Senior Environmental Consents Adviser

We have an exciting new vacancy for a Senior Environmental Consents Adviser to join us. If you are looking for a role that has a focus on our local environment and you love engaging with equally passionate people, then we want to hear from you!

We would welcome applications from those looking to work part-time or full-time in this role.

Our in-house Environment and Planning Services team provides a wide range of services to facilitate project delivery for engineering, construction and operational projects.

Our focus is to ensure legal compliance and environmental best practice is followed and that planning and environmental legislation and the company's environmental policy are met in the development and maintenance of assets.

The role will support a diverse range of projects and enjoy the satisfaction of working on and influencing their projects from early design through to completion.

Supporting our agreed rolling five-year programmes of work – all within the Wessex Water region – and working closely with our in-house design teams, our Advisers spend the majority of their time working on projects and enjoy a good work/life balance.

You will regularly visit sites to better inform the environment and planning risks on our projects. However, long distance travel and supporting fee proposals are not a feature of this role.

Your responsibilities will include:

• managing a portfolio of individual projects from initial design through to construction, working closely with Design Engineers and Project Managers to minimise the environmental impacts and planning risks of projects
• securing environmental consents to the project programme, carrying out external consultation and completing consent applications (including planning applications, environmental permits and coordinating supporting reports where required)
• reviewing permitted development/planning permission requirements and environmental constraints for a range of water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment projects
• advising Engineers and Programme Managers on environmental risks, consents, issues, timescales and costs
• advising on environmental issues with support from technical specialists (for example, archaeology, noise, odour, contaminated land, flood risk, landscape assessment, and pollution prevention)
• consulting with external authorities and bodies to agree the surveys, assessments and method statements required to support individual consent applications
• coordinating specialist environmental survey and assessment work within project deadlines to support consent application, including managing specialist sub-contractors where necessary (e.g., archaeologists and arboriculturalists)
• working closely with construction teams to advise on constraints and mitigation, and provide environmental support to ensure consents are understood and environmental risks are minimised
• preparing construction environmental management plans and providing ongoing construction site support.

To be considered, you must have significant project experience in a project delivery-focused planning or environmental role.

• A good working knowledge of UK EIA and planning legislation.
• Experience in pre-planning consultation and preparing planning applications, including the preparation of supporting environmental information.
• Knowledge of environmental good practices during construction including pollution prevention planning.
• Excellent communication/negotiation skills with colleagues, technical specialists, external organisations and the public.
• A high level of organisational skills and the ability to manage own projects, workload and deadlines.
• A relevant degree in an environmental or similar related subject and membership (or working towards membership) of a relevant Professional Institution.
• Good IT skills.
• A full UK driving licence (and access to a car for work purposes).

• An understanding of sewage and water treatment processes.
• An understanding of construction practices.
• GIS skills.
• An awareness of ISO
  14001 Environmental Management Systems.
• Good presentation/public speaking skills.

• A combined pension contribution of up to 20%.
• Career…