Manager, Environmental Permitting

Hecla Limited

Position Description

Date: April 2025

Position Title: Manager, Environmental Permitting

Location: Corporate Office, Coeur d'Alene

Reports To: VP Sustainability

Position Summary:

The Permitting Manager will be a critical part of Hecla's corporate sustainability team, reporting directly to the VP Sustainability. The role will provide strategic, corporate-based expertise on a wide range of environmental and permitting matters. The role requires close coordination with site-level operations teams, Hecla's senior leadership team, and subject matter experts across the organization, including Hecla's Corporate and site Technical Services, Indigenous Affairs, Legal, and Operations groups. The Manager will lead and provide guidance to sites and outside consultants in the development and acquisition of all necessary mining and associated permits, environmental assessments, and surveys in compliance with local, state, provincial, territorial, and federal regulations for underground and surface mining in the United States and Canada. The successful candidate will have extensive experience with strategic permitting within the metals mining industry or related field, with demonstrated ability to drive results in high consequence, complex permitting activities for large capital projects.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities of the Position

• Works closely with the VP Sustainability, site leadership, and other stakeholders to ensure permits for future mine-plan changes, expansions, exploration, and process improvements are vetted and can be implemented once issued.
• Collaborates on strategies to support mine plans with timely delivery of land use authorizations and operational permits.
• Review environmental aspects of capital, reclamation, and exploration projects and ensure proper permits are obtained as appropriate.
• Actively manage environmental consultants/contractors assisting in permit applications.
• Collaborate with technical teams (Corporate, site and consultants) to develop technical studies of sufficient quality to support permit submittals.
• Confer with regulatory agencies to review mandated environmental quality standards, permit requirements, industrial practices, and new developments in pollution abatement. Determine how these impact the mine and ensure compliance with applicable regulations. Works alongside site environmental teams to engage with regulators during permit negotiations and permitting related site visits. Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with regulatory agency personnel.
• Compiles, organizes, develops and manages systems to maintain compliance with complex regulatory programs. Document and maintain plans, requirement, protocols, permits and standard operating procedures.
• Develop strategies to support and conduct internal compliance audits.
• Provide technical assistance to agencies for permit renewals; ensure permits are renewed in a timely manner.
• Assist with assuring appropriate financial assurance and bonding.
• Ensure contracts are in place with vendors, consultants, and agencies.
• Present information to agencies, public, and community members as needed.
• Support public and community relations activities associated with the mine activities and permitting efforts.
• Liaises with site personnel and consultants to develop and maintain closure, post-closure and reclamation permitting plans.
• Contributes to end of mine closure, reclamation, and post-closure care and asset retirement obligation forecasts. Provides training to facility staff regarding land, permitting and regulatory topics as needed.
• Develops site expertise to assist in permitting efforts.

Skills and Abilities:

• Track record of advancing strategic mine permitting.
• Experience permitting in both Canadian and US jurisdictions.
• Technical familiarity with industry standards and best practices for the construction and operations of heap leach pad, tailings impoundment, and other critical facilities.
• Experience overseeing studies required for permitting, including hydrologic, hydrogeologic, and geochemical modeling.
• Ability to influence and guide both internal and external stakeholders towards target outcomes while building and maintaining positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Project management - prioritize and plan work activities, use time efficiently, develop realistic action plans.
• Adaptability-adapt to a complex and dynamic work environment with agility, including delays and unexpected events, creating ongoing need to reassess and manage changing priorities that may conflict at times.
• Motivation-bring a passion to work for reasons which go beyond money or status and have a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence.
• Proficiency in French language would be helpful.

Education and Credentials:

• Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering, geology, environmental science, or related field.

• At least 10 years of substantial experience with environmental permitting and or coordination activities in mining or related field.
• Strong understanding and familiarity with regulations related to land, air, water, mining, and waste.
• Strong organizational skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and strong attention to detail
• Advanced MS Office skills.

Work Location

• The position will be headquartered in Coeur d'Alene Idaho at the Hecla Corporate Office but may have a flexible work location depending on the candidate.
• This role is anticipated to travel both domestic, as well as international around 30% of the time.