing to the following:

Organizational leadership

• Supervise and mentor project managers, technical staff, and field personnel, while promoting a culture of teamwork, engagement, quality service, and customer satisfaction.
• Work closely with the Program Management Director to hire or transfer staff in response to client (project and program) resourcing needs.
• Provide highly effective, dynamic management and leadership to SWCA’s program and staff. Help align employees to their annual career development goals and build teams to support program and individual employee development.
• Support building teams with deep knowledge of our client, and meet client needs by sharing knowledge and insights with the program team.
• Proactively monitor the productivity and development of your team, set clear expectations, and foster an environment of teamwork.
• Provide general support to the team relating to subject matter resources, training opportunities, regulatory and research updates.
• Support the strategic development of SWCA’s Program Management team, standard operation procedures and tools, communication pathways, and communication cadence.
• Support maintenance of positive relations between the Program and other operating units within SWCA.
• Drive compliance of safety policies and reporting requirements to ensure overall team safety.

Technical leadership

• Lead, oversee, and execute the management of large-scale, complex permitting efforts for renewable energy and power delivery projects.
• Serve as subject matter expert in the areas of generation (wind and solar) and/or transmission project delivery.
• Provide technical oversight on client projects at a regional level. Provide senior level quality assurance/quality control reviews of deliverables prepared by other team members.
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate subject matter expert coverage on projects managed or managed by their team.

Client leadership

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with the client project managers or other client staff.
• Support mapping of client organizations and identify opportunities to expand or grow these relationships.
• Help identify client needs and goals, and provide client feedback to program management leaders.
• Manage the performance of individual projects, and effectively coordinate with clients and agencies, to produce technically excellent work that is on time and on budget.
• Engage with the client services and program management leaders to evaluate changing market conditions and strategic sales opportunities at a regional and sub-regional level.
• Lead proposal efforts and internal business development groups, drive accountability for participation in business development and help mentor seller-doer mentality in all employees.

Experience and qualifications for success:

Required

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s (B.A. or B.S.) degree in Environmental Science, Ecology, Biology, archaeology, or related field.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in environmental consulting.
• A minimum of five (5) years of generation (solar or wind) and/or transmission project management experience, including developing and implementing budgets, schedules, and scopes of work.
• Previous experience with federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations in West/Rocky Mountain/Midwest projects.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to foster a friendly, positive, and productive working relationship with team members
• Minimal travel, as needed for client, project, and team development needs.

Preferred

• A minimum of twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience in environmental consulting.
• A minimum of seven (7) years of generation (solar or wind) and/or transmission project management experience, including developing and implementing budgets, schedules, and scopes of work.
• Demonstrated experience in supervising, mentoring, and providing leadership for other professionals.
• Demonstrated consulting acumen, including established credibility with federal and state agencies.
• Proposal writing experience

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full spectrum of environmental services. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms.

If you need assistance accessing SWCA’s website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected] or call 1-480-581-5378. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Raleigh, NC - based position can expect a salary of $110,292/year to $145,236/year . Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA’s Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive benefits package (), forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA’s continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.