Senior Environmental & Sustainability Manager

Fusion Energy Base; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

UKFE is seeking a Senior Environmental & Sustainability Manager to define and deliver the environmental strategy for the STEP programme and to provide programme-level assurance that environmental risks are understood and controlled throughout the lifecycle of the power plant.

You will lead environmental consenting, regulatory engagement, and sustainability performance, embedding BAT and environmental governance across engineering and delivery teams.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in environmental and sustainability management within a regulated industry.
• Proven track record of developing and delivering environmental strategies for major infrastructure or energy programmes.
• Experience leading environmental consenting, permitting, and regulatory engagement activities.
• Strong understanding of EIA methodologies, EMS, and environmental risk management.
• Experience embedding BAT and environmental requirements in engineering projects.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the environmental strategy across the STEP programme and provide senior environmental leadership across engineering, construction, operations and delivery.
• Build and lead a high-performing environmental team and promote a culture of environmental excellence.
• Lead the Environmental Case development, identification and management of environmental impacts at system and programme level.
• Define and deliver environmental consenting and permitting strategies and engage regulators and stakeholders.
• Act as a senior ambassador for environmental performance and engage with regulators, government bodies and industry partners.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory engagement

Strategic environmental planning

Stakeholder management

Environmental governance

Communication

Education

Degree in environmental engineering or related field

Tools

GIS

Environmental management systems

Job description

Senior Environmental & Sustainability Manager

Reporting to the Head of Environment & Sustainability, you will define and deliver the environmental strategy for the STEP programme and provide programme-level assurance that environmental and sustainability risks are effectively understood, managed, and controlled throughout the full lifecycle of the power plant. As a senior leader within UKFE, you will ensure environmental performance is embedded into engineering, construction, operational, and strategic decision-making. You will lead the development of a proportionate, evidence-based Environmental Case and provide leadership across environmental consenting, permitting, regulatory engagement, and sustainability performance. This is a high-profile position operating in a unique technological environment where regulatory frameworks continue to evolve. Your expertise will help shape how fusion energy is responsibly delivered for future generations.

Key Responsibilities

Environmental Strategy & Programme Leadership

Define and deliver the environmental strategy across your allocated area of responsibility within the STEP programme. Provide senior environmental leadership across engineering, construction, operations, and programme delivery functions. Ensure environmental considerations are integrated into programme design, delivery, and operational decision-making. Balance innovation with regulatory compliance, environmental stewardship, and societal expectations.

Building Environmental Capability

Build, lead, and develop a high-performing environmental team capable of supporting a complex, multi-decade programme. Provide strategic direction, coaching, and technical oversight to environmental professionals and specialists. Promote a culture of environmental excellence, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. Increase environmental awareness and capability across engineering and delivery teams.

Environmental Case & Design for Environment

Lead the development and ongoing justification of the programme’s Environmental Case. Establish frameworks for identifying, assessing, and managing environmental impacts at system and programme level. Ensure environmental requirements and Best Available Techniques (BAT) are embedded within engineering and operational decision-making. Oversee environmental assessments, modelling, inventories, and supporting evidence required to demonstrate environmental performance. Ensure environmental risks are identified, assessed, managed, and visible to support informed decision-making.

Permitting, Consents & Regulatory Strategy

Define and deliver environmental consenting and permitting strategies. Lead all environmental inputs to the Development Consent Order (DCO) process and subsequent permits, licences, consents, notifications, and authorisations. Support regulatory engagement activities and act as a senior environmental subject matter expert with regulators, planning authorities, and key stakeholders. Ensure all environmental submissions are robust, credible, and capable of withstanding external scrutiny. Navigate evolving regulatory frameworks associated with emerging fusion technologies. Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned from environmental performance and regulatory engagement.

Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

Act as a senior ambassador for environmental and sustainability performance across the organisation. Influence programme teams, supply chain partners, contractors, and external stakeholders. Represent the organisation confidently with regulators, government bodies, local communities, and industry partners. Champion a culture where environmental responsibility and sustainability are recognised as critical to engineering excellence and programme success. Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing team environment.

About You

We’re looking for a strategic environmental leader with experience delivering complex, highly regulated infrastructure, energy, nuclear, environmental, or major capital programmes.

Essential Experience

• Significant leadership experience in environmental and sustainability management within a regulated industry.
• Proven track record of developing and delivering environmental strategies for major infrastructure, energy, nuclear, industrial, or engineering programmes.
• Experience leading environmental consenting, permitting, and regulatory engagement activities.
• Strong understanding of environmental impact assessment methodologies, environmental management systems, and environmental risk management.
• Experience integrating environmental requirements within major engineering, construction, or operational projects.
• Demonstrated capability in leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Expertise in environmental governance, assurance, and programme-level decision making.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including engagement with regulators and government bodies.

Desirable Experience

• Experience supporting Development Consent Orders (DCOs) and nationally significant infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of radiological and non-radiological waste management principles.
• Understanding of Best Available Techniques (BAT) assessments.
• Experience within the nuclear, fusion, energy generation, or similarly regulated sectors.
• Chartered environmental, engineering, sustainability, or related professional status.

What You’ll Bring

• Strategic thinking and commercial awareness.
• Outstanding leadership and influencing skills.
• Technical credibility combined with pragmatic decision-making.
• The ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity with confidence.
• A passion for environmental stewardship and sustainable innovation.
• Curiosity, resilience, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to help create a new energy industry while shaping the environmental standards that will define it. You will work alongside world-leading scientists, engineers, regulators, and policymakers to ensure fusion energy is developed responsibly and sustainably. Join us and help deliver clean energy for generations to come.

Salary

Salary View benefits

Key Details

• Programme: STEP
• Department: Risk and Assurance
• Discipline: Engineering
• Site Location: West Burton, Nottinghamshire
• Type of Employment: Full-time
• Reference Number: REF4419R

Qualifications

Essential: Degree or equivalent in a relevant subject, environmental engineering or related field.

Proven extensive experience in the environmental discipline, having worked with large programmes of similar complexity.

Expert understanding of environmental and sustainability legislation and standards.

Experience embedding Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Environmental Impact Identification (ENVID) into complex engineering projects.

A strong understanding of ISO14001 standard &/or other environmental management frameworks including experience in the certification process.

A strong understanding of project management lifecycle and progressive assurance techniques.

A confident influencer both verbally and through the production of written reports. Excellent interpersonal skills to enable effective working relationships to be developed with people in a wide range of roles and levels of responsibility.

CENV ISEP (or equivalent).

Beneficial

Track record of creative problem solving in ambiguous or innovative environments.

Experience of the full lifecycle for technically complex plant systems within major programmes.

Experience with environmental impact assessments and mitigation planning.

Familiarity with GIS and other environmental data analysis tools.

Environmental Lead Auditor.

Additional Information

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly women in STEM and individuals from British black and ethnic minority backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities.

Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success. UKFE is committed to being accessible. Please email [e-mail] if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.

Whilst not required at this time, there is a possibility of an SC Clearance being required in the future. If a candidate already holds an SC clearance, that clearance can be transferred to UKFE.

As we work towards our mission and goals, guided by our principles, STEP has six behaviours that are intended to capture the spirit of how we work: We champion safety We all matter We act as one We embrace change We are pioneering We deliver

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.