Permitting & Consent Manager

UK Atomic Energy Authority; West Burton; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 71,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Defined benefit pension

Performance bonus up to 7%

Relocation allowance

Flexible working options

Employee Assistance Programme

Generous annual leave

Inclusive culture

Job summary

UK Atomic Energy Authority is seeking an experienced regulatory professional to own permitting and consenting workstreams across the STEP programme. You will advise senior stakeholders, interface with regulators, and lead a small team to ensure timely, compliant decisions.

The role requires strong governance, reporting and strategic engagement across complex projects. Significant experience in permitting and regulatory compliance, plus leadership in multi-disciplinary settings, is essential.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in permitting, consenting, licensing or regulatory compliance.
• Experience managing permits through application, submission and determination.
• Experience leading, supervising or mentoring colleagues.
• Strong stakeholder engagement with regulators or government bodies.
• Excellent written communication for regulatory documentation.
• Strong organizational skills for multiple complex workstreams.
• NSIPs and DCO experience.
• Experience across public and private sector environments.
• Professional membership or qualifications in planning, environmental management or regulatory compliance.
• Experience within energy, nuclear or fusion sectors.
• People management and talent development experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end permit, licence, consent and exemption workstreams.
• Oversee preparation, review and submission of regulatory applications.
• Ensure compliance requirements are integrated into project planning and delivery.
• Identify and manage regulatory risks, issues and dependencies.
• Support development of wider regulatory and consenting strategies.
• Develop relationships with regulators, government departments and external stakeholders.
• Act as representative for UKFE in regulatory discussions and engagements.
• Coordinate stakeholder interactions across multidisciplinary workstreams.
• Lead assurance, governance and compliance activities including audits and reporting.
• Mentor a team of permitting and consenting professionals; provide coaching.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Permitting and consenting

Stakeholder engagement

Regulatory reporting

People management

Education

Regulatory qualification

Job description

You’ll take ownership of permitting and consenting workstreams across the STEP programme, managing activities from initial strategy and application development through to determination, implementation and ongoing compliance. You’ll be a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, a key point of contact for regulators and a leader within an expanding regulatory and compliance function.

You will also help develop the frameworks, processes and culture that support effective regulatory engagement throughout the programme lifecycle.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Manage end-to-end permit, licence, consent and exemption workstreams.
• Oversee the preparation, review and submission of high-quality regulatory applications.
• Ensure compliance requirements are incorporated into project planning and delivery.
• Identify and manage regulatory risks, issues and dependencies.
• Support the development of wider regulatory and consenting strategies.

Build and Maintain Regulatory Relationships

• Develop strong relationships with regulators, government departments and external stakeholders.
• Act as a key representative for UKFE in regulatory discussions and engagements.
• Coordinate stakeholder interactions across complex and multidisciplinary workstreams.
• Support strategic regulatory engagement activities across the wider programme.

Lead Assurance, Governance and Compliance

• Drive consistency and quality across permitting and consenting activities.
• Support audits, inspections and assurance reviews.
• Maintain permitting registers, compliance records and regulatory documentation.
• Produce reporting and management information for programme leadership.

Lead and Develop People

• Manage and mentor a small team of permitting and consenting professionals.
• Provide coaching, technical oversight and quality assurance.
• Promote regulatory best practice and support capability development across the organisation.
• Deputise for the Head of Regulatory Compliance & Engagement when required.

£64,115 + excellent benefits including outstanding pension

You'll be an experienced regulatory, permitting, licensing or consenting professional who thrives in complex and highly regulated environments.

You may currently work in energy, nuclear, utilities, transport, environmental consultancy, infrastructure, engineering, construction or another sector where successful project delivery depends on securing regulatory approvals.

• Significant experience in permitting, consenting, licensing or regulatory compliance.
• Experience managing permits, licences or consents through application, submission and determination.
• Experience leading, supervising or mentoring colleagues.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and experience working with regulators or government bodies.
• Excellent written communication skills with the ability to produce robust regulatory documentation.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple complex workstreams simultaneously.
• Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and Development Consent Order (DCO) experience.
• Experience working across public and private sector environments.
• Professional membership or qualifications in planning, environmental management, regulatory compliance or related disciplines.
• Experience within the energy, nuclear or fusion sectors.
• Previous people management and talent development experience.

Additional Information

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly women in STEM and individuals from British black and ethnic minority backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions. Whilst not required at this time, there is a possibility of an SC Clearance being required in the future. If a candidate already holds an SC clearance, that clearance can be transferred to UKFE.

As we work towards our mission and goals, guided by our principles, STEP has six behaviours that are intended to capture the spirit of how we work:

• We championsafety
• We allmatter
• We act asone
• We arepioneering
• Wedeliver

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstandingdefined benefit pension scheme,details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporatebonus schemeup to7%and aRelocationallowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working optionsincluding family friendly policies.
• Employee Assistance Programmeand trained Mental Health First Aiders,
• Generous annual leaveallowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays
• A vibrantculturecommitted to equality and being fullyinclusive

Browse some of our current job vacancies below.

What can I expect from the application process at UKAEA?

Once you have submitted a formal application via our website, all CVs will be reviewed shortly after the closing date of the advert.

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realising fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for groundbreaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovation, Commitment, Trust, and Collaboration.