Principal Consultant – EU

Isle Utilities GmbH; Utrecht; Hybrid; EUR 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Isle Utilities GmbH, a UK-headquartered global consultancy, seeks a Principal Consultant to lead high-value water and environmental projects from our European team based in the Netherlands. The role focuses on de-risking and accelerating adoption of water-related technologies across industrial sectors in Europe, including the Netherlands.

The successful candidate will guide complex consulting efforts, shape methodologies, mentor junior staff, and drive business development while operating within

Qualifications

• 15+ years in water/environmental consulting.
• Strong project leadership and client management.
• Experience leading proposals, pricing, and business development.
• Excellent English; additional Dutch/FR/ES is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-disciplinary client engagements and independently manage complex workstreams or projects.
• Shape methodologies and provide technical leadership while ensuring high-quality outputs.
• Mentor junior consultants and coach teams to promote learning.
• Develop proposals, pricing strategies, and client presentations to secure follow-on work.
• Ensure outputs are accurate, well-formatted, and visually effective.

Skills

Project Leadership

Client Engagement

Technical Direction

Proposal Development

Coaching

Quality Assurance

Collaboration

Sector Insight

Business Development

Water/Wastewater

Education

Master's in Environmental Engineering

Tools

CRM platforms

Analytics tools

Automation tools

Job description

Isle is a UK-headquartered global consultancy working to derisk and accelerate the adoption of technologies that support the water environmental transition. We’re looking for a Principal Consultant with strong technical credibility, consulting experience, and leadership capability to help clients solve complex challenges across the water and environmental sectors to join our European team based in the Netherlands.

We are seeking an experienced water and environmental professional with at least 15 years’ relevant experience in consulting and on the ground in industry. The successful candidate will lead and deliver complex technical consulting projects for our industrial and utility clients, shape robust methodologies, drive business development, support proposal development, and mentor junior colleagues. This is an autonomous role requiring excellent judgement, strong client engagement skills, and the ability to operate effectively in a matrixed global organisation while consistently delivering high-quality outputs.

About Isle

We work with utilities, industrial clients, regulators, investors, and technology providers to solve complex water and environmental challenges.

• Operational optimisation and asset performance
• Technology and solution selection (proven and emerging)
• Market and commercial advisory
• Global research and sector insights

We combine engineering, scientific and commercial experience to help clients make practical, informed decisions, not just about what could work but what will. We support technology companies in navigating European and International markets, including market entry, positioning, and scale-up, and work with funding bodies and industry to understand where innovation is delivering real impact across different regulatory and operating contexts.

Across industrial sectors including F&B, mining, chemicals, semiconductors, and textiles, we help clients identify water optimization opportunities, implement best practices, and deploy solutions that meet operational and sustainability goals, both within Europe and in global operations.

Purpose

To lead and deliver high-value consulting work that helps clients navigate the water environmental transition, while contributing to business growth, technical excellence, and the development of colleagues.

Principal Accountabilities

The key accountabilities in the role include, but are not limited to:

• Industry Experience: Work with key industrial water clients to provide strong technical inputs and find technical solutions, as well as understand their needs, drivers and technology requirements.
• Project Leadership: Lead multi-disciplinary client engagements and independently manage complex workstreams or whole projects, taking ownership of delivery, budgets, risks, timelines, and quality.
• Technical Direction: Shape methodologies, provide technical leadership, review the work of others, and ensure outputs meet Isle’s standards for scientific rigour, clarity, and professional presentation.
• Client Engagement: Build trusted relationships with clients and stakeholders, understand client needs and regulatory drivers, and deliver work in line with expectations while maintaining a strong long-term client focus.
• Proposal Development: Play a significant role in proposal writing, pricing, and client presentations, helping secure follow-on work and contributing to commercially strong, well-scoped opportunities.
• Coaching and Team Development: Support, coach, and develop junior consultants within projects, creating opportunities for learning and ensuring colleagues are included in internal and client-facing activity where appropriate.
• Quality Assurance: Review, challenge, and enhance analyses and recommendations; reinforce high standards in proofreading, editing, formatting, data accuracy, and the use of effective visual communication.
• Collaboration: Act as an active promoter of collaboration, communication, and connection across teams, service lines, and geographies.
• Sector Insight: Apply deep technical knowledge and understanding of relevant regulations, industry drivers, and market developments to generate insight and innovative solutions for clients.
• Continuous Improvement: Champion established processes, procedures, and methodologies while also helping improve delivery approaches, service offerings, and ways of working where appropriate.

Key Performance Indicators – TBC but expected to include:

• Revenue generation and contribution to secured wins
• Project profitability and delivery against agreed scope, fees, and deadlines
• Client satisfaction and repeat / follow-on work
• Contribution to proposal development and conversionTechnical quality of outputs and effective development of junior staff

Person Specification

Qualifications Preferably Master degree in Environmental engineering, chemical engineering or sanitary engineering and perhaps other related sciences with a relevance to water/wastewater.

Knowledge / Experience

• Minimum of 15 years’ experience in consulting or applicable business operations, must be within the water, environmental, or related industrial sectors.
• Excellent knowledge of water and/or wastewater processes.
• Site experience.
• Good understanding of global challenges related to water/wastewater and the direct implications for industries.
• Familiarity with environmental technology applicable for water, utilities and wastewater treatment.
• Strong technical expertise in one or more relevant subject areas, with the ability to synthesise sector insights and apply knowledge creatively and pragmatically.
• Experience leading projects, managing client relationships, and delivering work under minimal supervision.
• Experience contributing to proposals, pricing, and commercial discussions.
• Comfortable using digital tools, CRM platforms, analytics, and automation tools to support efficient delivery and growth.
• Excellent oral and written English skills
• Other languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Dutch, and/or Italian) will be considered an asset

You will be:

• An excellent communicator – presenting, writing, speaking, and listening effectively
• Team player and energiser.
• A motivated self-starter with strong leadership skills and sound judgement
• A strategic and creative thinker with strong problem-solving ability
• Commercially aware, with a clear understanding of scope, fees, deadlines, and client value
• Committed to quality, ethical standards, and ongoing professional development
• Positive, collaborative, and supportive in the development of others

Base: The Netherlands, office location in Utrecht.

Remote working is part of Isle’s offering.

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us, and we will talk to you about how we can assist.

All appointments will be made on merit. We are happy to discuss flexible working.