Permitting Program Manager

Quaise Energy is unlocking Earth’s deep heat to deliver clean, reliable, baseload energy at scale – almost anywhere in the world. As both a technology innovator and project developer, Quaise builds and operates solutions that harness superhot geothermal energy far below the surface, enabling power generation that can rival the output of today’s most efficient fossil fuel and nuclear plants. Leveraging millimeter wave drilling, developed after more than a decade of research at MIT, Quaise’s mission is to make superhot geothermal a backbone of the modern energy system, offering affordable, zero-carbon power and true energy independence for communities and nations everywhere.

The Permitting Program Manager is a senior individual contributor role responsible for planning, securing, and maintaining the environmental studies, permits, and authorizations required to develop, construct, and operate Quaise’s geothermal projects. This role owns the integrated federal, state, and local permitting program in partnership with the Origination, Development, Construction, and Operations teams, and serves as a primary point of contact with regulators, land managers, and environmental consultants.

This position will play a key role in advancing Project Obsidian, Quaise’s first commercial superhot geothermal power plant in Central Oregon, and in building the repeatable permitting framework that supports Quaise’s transition from technology development to commercial deployment.

Additional responsibilities include maintaining a positive corporate culture, promoting a safe and creative work environment, identifying and supporting opportunities for external collaborations, and other activities designed to improve Quaise.

Essential functions (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.)

Permitting Strategy & Regulatory Approvals

• Own the integrated permitting program for Quaise’s geothermal projects, spanning exploration, drilling, wellfield, power plant, and interconnection and linear facility scopes from early-stage screening through construction and operations.

• Collaborate with regulator counsel to develop project-specific permitting strategies that identify required federal, state, and local authorizations, critical-path approvals, and key risks, and align them with the project development and construction schedule.

• Lead preparation, submittal, and agency review of federal geothermal authorizations under the Geothermal Steam Act and 43 CFR 3200, including exploration notices of intent, geothermal drilling permits and operations plans, sundry notices, utilization plans, facility construction permits, site licenses, and commercial use permits.

• Manage state and local permitting, including geothermal well permits, energy facility siting, water rights and water quality, air quality, and local land use approvals (e.g., Oregon DOGAMI, EFSC/ODOE, DEQ/UICs, and OWRD).

• Coordinate with land managers on surface use authorizations (e.g., USFS special use authorizations for roads and ancillary facilities) and with transmission providers on environmental review supporting interconnection and gen-tie facilities.

• Support due diligence for new sites and lease acquisitions, including permitting fatal-flaw screening and development of environmental diligence guidance and standards.

NEPA, Consultation & Environmental Studies

• Support NEPA compliance with the BLM, USFS, and other lead and cooperating agencies, including preparation and review of Categorical Exclusions, Determinations of NEPA Adequacy, Environmental Assessments (EAs), and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs).

• Manage interagency consultations in support of NEPA and state processes, including ESA Section 7, NHPA Section 106, and Clean Water Act Section 404/401, and support agency-led government-to-government Tribal consultation.

• Scope, commission, and review environmental and cultural resource studies (biological, cultural, hydrologic, wetland delineation, noise, visual, induced seismicity, etc.), and plan survey calendars around species-specific protocol windows.

• Monitor regulatory changes, including agency NEPA procedure updates, new categorical exclusions, and permitting reform, and advise on environmental risk and mitigation strategies.

Permit Compliance & Program Management

• Build and maintain a permit conditions and commitments register; ensure all conditions are tracked, communicated to drilling, construction, and operations teams and contractors, and fulfilled.

• Maintain complete, well-organized, audit-ready permitting records, agency correspondence, and compliance documentation.

• Maintain the integrated permitting schedule, budget, and deliverables tracker across projects; report status, risks, and forecasts to project leadership.

• Scope, procure, and manage environmental and permitting consultants, including cost and schedule control and quality review of deliverables.

• Serve as a primary point of contact with agencies such as the BLM, USFS, USFWS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and state environmental, wildlife, and energy agencies, building durable, transparent working relationships.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Project Management, Engineering, Subsurface, Supply Chain, Legal, and Finance teams to integrate permit requirements into design, procurement, and construction planning.

• Contribute to public engagement and community outreach tied to environmental concerns, including scoping meetings, public comment periods, and hearings.

Competencies

• Strong working knowledge of NEPA, ESA, NHPA, CWA, and related federal and state environmental, ecological, and cultural resource regulations.

• Working knowledge of federal geothermal leasing and permitting, or comparable oil and gas, mining, or other federal-land energy frameworks.

• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-agency permitting timelines and multidisciplinary consultant teams.

• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, site plans, and technical studies, and translate project design into clear, defensible regulatory submittals.

• High attention to detail and accuracy.

• Ability to operate within a fast-paced startup or high-growth environment with evolving priorities.

• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and navigate ambiguity while knowing when to engage stakeholders.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including technical writing for regulatory and public audiences.

• Ability to build trusted working relationships with regulators, Tribes, community stakeholders, and internal teams.

• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on building scalable processes.

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and collaboration tools including SharePoint and Teams.

• Experience maintaining schedules and tracking deliverables using Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, or similar tools.

Supervisory responsibilities

• This role does not include formal people-management responsibilities; it directs the work of external environmental and permitting consultants.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, biology, natural resources, public policy, engineering, or a related field is required.

• 10+ years of experience with environmental and ecological permitting and compliance for energy or infrastructure projects.

• Experience with geothermal, oil and gas, mining, solar, wind, or transmission permitting preferred; NEPA permitting experience strongly valued.

• Experience permitting on federal lands in the western U.S., including managing interagency consultations (Section 7, Section 106) in support of NEPA, preferred.

• Advanced degree or certification in environmental science, natural resource management, environmental law or policy, civil engineering, or infrastructure planning preferred.

• GIS or data management skills related to environmental resource investigation and tracking preferred.

Physical requirements

• This role requires prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• The employee is regularly required to stand, sit, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, as well as use hands to feel, reach, grasp, handle, or operate objects, tools and/or controls.

• The employee must be able to lift, push, pull, transfer, or move items up 20 pounds at times for departmental needs.

• Ability to move from one worksite to another or travel to various job sites and locations to complete tasks. Travel up to 25%.

• The vision requirement includes reviewing written and electronic materials in digital and physical format.

Other duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Management reserves the right to change, rescind, add, or delete the duties and responsibilities of positions within this job classification at any time.