Principal Consultant –CCUS & Hydrogen Policy and Industrial Decarbonisation

Overview

Role

Title:

Principal Consultant –CCUS & Hydrogen Policy and Industrial Decarbonisation

Location: London, Manchester, Madrid, Italy, Belgium (Brussels) - Hybrid

Job :

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world.

Ricardo, member of WSP, is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. 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.

About the Role

You will act as a policy-facing expert on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen, supporting the European Commission, Member States and international institutions in the design, assessment and implementation of industrial decarbonisation policies and regulatory frameworks.

The role centres on analysis, support and evaluation of:

• EU policy and legislation (e.g. Net-Zero Industry Act, TEN-E, ETS, State Aid)
• Cross-border CO₂ and hydrogen transport and storage regulation
• Economic and financial assessment of public policy choices
• Impact assessments and evaluation of EU-funded interventions

Key Focus Areas

You will work at the interface between technology, policy and economics, with particular focus on:

• CCUS and CO₂ transport & storage

Regulatory frameworks, cross-border infrastructure, liability, access regimes, cost recovery, public support and market creation

• Hydrogen policy and markets

Regulatory design, infrastructure planning, certification, public support schemes, integration with industrial policy and energy markets

• EU industrial decarbonisation policy

Net-Zero Industry Act, industrial roadmaps, EU funding instruments, State Aid and market-based mechanisms

• Policy appraisal and decision-support tools

Impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria analysis, and evaluation methodologies supporting evidence-based policy making

Although you are not required to demonstrate experience in all these areas.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading or co-leading EU-level policy studies on CCS, hydrogen and industrial decarbonisation for the European Commission and international institutions
• Designing and delivering policy impact assessments, including:
  • Cost-benefit analysis (CBA)
  • Multi-criteria analysis (MCA)
  • Economic and distributional impact assessment
  • Evaluation of public support schemes and regulatory options
• Providing regulatory and economic analysis on:
  • CO₂ and hydrogen transport and storage (including cross-border issues)
  • Market design and access regimes
  • Financing models and public intervention logic
• Engaging directly with EU institutions, Member State authorities and stakeholders through interviews, workshops and consultations
• Contributing to business development in CCS, hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation and wider energy policy, including proposal leadership and technical input
• Mentoring junior staff and ensuring high analytical and quality standards across deliverables

Key Competencies and Experience

• A Master’s degree or PhD in economics, physics, energy policy, public policy, environmental economics, or a related discipline (engineering background only if combined with strong policy/economic expertise)
• Demonstrated expertise in CCS and/or hydrogen from a policy and regulatory perspective
• Proven experience working with EU institutions, in particular:
  • European Commission (DG ENER, CLIMA, GROW, MOVE, etc.)
  • EU agencies, Member State authorities or IFIs
• Strong familiarity with EU legislative and policy frameworks, including:
  • Net-Zero Industry Act, Clean industrial deal, Affordable energy package, Electricity Market Design reform, EU ETS and carbon pricing
  • State Aid and public funding instruments
  • TEN-E and cross-border infrastructure governance
• Hands-on experience applying policy appraisal tools, such as:
  • Impact assessment methodologies
  • Cost-benefit analysis (CBA)
  • Multi-criteria analysis (MCA)
  • Evaluation frameworks aligned with Better Regulation principles
• Strong experience in consultancy or policy advisory environments, including…