Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer

Nuclearinst; Reading; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

Pension scheme with life assurance

Digital GP and annual health check

Employee share scheme

Be Kind Day

Job summary

Cavendish Nuclear is seeking a Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer to drive UK environmental permitting across major nuclear projects. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, oversee permitting activities, and ensure compliance with UK regulations in a flexible, hybrid UK role.

Join our Advanced Nuclear Technologies team to shape environmental strategy, improve processes, and collaborate with regulators and clients to deliver high-quality documentation and robust approvals.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of UK environmental regulation and permitting processes.
• Experience leading complex, regulated projects (nuclear/energy/infrastructure).
• Strong collaboration with regulators and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver environmental and safety outcomes.
• Oversee environmental permitting activities and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Build capability and best practice across projects.
• Engage with regulators, clients and stakeholders to maintain relationships.
• Support licensing by preparing high-quality documentation and ensuring expertise on project teams.

Skills

Environmental regulation knowledge

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Regulatory compliance

Education

Degree in environmental, engineering or scientific discipline

Chartered status desirable

Job description

Job Title: Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer

Location: Flexible, UK + Hybrid Working Arrangement

Compensation: Attractive Salary + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF 72107

Drive Environmental Excellence at The Forefront Of The United Kingdom’s Clean Energy Future

At Cavendish Nuclear, we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together. If you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer at any of our main UK locations, near Bristol, Warrington, Leicester, Newbury, or Preston.

The role

The UK’s small and advanced modular reactor sector is entering a pivotal phase, with major programmes progressing and strong government backing.

Join us as a Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer at the centre of this momentum and build your career across the nuclear and defence sector.

We’re seeking a Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer to join our Advanced Nuclear Technologies team, working in a fast‑moving, innovation‑led environment with real national impact. You’ll help shape the next generation of nuclear power through cutting‑edge design, accelerated deployment and projects that strengthen the UK’s long‑term energy resilience. If you want your work to matter at scale, this is the role for you.

This is a full-time role, based across any of our main UK locations. Flexible working patterns are available, and travel to other customer sites will be expected.

Day-to-day, you’ll be required to:

• Leading and coordinating multidisciplinary teams to deliver environmental and safety outcomes aligned to programme requirements
• Overseeing environmental permitting activities and ensuring full compliance with United Kingdom regulatory frameworks
• Building and strengthening environmental capability, processes and best practice across projects
• Engaging collaboratively with regulators, clients and key stakeholders to maintain strong, trusted relationships
• Supporting licensing and approval processes by preparing high-quality documentation and ensuring the right expertise is in place

Essential experience of the Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer:

• Demonstrating strong knowledge of United Kingdom environmental regulation, permitting or site licensing
• Leading complex engineering or infrastructure projects in highly regulated industries such as nuclear, energy or infrastructure
• Managing technical teams and delivering outcomes in challenging programme environments
• Engaging effectively with regulators and external stakeholders
• Driving continuous improvement in environmental performance and compliance

Qualifications for the Principal Environmental Permitting Engineer:

• Degree or equivalent in an environmental, engineering or scientific discipline
• Professional membership or working towards chartered status is desirable

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) security clearance for this role. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What we offer

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Cavendish employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Cavendish

We’re Cavendish Nuclear — a team of c5,000 specialists and a core part of Babcock International Group.

Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. Across clean energy, defence, and civil decommissioning, your work will contribute to projects that are critical to energy security and national protection. Together, we’re shaping a future that lasts — not only through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance.

Join us and discover how far we can go, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email [e-mail] with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing date: 08/06/2026