Principal Consultant

CEA Collaborative Environmental Advisers Ltd; Southampton; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Workplace Pension

Private Medical Healthcare

Income Protection

Discretionary Bonus

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

CEA Collaborative Environmental Advisers Ltd is seeking a Principal Consultant in Southampton, UK, to lead projects in marine environmental consents. Candidates should have experience in project management within the offshore wind sector, a relevant degree, and strong communication skills.

This role offers a competitive salary between £40k and £80k, remote work options, and benefits including private medical healthcare and a workplace pension.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in project management.
• Experience working in environmental/consents roles related to offshore wind or power cables.
• Clear, concise writing and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver technical work on feasibility studies and assessments.
• Project manage key projects across the portfolio.
• Provide technical advice to help clients meet strategic objectives.

Skills

Project management

Marine industry experience

Stakeholder management

Environmental impact assessment (EIA)

Clear communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Self-starter

Education

Relevant degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Principal Consultant

CEA is a successful growing business, in demand in the UK and internationally, working for well-known clients providing environmental, consenting, and permitting support for energy and other infrastructure projects primarily offshore, nuclear, and at the land‑sea interface.

CEA is founded on talented individuals who deliver effective project solutions, drawing on a wealth of experience and knowledge. As a key team member, you would complement and extend this talent pool with your own expertise, energy, drive, and creativity.

We can offer the right person a competitive package with flexible working arrangements and a mutually supportive working environment. We want great people to thrive with us and stay with us as we grow.

We have developed a business that delivers exceptional service to our clients, in a work environment that our team enjoy, thrive, and feel committed to. Benefits that our team members have mentioned which drew them to joining CEA and make them pleased to be part of the organisation include:

• Working with, and for, credible, respected individuals with valued reputations in the industry (and the opportunity to learn from them).
• Working with a team of like‑minded, individuals with similar work ethics and values.
• Being treated as a valued member of the company with the opportunity to play an active part in the development and growth of the business.
• Being supported and trusted to work flexibly to enable delivery of work whilst maintaining a home‑life balance.
• Having the opportunity to work on interesting projects of various scales and types.

Benefits that our team members enjoy as part of working for CEA include:

• Workplace Pension
• Private Medical Healthcare
• Income Protection
• Death in Service
• Remote and flexible working
• Discretionary Bonus

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior or Principal level consultant to join our growing team and who will support and manage a number of our existing and new projects as the company continues to grow. The ideal candidate is someone with a strong background in power cables, offshore wind or in another marine consents or environmental capacity and is familiar with the UK regulatory regime for offshore wind and other marine infrastructure.

You’ll be degree qualified in a relevant discipline, will have experience which may be drawn from previous roles in a consulting, regulatory or industry environment, and you’ll possess comprehensive project management skills and understanding of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Accountabilities

You will work as part of a varied and diverse team who have a range of experiences across the nuclear, renewables and power cables sectors.

As a CEA team member, you will help to develop and progress CEA’s presence in the power cables industry and may also have the opportunity to work on offshore wind delivering technical and advisory work. This includes (but is not limited to) the opportunity to:

• Project manage key projects across our portfolio
• Lead and deliver technical work on feasibility studies, EIA, HRA and MCZ assessments for major infrastructure projects.
• Provide technical advice to help our clients meet strategic objectives.
• Undertake business development activities, which includes identifying opportunities, developing relationships and supporting bid applications.
• Perform peer review of documentation, including Intelligent Client reviews of third‑party deliverables.
• Contribute to company strategy and processes.

Knowledge and Skills

The individual must be able to demonstrate the following:

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in project management
• Experience of working in a marine industry in an environmental/consents related role, ideally relating to offshore wind or interconnectors/power cables.
• Experience of HRA and derogation assessments and applications
• Experience of working in a marine industry in an environmental/consents related role, ideally relating to offshore wind or power cables
• Proactive approach with proven track record in managing stakeholder expectations.
• Clear, concise communication skills (written and verbal).
• Good interpersonal skills, the ability to build effective relationships and influence.
• A self‑starter who is able to manage their time effectively and work independently following initial instruction.

Desirable

• Experience within another specialist environmental discipline – e.g. benthic ecology, fish ecology, commercial fisheries, marine mammals, physical processes etc.
• Experience of working on marine consents including Marine Licences, DCOs or Section 36 applications.
• Experience of Scottish marine licensing or projects.
• Experience of undertaking technical reviews.

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant degree, individuals with equivalent professional qualifications and experience shall be considered.

Desirable

• Membership of a registered institute.

Skills & Requirements

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work unsupervised independently working to tight schedules and managing multiple tasks.
• Ability to work to the company values and culture.
• Result‑focused
• Translate priorities and actions into measurable results.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills with a strong ability to identify and resolve.
• Work well within a team environment and independently.
• Practical application of Project Management principles.

Salary

£40 – £80k Dependent on role and experience

Location

Remote (We have a number of office workspaces which are available to all staff)