Senior Environmental Sustainability Advisor

Balfour Beatty; Hull and East Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working up to 40% remote

25 days annual leave (pro rata)

Family friendly policies

Pension and share incentive plan

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is seeking a senior environmental sustainability lead to drive delivery on complex projects and multiple smaller projects across the UK. You will influence early design decisions, implement sustainability plans, and manage environmental risk, ensuring compliance with ISO 14001 and the BMS.

You will report progress to senior teams and support team development while promoting Building New Futures commitments and measurable sustainability outcomes.

Qualifications

• Practical application of ISO 14001 including environmental risk and opportunity assessment and environmental controls.
• Advanced understanding of environmental legislation and management systems.
• Understanding of environmental impacts of construction and infrastructure activities.
• Detailed knowledge of sustainability KPIs and performance metrics.
• Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) preferred.
• Understanding of the construction and / or infrastructure operating environment.
• Analysing environmental performance data to identify trends and inform improvement actions.

Responsibilities

• Influence early-stage design and planning to identify risks and opportunities that reduce carbon, waste, and biodiversity net loss, supporting Building New Futures commitments.
• Drive the implementation of project sustainability plans and Bridging the Gap actions, reporting progress to senior teams and contributing to strategic delivery.
• Manage complex environmental risks and opportunities, supporting project teams in developing and maintaining robust environmental and sustainability plans.
• Direct and support the preparation of consents, licences, and permits, ensuring legal and contractual compliance.
• Provide expert advice on environmental compliance, pollution control, waste, and ecology, ensuring alignment with ISO14001 and the Business Management System (BMS).
• Oversee project compliance performance, including inspections, audits, and reporting, and facilitate external audits by clients and certification bodies.

Skills

ISO 14001 implementation

Environmental risk assessment

Environmental legislation

Sustainability KPIs

REnvP preferred

Full UK driving licence

Education

Degree in environmental / sustainability field

Tools

BMS

Job description

About the role

To lead environmental sustainability delivery on complex projects or on several smaller projects, translating the Building New Futures strategy into practical actions. This role manages risk, influences stakeholders, and supports team development to drive measurable sustainability outcomes.

What you'll be doing

• Influence early-stage design and planning to identify risks and opportunities that reduce carbon, waste, and biodiversity net loss, supporting Building New Futures commitments.
• Drive the implementation of project sustainability plans and Bridging the Gap actions, reporting progress to senior teams and contributing to strategic delivery.
• Manage complex environmental risks and opportunities, supporting project teams in developing and maintaining robust environmental and sustainability plans.
• Direct and support the preparation of consents, licences, and permits, ensuring legal and contractual compliance.
• Provide expert advice on environmental compliance, pollution control, waste, and ecology, ensuring alignment with ISO14001 and the Business Management System (BMS).
• Oversee project compliance performance, including inspections, audits, and reporting, and facilitate external audits by clients and certification bodies.

Who we’re looking for

• Practical application of ISO 14001 including environmental risk and opportunity assessment and environmental controls.
• Advanced understanding of environmental legislation and management systems.
• Understanding of environmental impacts of construction and infrastructure activities.
• Detailed knowledge of sustainability KPIs and performance metrics.
• Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) preferred.
• Understanding of the construction and / or infrastructure operating environment.
• Analysing environmental performance data to identify trends and inform improvement actions.
• Degree in environmental / sustainability-related field preferred.
• Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) preferred.
• Full UK driving licence.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions across the full spectrum of the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks.

From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on-going maintenance, our in-house experts, flexible resources and industry-leading innovations support customers in the development of some of the UK’s most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we want everyone to be able to thrive and achieve their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. We’re making great progress through our Value Everyone DEI Action Plan, but we know we’ve got more to do. Find out more about our values and DEI initiatives.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this role will be offered an interview.

We are committed to our processes being barrier-free and will support adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please let the recruiter for this role know if you require any adjustments.

We’re looking to continually improve our recruitment process, so if you have any feedback, please share this with us via [e-mail]