EHS Project Manager II - Land Water Geysers

Calpine Corporation is America's largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources with operations in competitive power markets. Its fleet of 76 power plants in operation and one under construction represents nearly 26,000 megawatts of generation capacity. Through wholesale power operations and its retail businesses, Calpine serves customers in 22 states, Canada and Mexico. Its clean, efficient, modern and flexible fleet uses advanced technologies to generate power in a low-carbon and environmentally responsible manner.

The company was established on the premise that a strong commitment to the environment is inextricably linked to excellence in power generation and corporate responsibility. Since its founding in 1984, Calpine has led the power industry in its unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship. In addition, its renewable geothermal plants use steam generated deep below the earth's surface to produce clean, renewable electricity.

Job Summary (includes but is not limited to the following, other duties may be assigned)

The position is responsible for land and water program management for 13 geothermal power generation facilities, including power plants, steam fields and ancillary services. This position will mainly support the Projects and Central Maintenance work groups and is responsible for EHS compliance and complex, technical permitting activities to maintain compliance with the Calpine's EHS standards, federal and state regulatory requirements, and industry consensus standards. This position will coordinate compliance assurance activities related to land use and water permitting, and complete associated regulatory reporting such as monthly waste discharge order reporting, land use annual reports, and water rights reporting. As the main EHS point of contact for the Projects and Central Maintenance work groups, the position will lead or participate in EHS incident investigations including accidents, waste spills or other near miss events. Reviews EHS procedures and makes recommendations for updates according to applicable regulations and best practices. Recommends improvements in processes, design, procedures, and operating equipment to minimize the potential for hazardous or non-compliant issues. Conducts EHS employee training with an emphasis on, but not limited by, environmental compliance and emergency preparedness. Furthermore, explains complex permitting requirements as they relate to the various land use permits and waste discharge orders to the teams responsible for upgrades and/or new projects. Oversees various contractors involved with monitoring activities associated with permits, such as panicum and various creek monitoring. Responsible for managing the associated purchase orders with the accounting team. Assist other EHS specialists in understanding of land/water use permitting as related to their work groups.

Job Responsibilities

• Must be able to understand land use permits and waste discharge orders and simply explain requirements to stakeholders. Assure that the organization complies with permits and regulations. Experience with CEQA and NEPA is an added plus.
• Collaborate with work groups to identify project permitting constraints. Serve as environmental technical lead on projects. Prepare and submit applications for Geysers projects and drive permitting to completion.
• Interface with a host of agencies such local county's planning & development divisions, state water resources and regional water quality control boards, California Geologic Energy Management (Cal-GEM), and California Energy Commission (CEC). Participate in unannounced and announced inspections by said agencies.
• Compiles and submits internal and external reports as specified by regulatory and company requirements. Reviews collection and recordkeeping practices related to EHS matters.
• Ensure compliance with requirements for geothermal production and injection wells, geothermal waste management facilities, and waste discharge permits and related reporting.
• Manages several consultants/contractors and their work in various water quality and aquatic wildlife monitoring programs, and biological/archeological studies.
• Advise the Projects and Central Maintenance on EHS issues (safety and environmental). Champion continuous improvement through EHS assessments/audits, event and trend analyses.
• Makes decisions regarding own work, within generally defined parameters. Uses independent judgement requiring in-depth analysis of variable factors.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Reports to the EHS Manager at the Geysers. This is an in-person full-time position adhering to the Geysers four 10-hr Monday to Thursday schedule (6:30am to 5pm).

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or higher, preferably in Project Management, Science, Engineering or Environmental Resource disciplines. Requires minimum of 7 - 10 years' experience in Environmental Compliance, preferably in energy industry, manufacturing, or consulting.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Working knowledge of federal, state (California preferred), and local regulations pertaining to land use permitting and water programs, and experience managing projects through the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• Has familiarity and experience using computer software applications such as Microsoft Office and SharePoint and on-line tools related to data gathering, storing and reporting.

Additional Calpine Information:

• Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.
• Calpine is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to use our website or to apply for a position, please send an e-mail with your request to hrrecruitment@calpine.com. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation are made on case-by-case basis.

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