Principal / Associate Director - EIA & Permitting

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Job Description

Team Leader - Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA ) and Permitting

We are seeking a highly proficient and motivated Environmental / EIA Consultant to spearhead and expand our committed Impact Assessment and Permitting team.

About the role

This is an exceptional opportunity to take on a leadership role within our expanding Environmental Solutions business. As a highly experienced consultant and industry-recognized specialist, you will be pivotal in advancing our environmental consenting and permitting services, reinforcing GHD's market presence, and enhancing our profile and brand.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in shaping the Environmental Solutions Group's future by identifying and capitalising on opportunities, providing strategic direction, and delivering technical expertise on projects. Key responsibilities include overseeing project development EIA applications, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations, optimising sustainability and environmental practices, and improving project environmental outcomes.

We seek an individual who can leverage their leadership skills, technical knowledge, and industry insights to drive the growth of our environmental approvals business and deliver impactful results across our core sectors - Energy, Water and Communities. Your role will be essential in team growth and performance, technical excellence, client satisfaction, and maintaining high staff engagement levels.

The role encompasses three core aspects that are critical to the success of our Environmental Solutions business:

• Team Leadership / Management: As a senior leader, you will collaborate with key stakeholders to set and execute the strategic growth plan for our environmental approvals business. This includes advancing our environmental impact assessments (EIA)and permitting capabilities, management of the team and driving the overall direction of the department.
• Business Development: Your role will be integral in identifying and pursuing opportunities for providing EIA, approvals and permitting services. This involves forging new client relationships, strengthening existing ones, winning new projects, and expanding our backlog. Your efforts will contribute significantly to delivering high-quality outcomes for our clients and enhancing our technical team's capabilities.
• Technical Expertise: Serving as the technical lead and/or Project Director, you will oversee impact assessments, consenting, and environmental permitting. You will provide specialist advice to clients across various markets, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations and optimizing project sustainability.

You will join a multi-disciplinary team renowned for its supportive culture, international collaboration and strong professional relationships. The role is flexible and can be based in our London, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham, or Guildford offices. We also support a hybrid working environment, allowing you the flexibility to work from any of our UK offices or from home. You will be working closely with other Environmental Impact Assessment and Permitting Team Leaders and consultants across the Middle East, Australia and North America.

Core responsibilities

As a senior member of the Environmental Solutions Group, working closely with Leaders across the business, you will enjoy a diverse and rewarding role. Your involvement will span across several key areas:

Leadership

• Collaborate with other leaders to develop and execute business strategies and initiatives aimed at expanding the EIA and environmental permitting business across the UK.
• Grow and mentor a dedicated team, fostering an environment that is driven to deliver high-quality results and innovative solutions to our clients' projects and challenges.

Business Development

• Lead the identification and pursuit of strategic bidding opportunities for EIA and environmental permitting services, thus strengthening our team capabilities and enabling growth of both our project pipeline and backlog.
• Using your extensive industry knowledge and experience to cultivate and sustain long-lasting client relationships built on trust and exceptional delivery.
• Identify new product or service offerings that meet the evolving needs of clients and markets.
• Direct the development and submission of proposals for projects, ranging from low-risk to highly complex, or high-risk initiatives. This includes coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to achieve buy-in.

Technical/Delivery Leadership

• Serve as the technical lead or Project Director for a diverse array of projects, including environmental impact assessments, environmental and social due diligence, and environmental permitting.
• Provide strategic, high-level advice to project teams as a recognised technical authority, sharing insights gained through collaboration across our technical service lines and global network.
• Enable close collaboration with cross-functional teams, including clients, engineers, planners, and stakeholders, to integrate environmental considerations into project design and decision-making.
• Oversee the preparation of high-quality reports, documents, and presentations that effectively communicate complex environmental concepts to various audiences.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies related to environmental management, contributing to the continuous improvement of our services.

Skills, experience and qualifications/ About You

To thrive in this role, you will bring:

• Proven Expertise: 10+ years of experience in environmental consulting, with a track record of winning and delivering a variety of environmental impact assessment and consenting including DCO applications and/or permitting scopes.
• Leadership Skills: Demonstrated experience building, leading and mentoring a high-performing team, specialising in impact assessment and/or permitting
• Strategic Vision: The ability to see the bigger picture and drive business performance and projects forward with a balance of technical acumen and strategic insight.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and build consensus among diverse groups.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Deep understanding of local, regional, and national environmental regulations and how they apply to project permitting and assessments.
• Business Acumen: A passion for driving business growth achieving project performance and business targets, with a history of successful client management and proposal development.

About Us

We are a global network of multi-disciplinary professionals providing clients with integrated solutions through engineering, environmental, design and construction expertise. Our future-focused, innovative approaches connect and support communities around the world, building resiliency and sustainability for generations to come. Established in 1928, we remain wholly owned by our people. We are 11,000+ diverse and skilled individuals connected by over 200 offices, across five continents.