Project Engineer - Environment (Permitting)

KEO International Consultants; Lisboa; Hybrid; EUR 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

Individual athletic sponsorship

Study assistance sponsorship

Employee referral rewards

Job summary

KEO International Consultants is seeking a Project Engineer – Environment (Permitting) to join our Sustainability and Environment Division in Lisbon or Porto, Portugal. You will guide clients through industrial and environmental licensing from initial request to ongoing legal compliance.

The role involves coordinating licensing with authorities, interfacing with multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring timely, compliant deliverables while supporting training and client engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Environmental Sciences, Environmental or Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Up to 5 years of relevant professional experience in environmental licensing, compliance or consultancy.
• Solid knowledge of Portuguese industrial and environmental licensing regimes. Experience with national licensing platforms is advantageous.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems; safety qualification is a plus.
• Understanding of EIA processes and regulatory frameworks; trainer certification is a plus.
• Strong writing and communication skills in English and Portuguese; ability to prepare high-quality technical deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, submit and follow up industrial and environmental licensing processes with authorities.
• Manage requests on national licensing platforms and ensure deadlines are met.
• Assess compliance with environmental, health and safety legislation; identify gaps and propose actions.
• Support interface between licensing processes and EIA procedures where applicable.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to compile inputs for licensing applications.
• Conduct site visits to collect information and verify permit conditions.

Skills

English proficiency

Portuguese proficiency

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Project coordination

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Environmental Sciences or Environmental/Chemical Engineering

Tools

ArcGIS

QGIS

MS Office Suite

Job description

Overview

KEO is a creative enterprise, where innovation is a way of life. We are uniquely resourced with end-to-end services to take clients from inspiration – through conceptualization – to realization of planning, design or project delivery in the built and natural environments. For over 60 years we’ve led with vision, contributing to many of the world’s most ambitious projects, iconic places, remarkable experiences and prosperous communities.

As a highly integrated and agile AEP/PMCM firm, KEO is recognized by ENR as one of the Top 225 International Design Firms and one of the Top 20 International PM/CM Firms. We are also ranked by World Architecture as the 51st largest global architecture firm and the #1 Firm in the Middle East Region in their 2024 WA100 Survey.

We invite you to join us. Why?

When you join KEO, you’ll discover more than just a job – you’ll find a supportive environment that fosters your professional development through internal global mobility and career development and does so within a culture that supports company-wide health and well-being through on-demand counselling services and regular workplace clinics. You will be invited to celebrate community events such as sports days, fun-runs, in-house sports teams and beach clean ups. In addition to your competitive package and benefits you will have access to a suite of policies that include hybrid working arrangements, individual athletic sponsorship, study assistance sponsorship, employee referral rewards.

Responsibilities

Our newest opportunity is for a Project Engineer – Environment (Permitting) to join our team based in Lisbon or Porto, Portugal.

Reporting directly to a Project Manager in our award-winning Sustainability and Environment Division, this role will focus on guiding clients through the industrial and environmental licensing of their establishments, from the first request to the competent authorities through to ongoing legal compliance once the license is issued.

We envisage success in this role to include;

• Preparing, submitting and following up industrial and environmental licensing processes with competent authorities.
• Managing requests and communications on the national licensing platforms, ensuring deadlines and information requests are met.
• Assessing compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety legislation, identifying gaps and proposing corrective actions.
• Supporting the interface between licensing processes and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures, where applicable.
• Working with multidisciplinary teams (e.g., air quality, noise, water, waste, health and safety) to compile the technical inputs required for licensing applications.
• Availability to conduct site visits to client facilities to collect information and verify compliance with permit conditions.
• Carrying out or coordinating environmental and workplace monitoring when required by permits or legislation.
• Providing environmental consultancy and technical support to clients across different industrial sectors.
• Supporting the implementation and maintenance of quality, environmental and safety management systems.
• Assist with delivering, training and awareness sessions to clients and internal teams.
• Supporting Project Managers in the engagement with clients, authorities and stakeholders to clarify project information, data requirements and permit commitments.
• Assisting in preparing project proposals by defining licensing scopes, technical methodologies, timelines, resource estimates and deliverables.
• Supporting Project Managers in monitoring progress, budgets and timelines for licensing tasks.
• Staying updated with legislative and regulatory changes relevant to industrial and environmental licensing.

Qualifications

To be successful in this dynamic opportunity, we envision that your career journey to date will include:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Environmental Sciences, Environmental or Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Up to 5 years of relevant professional experience in environmental licensing, compliance or consultancy.
• Solid knowledge of Portuguese industrial and environmental licensing regimes. Hands-on experience with the national licensing platforms would be advantageous.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems. Knowledge of occupational health and safety is valued, and a professional safety qualification is a plus.
• Understanding of EIA processes and regulatory frameworks and how they interact with licensing would be advantageous.
• Trainer certification or experience delivering technical training is a plus.
• Strong writing and communication skills in English and Portuguese, with clients, authorities and internal teams; ability to prepare high-quality technical deliverables.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and Word; familiarity with GIS tools (ArcGIS, QGIS) is an advantage.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage several licensing processes in parallel and meet deadlines.
• Attention to legal and technical detail, with a practical, solution-oriented approach.
• Collaborative and proactive mindset, comfortable working with engineers, industrial managers and other specialists in multidisciplinary teams.
• Commitment to continuous learning as legislation and licensing procedures evolve.

Why Join Us:

• Play a key role in industrial permitting projects with direct impact on clients' operations.
• Work with a diverse portfolio of industrial sectors and licensing regimes.
• Grow your expertise alongside specialists in environment, engineering and safety.
• Contribute to more sustainable and compliant industrial activity.

KEO’s performance is founded upon integrity, results, innovation, safety and our people. We embrace diversity and recognise its’ contribution to client success wherever we work.

We are excited to hear how you can partner with our award-winning team and treat all expressions of interest confidentially.