Permit Manager – Job Description
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Permit Manager to own and drive regulatory approvals across our DSHMRA portfolio of deep sea mining projects. This is a central, cross-functional role that requires both technical depth and strong project execution skills — someone who can build a regulatory roadmap from the ground up in a space where few precedents exist, draw creatively on experience from analogous industries, and manage a novel and evolving process through shifting agency priorities and emerging technology realities. Deep sea mining permitting in the US is nascent; no commercial DSHMRA permits have yet been approved, and the equipment, methods, and environmental frameworks are still maturing. The right candidate will be energized by that ambiguity, not deterred by it.
The Permit Manager works most closely with the Project Development Director, and in close coordination with the Principal Scientist, Senior Scientist, and Head of Marine Affairs, serving as the connective tissue between scientific, marine operations, and legal workstreams throughout the permitting lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
Permitting Strategy & Execution

• Develop, own, and execute integrated permitting strategies for DSM projects, spanning the full project lifecycle from exploration through operations — anticipating regulatory risk, sequencing agency engagements, and maintaining clear critical path visibility.
• Lead preparation and submission of permit applications, environmental review documents, and agency consultation packages under DSHMRA, NEPA, OCSLA, MMPA, ESA, and other applicable frameworks; ensure submissions are technically sound, on schedule, and responsive to agency requirements.
• Identify and manage permitting workstreams across multiple concurrent projects; build and maintain master permitting schedules integrated with broader project development timelines.
• Monitor and interpret regulatory developments across relevant US and international jurisdictions — including ISA environmental standards, MARPOL, UNCLOS, and other international treaties and frameworks applicable to Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction — and translate implications into actionable guidance for project and leadership teams.
• Manage permitting obligations under the full range of applicable US regulatory programs, including NPDES discharge permits and other Clean Water Act requirements, in addition to core DSHMRA, NEPA, OCSLA, MMPA, and ESA frameworks.
• As projects advance toward operations, build out and oversee compliance tracking systems, reporting obligations, and permit condition management to ensure ongoing regulatory conformance across the portfolio.

Consultant & Contractor Management

• Identify, qualify, and select environmental and regulatory consultants; develop scopes of work, negotiate contracts, and manage performance against schedule and budget milestones.
• Provide day-to-day technical direction to consultants preparing environmental assessments, impact studies, biological assessments, and other permitting deliverables; review and redline work products prior to agency submission to ensure quality and consistency with project objectives.
• Track contractor deliverables against project milestones; proactively resolve scope gaps, schedule slippage, or quality issues before they affect regulatory timelines.

Agency & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary point of contact for permitting-related interactions with NOAA, BOEM, EPA, the US Coast Guard, and other relevant federal and interagency bodies; cultivate durable working relationships with agency staff and leadership at all levels.
• Lead pre-application meetings, agency coordination calls, and comment response processes; represent the company in regulatory forums with credibility and in good faith.
• Support engagement with environmental NGOs, ocean user groups, indigenous and Pacific Island communities, and other stakeholders as part of NEPA public participation and broader project outreach efforts; work closely with the Principal Scientist and Head of Marine Affairs on technically sensitive stakeholder interactions.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate with the Principal Scientist and Senior Scientist to ensure environmental baseline data, impact assessments, and mitigation frameworks are appropriately integrated into permitting submissions and agency consultations.
• Work closely with the Head of Marine Affairs to align vessel operations, offshore logistics, and marine licensing obligations with permitting timelines and compliance requirements.
• Partner with legal counsel on regulatory interpretation, comment responses, and permitting risk management; brief senior leadership on permitting status, emerging risks, and strategic options.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in environmental science, marine science, environmental policy, natural resources law, or a closely related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 8 years of experience in environmental permitting or regulatory affairs, with meaningful offshore or marine project exposure — experience in oil and gas, offshore wind, or a comparably complex extractive or infrastructure sector is a strong asset, and the ability to translate that experience creatively into a first-of-kind regulatory context is essential.
• Demonstrated comfort operating in ambiguous, precedent-limited regulatory environments; able to construct permitting frameworks and agency engagement strategies where established playbooks do not yet exist.
• Demonstrated track record leading multi-agency permitting processes under NEPA (EA/EIS), and working knowledge of DSHMRA, OCSLA, MMPA, and ESA compliance processes.
• Hands-on experience selecting, scoping, and managing environmental consultants and technical contractors through complex permitting and environmental review workstreams.
• Strong project management fundamentals: scheduling, budget tracking, risk management, and the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously without losing attention to detail.
• Proven ability to build productive relationships with federal agencies, environmental NGOs, and multi-stakeholder groups; comfortable engaging across organizational levels of government and industry.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience translating complex regulatory and scientific material for agency staff, senior leadership, and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with ISA environmental regulations and management plan requirements, and experience navigating permitting in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
• Experience with ESA Section 7 consultation and MMPA incidental take authorization processes through NOAA Fisheries.
• Background managing permitting across multiple international jurisdictions or on projects with overlapping and evolving regulatory frameworks.
• Familiarity with marine spatial planning, ocean user conflict considerations, and regional governance bodies relevant to offshore project siting.
• Experience engaging Pacific Island communities or regional ocean governance stakeholders.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.