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Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a Project Manager for Project Development to support the permitting and siting of the world's first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant and subsequent deployments. This role is central to the company's mission to deliver commercially viable fusion energy.
Key Responsibilities:
Site Evaluation & Strategy: Conduct comprehensive fatal flaw analyses using GIS tools to evaluate potential project locations, assessing topography, water availability, environmental constraints, and site viability. Work with Government Affairs to evaluate local land-use policies, zoning regulations, and tax structures to identify jurisdictions with supportive regulatory environments for novel energy facilities.
Land Acquisition & Due Diligence: Support land acquisition negotiations and site control plans in partnership with legal advisors. Conduct initial real property due diligence including title evaluations, ALTA surveys, Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, and preliminary geotechnical reviews.
Grid & Infrastructure Analysis: Partner with grid interconnection and power engineering teams to analyze transmission availability, substation capacity, and grid infrastructure for strategic off-take alignment.
Stakeholder Engagement: Lead proactive community outreach during early site identification to establish local relationships and resolve land-use issues. Represent the company at public hearings, regulatory proceedings, and community forums to communicate project technical details, environmental safeguards, and benefits.
Permitting & Regulatory Compliance: Lead strategy, drafting, submission, and execution of major environmental and regulatory permit applications (Wetlands, Air Quality, NPDES, Storm Water, CPCN filings). Maintain productive relationships with federal, state, and local regulatory bodies, public utility commissions, environmental agencies, and zoning authorities. Coordinate cross-functionally with engineering, legal, project finance, and external affairs teams. Oversee external environmental consultants, legal counsel, and engineering firms. Monitor regulatory proceedings and policy updates to identify and mitigate risks. Establish post-issuance compliance and turnover systems. Develop and track permitting schedules, manage recovery plans for schedule variances, and maintain permitting risk registries. Build standardized permitting knowledge bases and operational frameworks to enable multi-site scaling using AI and digital tools.
Team Collaboration: Collaborate with multi-disciplinary project teams, manage external environmental consulting firms and contractors, and oversee contractor work quality and completeness.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Urban/Regional Planning, Public Policy, Law, or related technical field
- 5–8+ years of experience leading complex environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, or land-use approvals for utility-scale energy, thermal power generation, or large industrial infrastructure projects
- Technical expertise in federal and state environmental regulatory frameworks (Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, NEPA/state equivalents)
- Exceptional project management skills and written/verbal communication abilities
- Ability to perform activities such as typing, standing, and sitting for extended periods
- Willingness to travel occasionally or work required nights/weekends/on-call (up to 25% travel including day-trips and overnight stays)
- Ability to work in facilities containing industrial hazards including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
Bonus Qualifications:
- Master's degree or advanced technical degree
- Experience with state public utility commission filings
- PMP certification
- Proficiency with project scheduling software (MS Project, Primavera P6)
- GIS application experience
