Secondary permitting manager

Secondary Permitting Manager – Renewable Energy / Utility Scale Projects

We are looking for a Secondary Permitting Manager to support the delivery of utility scale renewable energy projects from primary authorisation through construction readiness. The successful candidate will coordinate the discharge of permit conditions, manage secondary permits and authority interfaces, support EPC and engineering teams, and ensure that all regulatory, environmental and technical requirements are met before construction.

Functional interfaces: Development, Engineering, Grid, Land, Legal, Procurement, HSE, ESG, Construction, Asset Management.

Role Purpose

The Secondary Permitting Manager is responsible for planning, coordinating and obtaining all secondary, ancillary and post-authorisation permits, clearances, consents and compliance approvals required to bring utility scale renewable energy projects from primary authorisation to construction start. The role ensures that all permit conditions, authority requirements, environmental prescriptions, technical clearances and pre-construction obligations are correctly identified, scheduled, discharged and monitored, minimizing permitting risk, construction delays and compliance exposure. According to above mentioned competences, moreover the Secondary Permitting Manager will support as per Dept needs the processes of primary permitting and due diligence for internal/external FER initiatives development

Scope of the Role

The role covers utility scale renewable energy assets, including:

• Solar PV plants
• Agrivoltaic plants
• Onshore wind farms
• Battery Energy Storage Systems, BESS
• Grid connection infrastructure
• Substations, collector lines, access roads and other associated facilities
• Biomethane plants

The role mainly focuses on the post-primary authorisation phase, including:

• Discharge of authorisation conditions
• Secondary permits and ancillary approvals
• Pre-construction compliance obligations
• Interface with local authorities and technical bodies
• Permitting support during construction and commissioning
• Management of permit registers, risk matrices and authority trackers
• Management of relationships with technical and legal advisors during due diligence activities for renewable energy utility scale

Key Responsibilities

1. Secondary Permitting Strategy

Develop and implement a project-specific secondary permitting strategy covering all permits, clearances, opinions and notifications required after the main authorisation and before construction start.

2. Authorisation Conditions Management

Review all primary permits, VIA/EIA decrees, Autorizzazione Unica, PAS or equivalent authorisations and extract all binding obligations, deadlines and implementation requirements.

3. Authority and Stakeholder Interface

Act as the main point of contact for authorities and technical bodies in relation to secondary permits and discharge of conditions.

4. Consultant and Designer Coordination

Manage external consultants, designers and technical advisors preparing secondary permit applications, technical drawings, environmental studies, method statements and compliance documents.

5. Construction Readiness Support

Support the transition from development to construction by ensuring that all permits and conditions necessary for Notice to Proceed, site mobilisation and start of works are obtained or properly managed.

6. Permitting Risk Management

Identify, assess and manage permitting risks that could affect project schedule, cost or bankability. Supporting the project financing process for obtaining greenlight from Lenders.

7. Compliance During Construction

Provide permitting and environmental compliance support during construction, ensuring that project execution remains aligned with permits, prescriptions and authority commitments.

8. Internal Reporting

Provide regular reporting to project teams, senior management, lenders or investors, as required.

Required Experience

Essential

• 10+ years of experience in permitting, environmental compliance, project development or construction readiness for infrastructure, energy or renewable energy projects.
• Proven experience with utility scale renewable energy projects, preferably solar PV, wind, agrivoltaics or BESS.
• Strong understanding of post-authorisation permitting, construction-related permits and authority management.
• Experience managing technical consultants and multidisciplinary permitting workstreams.
• Ability to read and interpret permits, EIA/VIA decrees, planning consents, technical prescriptions and environmental obligations.
• Strong project management skills, with ability to manage deadlines, risks, dependencies and multiple authorities in parallel.
• Experience with Italian or EU renewable energy permitting frameworks.

Preferred

• Familiarity with Autorizzazione Unica, PAS, VIA/EIA, grid connection processes and construction-phase environmental compliance.
• Experience supporting projects from authorisation to NTP, financial close, construction start or COD.
• Knowledge of environmental monitoring, biodiversity, landscape, archaeology, hydraulic compatibility and HSE interfaces.
• Previous experience in IPP, developer, EPC, technical advisory or owner's engineer organisations.

Technical Skills

• Renewable energy permitting and authorisation processes
• Secondary permits and condition discharge
• Environmental compliance management
• Construction-readiness planning
• Authority liasing and stakeholder management
• Project scheduling and permitting critical path analysis
• Review of technical drawings and environmental documentation
• Permit risk assessment and mitigation planning
• Consultant scope definition and deliverable control
• Preparation of internal and external permitting reports

Soft Skills

• Strong ownership and accountability
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to work under pressure and manage critical deadlines
• Structured, analytical and detail-oriented approach
• Strong coordination capability across legal, technical, environmental and construction teams
• Problem-solving mindset
• Ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical project actions

Education

Preferred degrees:

• Environmental Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Energy Engineering
• Law with energy/environmental specialisation
• Other technical or regulatory background relevant to infrastructure permitting

Languages

• English: professional working proficiency
• Italian: required for Italy-based projects
• Additional European languages are a plus.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely discharge of permit conditions
• Number of secondary permits obtained versus plan
• Quality and completeness of permit submissions
• Accuracy of permitting risk reporting
• Effective coordination of consultants and internal workstreams
• Compliance with authorisation prescriptions during construction