Overview
Role: Environmental Permitting and Regulatory Compliance Consultant
Location: UK Flexible
Salary range: £35,000 - £65,000
Role ID: 2022-1569
Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world
Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.
Energy & Environment, one of Ricardo plc’s five operating business units, is a leader in sustainability consultancy, solving complex environmental challenges through industry-leading analysis, advice and data. With more than 40 years of heritage in addressing air quality, environmental and sustainability issues, our customers value us for our deep understanding and breadth of services covering the entire value chain from evidence, policy & strategy to implementation.
We are currently looking for a Environmental Permitting and Regulatory Compliance Consultant to join our WaRM team.
The Environmental Permitting and Regulatory Compliance Team sits within Ricardo’s Waste and Resource Management (WaRM) business area, which supports investors, developers (including procuring authorities), operators and regulators of waste management facilities, including through legal and other transaction advisor's, at all stages of the project lifecycle.
Key responsibilities
- technical drafting, preparation and management of environmental permit applications and supporting assessments, as well as other regulatory compliance assessments.
- provide regulatory compliance advice to a wide client base.
- provide specialist advice in regulatory due diligence assessments, including in waste infrastructure acquisition and development projects.
- contribute to winning new business through the preparation of bids and proposals.
- client management, interpreting client expectations into successful project delivery.
- project management (or project direction) with responsibility for the delivery of consultancy projects, such as environmental permit applications.
Additional duties may also include
- proactively contribute to the development of new opportunities through existing contacts and business development activities, including with new clients in the waste, food and drink manufacturing, energy and water sectors.
- provide mentoring and support to the development of more junior team members.
- act as a named expert witness in matters involving the regulatory compliance of facilities and activities in the waste, and potentially other sectors.
- prepare reports for Court in accordance with the civil/criminal procedure rules.
Key competencies and experience
Essential
- working knowledge of the environmental permitting regime (and/or equivalents in Scotland, Northern Ireland or the EU).
- an appreciation of the environmental risks associated the storage of a range of different types of waste, including combustible waste.
- an appreciation of the environmental risks associated with the operation of a range of waste treatment facilities and industrial installations.
- understanding of the appropriate measures and best available techniques required by regulators in order to prevent or minimise emissions and impacts on the environment from regulated waste facilities and process industries.
- experience working for industry, an environmental consultancy or regulator in a permitting or regulatory compliance role.
- demonstrable practical experience and working understanding of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 and related UK and EU environmental legislation.
Desirable
- working knowledge of associated environmental legislation, such as the Waste Framework Directive, Industrial Emissions Directive, Landfill Directive, Waste Duty of Care, UK/EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the International Waste Shipments Regulations (as amended).
- practical understanding of waste treatment technologies (including thermal, biological and mechanical) and/or other process industries, including the technologies and systems deployed.
- experience of acting as, or the desire and potential to be mentored to act as, a named expert witness in relation to matters involving the regulatory compliance of facilities and activities in the waste, and potentially other, sectors.
- experience contributing to regulatory and technical due diligence assessments.
- project management and delivery, including management of more junior staff and sub-contractors.
- interest/experience in international consultancy and opportunities to apply UK experience to support international clients, including a willingness to travel.
- experience of working for a UK regulator would be an advantage.
- Qualified to degree or master’s level in a relevant discipline (e.g. environmental management).
- Member of a relevant professional body (e.g. IEMA, CIWM).
Skills and behaviours
Essential
- the ability to write clear, concise and accurate reports in plain English, suitable for the intended audience.
- first rate interpersonal skills and ability to develop positive and lasting relationships with clients and colleagues.
- excellent attention to detail, accuracy and quality in all work.
- good time management and ability to meet multiple deadlines and manage and deliver competing priorities.
- high levels of drive and commitment; uses initiative, is pro-active and self-motivated.
- an honest and open communicator, who actively seeks and gives feedback.
- commercially minded technical consultant who identifies and captures opportunities for innovation and adding value.
- the ability to interpret and analyse information, drawing on specialist support as necessary, to identify and deliver solutions.
Desirable
- the ability to provide quality assurance and technical review of project work undertaken by others.
- the desire to mentor and develop more junior colleagues in environmental permitting and related legislation, including the potential to act as a knowledge leader.
- the ability to proactively contribute to developing new opportunities through existing contacts and business development activities.
Working here
Ricardo is an exciting and rewarding place to work and you have the opportunity to make a difference. You will work with teams of talented, dedicated, and supportive individuals. Alongside having a fantastic opportunity to develop your career with us through our broad range of projects, mentoring opportunities and a personalised approach to your learning and development. We are always keen to hear from people who have driven, ambition and a flair for innovative thinking.
Wellbeing and work life balance
We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that's working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential. Our People are important to us, and we take pride in our wellbeing programmes and policies that support individuals including flexible working, carers policy, mental health first aiders and readily available support through our extensive Employee Assistance programme.
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion statement
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.
Benefits
Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.
Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.