Associate Process Safety Consultant

SLR’s Safety Advisory team offers a diverse range of process safety, engineering and management consultancy advice across the industrial, chemical manufacturing and associated sectors. Centred around our Manchester office, we are currently working actively to grow and develop our business and to enhance the technical services we offer to our existing clients. To that end we are looking to make an appointment of an Associate Grade Process Safety Consultant with site experience in process safety.

The successful candidate will be required to participate in and manage a range of client and internal projects focused on provision of services to improve the design, operation and maintenance of hazardous processing facilities on client sites; and the role would therefore be ideally suited to a chemical or process engineer with demonstrable experience of working within chemical based manufacturing installations wishing to apply and grow their knowledge and expertise in process safety across a wider range of sectors. The successful candidate will receive training and development aligned with CPD requirements to support them in gaining chartership of their relevant professional body.

Within this customer facing role, the successful applicant can look forward to working on several projects simultaneously (both individually and as a team) across a wide variety of high hazard sites, including chemical manufacturing, onshore bulk storage facilities, warehousing etc and across a range of sectors – chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, explosives, waste to energy and industries where hydrogen is being generated, stored or used in relation to the decarbonisation of the energy sector etc. The role can be placed at any one of the SLR UK offices, but the role involves working on client sites across the UK, and may include working on these sites UK wide for periods of a day to a week or more as required.

Typical duties will include:

• Development of process engineering standards, manuals, methodologies, work processes, procedures and enabling tools and systems for clients.
• Audits and authoritative reviews of practices and procedures in place at client sites to confirm whether actual methods of operation match documented procedures.
• Interfacing with relevant functional groups (e.g. site management, engineering, operations, health and safety, etc.), including leading or conducting studies to help resolve issues related to management of process safety risks.
• On-site surveys of chemical process plant (vessels, tanks, pipework, structures, etc.) to ensure that documentation is complete and accurate, producing as-built documents where appropriate.
• Hazard identification and risk assessment studies, including HAZID, HAZOP and LOPA.
• Provision of process engineering expertise in support of engineering and EHS studies, design reviews and projects.
• Consultancy work related to DSEAR.
• Contribute to clients’ sustainability and growth by identifying cost effective solutions to problems.
• Ensure client needs and expectations continue to be met in relation to quality, cost and delivery.
• Delivery of client projects to deadlines and budgets.
• Delivery of agreed strategic development projects.

Additional duties / areas for development include:

• Preparation of COMAH Safety Reports.
• Preparation of [semi-]quantitative risk assessments including: ‘Predictive’ submissions under the COMAH Regulations, including representative set development / validation.
• Occupied Buildings Risk Assessment (OBRA), including toxic refuge siting / condition reviews.
• Standalone consequence modelling studies, including development and implementation of spreadsheet-based models where required.
• Use of existing methodologies to provide bespoke offerings, such as: ‘ALARP’ workshops (further measures studies and past accident reviews).
• Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA).

About us: SLR are global leaders in Sustainability Solutions, helping our clients achieve their sustainability goals. We are a consultancy with 4000+ employees across 6 regions in over 125 countries. Our ‘one team’ culture is at the heart of our business, providing a collaborative and supportive environment for professional development. Along with competitive salaries, our staff enjoy a comprehensive benefits package with a company pension plus excellent healthcare offering, travel and life insurance and a structured career framework with regular reviews offering outstanding opportunities for progression. Alongside 25 days annual leave, with additional flexible bank holidays, we offer flexible, agile and hybrid working which enables staff to tailor hours worked around core hours, with family friendly policies to help balance the needs of professional and home life.

About you: If you are interested in this opportunity, we would love to hear from you. In order to successfully undertake the role, we envisage that you would be able to demonstrate the following:

• A degree in Chemical or Process Engineering, and demonstrable experience within the Chemical Manufacturing industry (including design principles, process and standards for process plant); and strong knowledge of relevant UK legislation in this sector (e.g. COMAH, DSEAR and related codes/standards).
• Communication Skills - Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a proven ability to communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.
• Team Player – Ability to develop good personal relationships with work colleagues and to contribute constructively and effectively to projects as a part of a multi-disciplinary team; A high degree of personal integrity and sound judgement.

Culture & Inclusion at SLR: We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer, and our expectations go beyond purely complying with legislation. Through our Regional C&I Committees, Global Council and Employee Networks, we foster an inclusive environment where all people regardless of their background can thrive. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of their background, including those from groups that are currently under-represented at SLR, such as people identifying as 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous peoples, ethnic minority groups, women, and people with visible or invisible disabilities, including those who are neurodivergent.