Principal Consultant - Environmental Permitting and Compliance

Stantec Consulting International Ltd.; Shrewsbury; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK-based environmental consulting firm is seeking a Principal Consultant to lead on environmental permitting. You'll manage complex projects, provide expert advice, and collaborate with various technical teams. With a focus on the water industry, the ideal candidate will hold a degree in environmental science and have extensive experience in environmental regulations. This role offers hybrid working, allowing for flexibility between home and office.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of environmental themes and regulations.
• Proven track record in environmental compliance and permitting.
• Chartered membership with a relevant professional body preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead clients through the consenting process under the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
• Manage and direct complex environmental projects.
• Build client relationships and collaborate with technical teams.

Skills

Problem-solving

Client relationship management

Project management

Expertise in environmental regulations

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in environmental/earth science or engineering

Job description

Overview

Aspart of our continued and ambitious UK growth, we have identified opportunities to grow our specialist Environmental Permitting and Compliance (P&C) team. Although our P&C team are currently located across our Exeter, Birmingham, Shrewsbury and Warrington offices, this new Principal Consultant role could be based in any one of our UK offices, with hybrid working allowing for a mix of in-office and home working. You would be joining a team providing expert advice and services to clients across water, energy, waste, resources, minerals, infrastructure, and development sectors. As a Principal Consultant you would take the lead on guiding our clients through the consenting process under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) regime in England and Wales and equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our work includes initial feasibility and due diligence, consenting strategy/coordination and stakeholder liaison, environmental permit applications and co-ordination, through to extensive operational compliance, auditing, and surrender support. We are trusted by our clients and provide strategic advice to help them navigate complex and often competing regulatory requirements, with our primary focus on supporting the UK Water industry.

Responsibilities

No two projects are the same and our team advises across the spectrum of activities regulated under EPR regardless of sector including: water activities; waste; industrial installations; power generation and combustion; chemicals; and radioactive activities. A significant area of growth is ‘industrial permitting’ which can often include complex regulatory approaches with multiple activities and interlinked regimes, as well as growth in our operational compliance, environmental, health and safety (EHS) auditing and environmental consenting services.

We work across Stantec’s UK business closely collaborating with our technical specialist teams (including but not limited to environmental planning & EIA; air quality; hydrogeology; water environment & quality; noise/acoustics; engineering; asset management; regulatory advice; and business improvement & transformation). There is opportunity for the successful candidate to bring their environmental permitting and compliance experience to build the interactions between one or a number of these disciplines to meet client needs.

About you

We are looking for an individual who can manage and direct a range of complex projects whilst building client relationships within an agile consulting team. It will be essential for this individual to be a highly adaptable problem-solver who thrives on a dynamic workload.

To be successful in this role you will have a deep understanding of environmental themes, prevailing regulation, and emerging themes in the UK. You will have a proven track record of navigating these themes to support clients across multiple sectors.

Qualifications & Experience

You will ideally hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant environmental/earth science, broader environmental management, or engineering discipline.

You will hold or be working towards chartered membership with a relevant professional body and be committed to continued professional development of yourself and others.

You may currently work in environmental or engineering consultancy, directly for industry operators, for the UK environmental regulator(s) (e.g. EA, NRW, SEPA or NIEA), or for comparable organisations.

You will be an expert in one, or a few, specialist areas associated with the EPR regime and looking to grow a workstream, mentor staff, and build client relationships.

We do not expect one individual to necessarily be familiar with all areas in which our team advises given the breadth of services, however ideally you will have a track record in:

• Industrial Environmental Permitting and aligned regulations, including but not limited to the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD), Energy from Waste, etc.
• Environmental consenting for multidisciplinary projects, including the interactions between environmental planning & EPR (including environmental consenting strategies).
• Experience working across the devolved nations and under the different regulatory regimes.
• Preparation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) including working with operational teams to ensure implementation and provision of ongoing compliance support.
• Environmental and Health & Safety auditing skills experience with NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent recognised health and safety qualification.
• Environmental due diligence skills and experience, to include knowledge and experience of ASTM Phase 1 standards and other environmental protocols.

Experience within the UK Water industry is preferable, or experience in the EPR regulated activities e.g. biological treatment (anaerobic digestion), discharges and abstraction.

Travel will be required between Stantec’s UK offices but also to attend client meetings, site visits and industry events (workshops, conferences, etc.) where these cannot be attended remotely.