Senior NEPA Specialist

About the role

AKS is seeking an experienced Senior NEPA Specialist to build, lead, and personally deliver a best-in-class NEPA practice across our energy, transmission, infrastructure, and transportation markets. This is a senior, revenue-carrying leadership role for a proven NEPA practitioner who personally originates, closes, and delivers NEPA work while serving as the primary client relationship owner and delivery lead—selling, scoping, defending, and executing work end to end.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow trusted client relationships with federal, state, and utility decision-makers.
• Lead and deliver EAs, EISs, programmatic reviews, and permitting strategies from start to finish.
• Adopt a “do what needs to be done” mindset, taking ownership beyond assigned tasks and stepping in wherever needed to keep projects, teams, and customers supported and running smoothly.
• Independently scope, price, negotiate, and defend work.
• Serve as the primary client point of contact and trusted advisor.
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, and risk across complex NEPA engagements.
• Build, mentor, and lead project managers and subject matter experts.
• Contribute to firm-wide strategy across energy, transmission, infrastructure, and transportation sectors.

Requirements

• 7+ years of NEPA experience, with a strong federal focus.
• Maintains direct agency relationships and repeat-client partnerships.
• Track record of sole-source and follow-on work.
• Comfortable owning projects end-to-end, including commercial and delivery risk.
• Proven at selling and delivering work without relying on internal handoffs.
• Operates with a hands-on, accountable, do-what-needs-to-be-done mindset.

Nice to Have

• Experience across transmission, renewable energy, infrastructure, or transportation projects.
• Existing relationships within the Southwest or Western U.S.
• Experience shaping or growing a NEPA practice within a consulting firm.

Benefits

• Meaningful growth opportunities with hands-on training, mentorship, and clear paths for professional development.
• Collaborative team environment that values diverse perspectives and creativity.
• Generous PTO and a supportive work-life balance.
• Comprehensive health coverage and a 401(k) match.
• Paid holidays.
• Weekly team lunches.
• Investment in team-building experiences and community engagement.

AKS has been named one of the Top Workplaces year after year, offering a culture that values contributions, celebrates initiative, and is committed to doing things the right way for employees, clients, and communities.