Principal Consultant - Permitting & Compliance

Stantec UK Careers; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid / Flexible working

Private medical insurance

Enhanced pension plan

Bonus schemes

Gym membership

Job summary

Stantec in the UK is seeking a Principal Consultant to lead environmental permitting and compliance projects across water, energy, waste, resources, minerals, infrastructure, and development sectors. Based in a UK office with hybrid working, you will guide clients through EPR processes and coordinate multi-disciplinary teams.

You will develop permitting strategies, manage stakeholder liaison, prepare environmental permit applications, and support auditing and surrender activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an environmental/earth science, management, or engineering discipline.
• Chartered membership with a relevant professional body and commitment to CPD.
• Industrial Environmental Permitting and related regulations (IED, MCPD, Energy from Waste, etc.).
• Environmental consenting for multidisciplinary projects and EPR interactions.
• Experience across devolved nations and regulatory regimes.
• Preparation of Environmental Management Systems and ongoing compliance support.
• Environmental due diligence including ASTM Phase 1 standards.
• NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent health and safety qualification.

Responsibilities

• Lead clients through the EPR consenting process across the UK.
• Coordinate permitting strategy and stakeholder liaison for complex projects.
• Oversee environmental permit applications and coordination.
• Support extensive auditing, operational compliance, and surrender activities.
• Grow a workstream, mentor staff, and build client relationships.
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to meet client needs.

Skills

Industrial Environmental Permitting

Environmental consenting

EMS development & implementation

Environmental due diligence

ASTM Phase 1 standards

NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Environmental/Earth Science or Engineering

Chartered membership with a relevant professional body

Job description

Aspart of our continued and ambitious UK growth, we have identified opportunities to grow our specialist Environmental Permitting and Compliance (P&C) team.

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.

About the Role

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.

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.

Your Impact

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.

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:

• 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.
• 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.

Please note that we are not offering Visa Sponsorship for this role and applicants must have an unconditional right to live and work in the UK for an indefinite period without limitation.

Why Join us?

• We put people first:We're proud of our friendly, inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and driven to succeed.
• We are driven to achieve:Named in the top 50 companies to work by Glassdoor 2025. Recognised by Corporate Knights as one of the world's top 10 most sustainable companies 2025. Named 'Best Place to Work' and 'International Consulting Firm of the Year' at the NCE Awards 2024.
• We do what is right:Industry leading training and development as well as paid for professional subscriptions. A professional progression plan, supporting you to become chartered with APM..
• We are better together:A supportive and collaborative team environment and Early Careers peer group and wider ERG network (see more on our ERGs here: Stantec Employee Resource Groups)
• Growth:We're on an exciting growth journey across the UK - we want you to be part of it!
• Great Benefits:Competitive salary, bonus schemes, enhanced pension plan, annual leave with the option to buy/sell additional days, private medical insurance, group income protection & life assurance included as standard as well as discounted gym membership and lots more.
• Hybrid / Flexible working:Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with our hybrid approach to flexible working.