Principal Consultant - Environmental Permitting and Impact Assessment (Hybrid working)

We\’ll inspire and empower you to deliver your best work so you can evolve, grow and succeed – today and into tomorrow. With more than 55,000 people in 40+ countries, working with us offers an exciting range of opportunities to develop your career within a supportive and diverse team who always strive to do the right thing for our people, clients and communities.

People are our greatest asset, and we offer a competitive package to retain and attract the best talent.

In addition to the benefits you\’d expect, UK employees also receive free single medical cover and digital GP service, family-friendly benefits such as enhanced parental leave pay and free membership of employee assistance and parental programmes, plus reimbursement towards relevant professional development and memberships. We also give back to our communities through our Collectively program which incorporates matched-funding, paid volunteering time and charitable donations.

Work-life balance and flexibility is a key focus area for us. We\’re happy to discuss hybrid, part-time and flexible working hours, patterns and locations to suit you and our business.

About The Opportunity

Amentum provides client-oriented solutions across our environment, energy, and defence businesses. With a strong order book and a diverse, exciting portfolio of projects across the UK and internationally, we need to expand our team of environmental specialists across multiple disciplines required to deliver a project lifecycle-from new build and operations through to decommissioning and site end use. We offer opportunities for significant career advancement, attractive remuneration, and flexible working, as well as leadership and client relationship role development.

We are seeking a Principal Consultant with significant experience in environmental permitting and environmental impact assessment (EIA). In this leadership role, you will provide technical direction on complex permitting and EIA projects, ensure compliance with evolving regulations, and build strong relationships with clients, regulators, and other stakeholders. You will be instrumental in shaping major developments in nuclear waste management and infrastructure. We welcome candidates from both consultancy and regulatory backgrounds, especially those with experience as a statutory peer reviewer in environmental permitting.

This role can be based in Harwell, Rotherham, Cumbria or Birchwood.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Lead and manage environmental permit applications, EIA processes, and Development Consent Order (DCO) projects. Develop and champion best available techniques (BAT), particularly in areas such as air quality permitting, dispersion modelling, and writing Environmental Statements. Innovate methods of impact assessment for terrestrial, marine, coastal, and ecological environments.
• Project Management: Oversee project scope, budgets, and schedules, ensuring timely delivery that meets client expectations. Evaluate project risks and opportunities related to permitting, delivering strategic insights to the business and stakeholders. Co-ordinate multi-disciplinary project teams to ensure smooth, efficient execution of project tasks.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Act as a key point of contact for clients, regulators, and external partners, providing clear updates on project progress, challenges, and mitigation strategies. Lead public consultations, client workshops, and technical or non-technical meetings, ensuring a transparent and inclusive engagement process.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all projects comply with relevant UK environmental legislation, industry standards, and nuclear sector regulations. Respond to changes in legislation and policy, adjusting project plans and guiding client teams accordingly. Integrate climate resilience, emissions, noise, biodiversity, water discharges, and heritage considerations into best available techniques.
• Business Development: Identify and pursue new business opportunities. Lead high-value bids and proposals, and cultivate strong client relationships. Represent Amentum at industry events and conferences, sharing thought leadership and expanding professional networks.
• Strategic Contribution: Contribute to the overall strategic direction of the Environmental Permitting and EIA service line, driving continuous improvement in methodologies and practices. Collaborate with other internal teams to share knowledge, foster innovation, and adopt best practices across the organisation. Keep a forward-looking approach by anticipating emerging trends, technologies, and policy shifts in environmental permitting and impact assessment.

Here\’s What You\’ll Need

Below are the qualifications and experience that we\’re seeking in applicants. We understand that not everyone will meet every single requirement, so if you believe you have most of the relevant experience and strong potential to succeed in this role, we\’d love to hear from you.

• Environmental Permitting/Authorisations: Extensive (10+ Years) experience in preparing environmental permit applications/authorisations and developing BAT/BPM assessments for chemical, nuclear, oil and gas, petrochemical, and waste management operations.
• EIA and DCO Delivery: Proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams to deliver Environmental Impact Assessments, Development Consent Orders, and planning applications.
• Leadership & Communication: Demonstrable success in managing and motivating diverse teams, alongside strong interpersonal, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Skilled in engaging client representatives, supply chain consultants, and regulators, clearly communicating impacts, mitigation measures, and assessment outcomes.
• Business Development: Proven ability to contribute to business development – including identifying opportunities, writing proposals, winning work, and expanding client accounts or service offerings.
• HSE Commitment: Commitment to health, safety, and environmental excellence, ensuring top-tier standards for project activities.
• Education: A degree in marine sciences, geosciences, atmospheric chemistry, or ecology (or equivalent); knowledge of noise abatement legislation or dispersion modelling is advantageous.
• Professional Qualifications: Chartered Environmentalist, Chemist, Physicist, or equivalent.
• Flexibility: Willingness to travel (UK and overseas) for site visits, stakeholder meetings, and project execution.

This is a senior-level position offering an opportunity to shape and lead environmental permitting and EIA projects within the nuclear, waste management, and high-hazard industrial sectors. If you\’re a proactive environmental professional with the technical expertise and leadership skills to excel as a Principal Consultant, we encourage you to apply and join our growing team.

Our Culture

Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and diversity. We put people at the heart of our business and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees. Find out more.

We aim to embed inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we\’re more connected, and if we are diverse, we\’re more creative. We accept people for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, mental health, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you\’re pregnant or on family leave. This is reflected in our wide range of Global Employee Networks centred on inclusion and diversity – ACE, Careers, Enlace, Harambee, OneWorld, Prism, Vetnet, and Women\’s – find out more about our employee networks here.

We partner with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain diverse talent. For greater online accessibility please visit www.vercida.com to view and access our roles. As a Disability Confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team.

Your application experience is important to us and we\’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. We welcome feedback on our recruitment process and if you need more from us before deciding to join, then please let us know.

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