Associate/Associate Director/Technical Director Environmental Planning Consultant

Tetra Tech Europe is an industry leading multi-national and multi-disciplinary consultancy. We have exciting opportunities for a range of senior grade consultants (Associate, Associate Director and Technical Director) to support the continued growth of our UK-based Environment, Sustainability & Planning (ESP) team and the wider business.

We are looking for broadly skilled, talented and motivated individuals who want to progress their career with a growing global consultancy, working on challenging and often ground-breaking projects. We have a considerable and diverse pipeline of work across sectors including water, residential and commercial, defence, transport infrastructure, energy and renewables, waste and minerals. This is predominantly in the UK and Ireland, with some international opportunities. You will be joining an established and growing Environmental Planning team with an opportunity to engage and learn from a vast range of technical experts across our engineering, environmental, planning, sustainability and project management departments. Whilst you will be expected to support and manage a range of predominantly EIA projects within a consultancy environment, the role will also provide the chance to broaden skills and experience within team and project management, business development and technical assessment areas.  This senior leadership role within the team, reporting to the Head of EIA and Natural Capital, would offer an opportunity to influence its direction, particularly in terms of forthcoming changes to policy and emerging sectors and technologies, and play a fundamental part in its success.

Our Environmental Planning team has an established and varied workload and excellent reputation, with high technical standards demonstrated through membership of IEMA’s EIA Quality Mark scheme, and thought leadership through involvement in industry working groups and presentations/conferences.

Responsibilities

The roles of Associate, Associate Director and Technical Director will be commensurate with experience, but it would be expected that each grade  will be responsible for providing technical and commercial leadership within the team, senior management and direction of the environmental planning, consenting and construction environmental management process for a variety of projects/sectors. You will be supported by other senior team members across ESP, and play a part in nurturing and developing our junior staff. You will be expected to demonstrate competence and expertise in more than one of the following:

1. Project Management and Direction:

·       Lead and oversee multiple projects, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards;

·       Coordinate and collaborate with project teams, stakeholders, and subcontractors to gather necessary data and information;

·       Develop and implement project plans, including scoping, data collection, impact assessment, and reporting;

·       Effectively communicate and engage with stakeholders, including government agencies, local communities, NGOs, and project developers.

2. Environmental Impact Assessment (and Environmental Outcomes):

·       Co-ordinate comprehensive and robust assessments of potential environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with proposed projects across multiple sectors. Experience of co-ordinating DCOs would be advantageous;

·       Understand methodologies and tools to analyse data, assess risks, and identify potential mitigation measures to minimise adverse impacts;

·       Stay updated with relevant environmental regulations, and collaborate with colleagues from other teams to prepare for changes in this, particularly relating to potential replacement of EIA and SEA;

·       Provide industry recognised thought leadership, through publishing articles and guidance, speaking at events and being engaged in industry working groups.

3. Team management and leadership:

·       Work alongside the Head of EIA & Natural Capital and Head of Planning to provide technical and commercial expertise, in terms of being available to respond to queries from colleagues and clients, understanding commercial elements such as fee build up, profit margins, etc.

·       Being engaged in leading weekly virtual team meetings and quarterly in person events, including being aware of team utilisation and programme priorities and recording/following up on team actions;

·       Provide a line management and mentoring role to more junior staff, and be closely involved in the recruitment and on-boarding process.

4. Business Development and Client Management

·       Bring a demonstrable knowledge of and recognised profile in at least one development sector, along with a notable set of professional contacts;

·       Understand the bidding process, including go-no go decisions, contract reviews, supply chain management, cost and fee build up, public tenders and frameworks and consortium building;

·       Take ownership of business development and client relationship management in a specific sector of geography, working in collaboration with your wider Tetra Tech (or our companies) colleagues and BD strategies.

5. Report Writing and Communication:

·       Prepare comprehensive EIA reports (including EIA Screening and Scoping studies) that clearly communicate assessment findings, potential impacts, and recommended mitigation measures;

·       Present findings and recommendations to clients, regulatory authorities, and other relevant stakeholders;

·       Ensure reports and deliverables are technically accurate, well-structured, and effectively convey complex information to different audiences;

·       Conduct thorough reviews of EIA deliverables to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with project requirements and regulations. This includes internal QA checks and detailed reviews on behalf of third parties

6. Technical specialism(s)

·       Be competent, or enthusiastic to learn an additional technical specialism in the following areas: Strategic Environmental Assessment, sustainability, climate change, socio-economics and human health;

·       Understanding and experience in natural capital, ecosystem services, ESG or sustainable finance aspects would be advantageous;

·       Understanding of the planning and consenting process (including post consent) would be advantageous

Requirements:

·       A Bachelors and/or Masters degree in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Management or a related field;

·       Extensive experience (10+ years) in conducting and managing EIA across a range of projects;

·       Knowledge of environmental laws, regulations, and guidelines related to EIA processes and compliance;

·       Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively;

·       Team management skills, including organisational, resourcing, training and staff development;

·       Project management and direction skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and prioritise tasks;

·       Proactive problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and the ability to think critically and analytically.