Environmental Permitting Manager

Overview

The Microsoft Datacenter Development Land Development and Community (LDC) team supports the development and delivery of Microsoft’s datacenter portfolio from site selection through design, construction and operation. The MS datacenter development portfolio consists of complex, multi-disciplinary, large scale, multi-year datacenter construction and lease projects.

Within LDC the Cloud Infrastructure Environmental Permitting team is responsible for the development and on-time delivery of environmental permits to support construction of Data Centers needed to build out Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. The Environmental Permitting Manager will manage environmental due diligence, environmental permitting acquisition and approvals, and support compliance activities during site acquisition, design, and construction for datacenter development throughout Americas. This role requires regular engagement with key Microsoft stakeholders, including legal, design, construction, and operations teams, regulatory agencies, and outside consultants and contractors.

The Environmental Permitting Manager is responsible for leading cross-functional coordination related to environmental reviews, due diligence, permit acquisition, and compliance activities for data center development. This role plays a key part in both shaping permitting strategies and executing them, helping ensure projects are delivered on schedule while meeting regulatory requirements and environmental commitments.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Own regional environmental permitting strategy from new region/site diligence through Go/No-Go, design, permit acquisition, Early Works, construction readiness, compliance handoff, and operational turnover.

• Serve as the regional air-permitting lead in partnership with the AMERS Air SME, including emission calculations, permit applicability assessments, New Source Review, emissions modeling, agency engagement, draft/final permit review, operating permits, and air compliance readiness.

• Develop and maintain environmental permit registers, permit matrices, risk/action logs, permitting schedules, and turnover documentation to support construction compliance and migration to operational compliance systems.

• Translate permit conditions into actionable requirements for construction and operations, including monitoring, reporting, inspections, notifications, permit modifications, and construction restrictions.

• Develop and manage environmental consultant scopes, RFP/SOS packages, pricing workbook alignment, technical reviews, contract inputs, and vendor onboarding for permitting, post-SDD studies, surveys, mitigation, and compliance support.

• Drive proactive agency strategy, including pre-application meetings, response-to-comment coordination, public comment strategy, regulatory negotiations, and escalation of permitting risks to leadership.

• Partner with Environmental Compliance Managers to define roles and responsibilities for permit implementation, GC/EC onboarding, compliance plan development, incident escalation, and operational turnover.

• Integrate permitting strategy with sustainability, biodiversity, compensatory mitigation, ecosystem enhancement, and community engagement opportunities where those measures reduce risk, improve AHJ alignment, or support Microsoft’s community commitments.

• Provide executive-ready reporting on permitting status, risk, schedule exposure, mitigation plans, decision points, and portfolio health for LT reviews and regional planning forums.

Qualifications

Required Qualification:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Management, Real Estate, Project Management, or related field, AND 3+ years relevant experience. OR 5+ years equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualification:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental, Civil, or Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, or equivalent and 5+ years experience

• 5+ years of environmental permitting and approvals experience, including management of environmental impact assessments, acquisition of permits, new region regulatory reviews, cultural and ecological surveys and approvals, and environmental programs development.

• Demonstrated experience with air permitting for large-scale infrastructure, including emissions calculations/modeling, generator permitting, Title V/minor source applicability, permit conditions, and construction/operations compliance handoff.

• Experience with mission critical facilities or large-scale construction projects.

• Ability to establish and maintain cross-functional and positive working relationships with internal and external teams.

• Background in project management and the ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to drive desired outcomes.

• Specific knowledge of environmental permitting programs and requirements including, but not limited to air quality, threatened and endangered, USACE/404 permitting, SPCC, cultural resources, etc.

• Working knowledge of remedial investigations, remediation strategies and execution, site conceptual models and site management plans.

• Ability to develop permitting timelines, and identify permitting risks and mitigation.

#COICareers | #EPCCareers | #DCDCareers

Real Estate Portfolio Management IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $97,600 - $188,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $125,000 - $206,400 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

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Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.