Principal Environmental Scientist - Contaminated Sites

ALRA | Australia’s Leading Recruitment Agency; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

ALRA, Australia’s Leading Recruitment Agency, is seeking a Principal Environmental Scientist for Contaminated Land in Adelaide. The role emphasizes building around strengths with a 2IC-style position to support senior leadership, growth, and strategic delivery across SA, NT and WA.

You’ll lead technical delivery, client liaison, and mentoring for a CLM team of 12, with exposure to defence, infrastructure, and major projects. Flexibility to focus on technical or people leadership is available.

Qualifications

• 10+ years contaminated land consulting experience.
• Strong understanding of SA legislation and project delivery.
• Ability to manage clients and mentor consultants.
• Experience across Defence, infrastructure, petroleum or industrial sectors highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Technical delivery and review of complex contaminated sites projects.
• Client liaison and proposal writing across key accounts.
• Mentoring and supporting a CLM team of 12.
• Defence, petroleum, renewables and civil infrastructure project exposure.
• Major projects including T2D Tunnels and Australian Naval Infrastructure.
• Flexible role structure depending on technical or people leadership.

Skills

Contaminated land expertise

Client liaison

Mentoring

Leadership

Job description

$200,000+ Base | Technical or Leadership Pathway

Defence, T2D, Petroleum & Major Infrastructure Projects

Shape the Role Around Your Strengths

Principal Environmental Scientist, Contaminated Land - this Adelaide opportunity is less about forcing you into a predefined role and more about building around what you're actually good at.

A growing contaminated land team needs another experienced senior operator to help support a strong pipeline of work across SA, NT and WA. The interesting part is the flexibility.

• Love technical delivery and client management? Lean into that.
• Prefer mentoring, scheduling and helping guide a junior-heavy team? That works too.
• Or combine both.

You'll step into a genuine 2IC-style position helping free up senior leadership to focus on growth, clients and strategy while you help drive delivery internally.

The Role

• Technical delivery and review of complex contaminated sites projects
• Client liaison and proposal writing across key accounts
• Mentoring and supporting a CLM team of 12
• Defence, petroleum, renewables and civil infrastructure project exposure
• Major projects including T2D Tunnels and Australian Naval Infrastructure
• Flexible role structure depending on whether you prefer technical leadership, people leadership or both

This is not a boxed-in Principal role buried in reports and internal admin.

You’ll have autonomy, visibility and influence.

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years contaminated land consulting experience
• Strong understanding of SA legislation and project delivery
• Ability to manage clients and mentor consultants
• Experience across Defence, infrastructure, petroleum or industrial sectors highly regarded

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