Principal​/Senior Consultant; EIA & Consenting – Hydrology and Water Environment

SALARY:Competitive and based on experience and qualifications.

LOCATION: Glasgow, Newcastle or Manchester City Centre Offices (Hybrid Home Working Available)

THE POSITION

As part of the continued growth of our EIA Services, TNEI is seeking a Principal or Senior Consultant with experience in Environmental Impact Assessment, environmental coordination and infrastructure consenting with a background in hydrological and geoenvironmental / geotechnical expertise.

The successful candidate will provide technical expertise in hydrology, geotechnical and water environment assessment, supporting the delivery of planning and environmental consent applications for major energy infrastructure developments.

You will be responsible for preparing and reviewing technical assessments, contributing to Environmental Impact Assessments, supporting interdisciplinary project teams, and engaging with regulators, clients and stakeholders.

The role combines technical assessment, project delivery, site-based fieldwork and client-facing responsibilities, offering significant opportunities for career development and progression within a growing consultancy.

This is a client-facing role within our Environment & Engineering team, providing leadership on EIA inputs and consenting activities for a range of renewable energy and electricity transmission and distribution projects across the UK.

The successful candidate will work alongside planners, other environmental specialists, engineers, GIS professionals and grid consultants to support the delivery of renewable energy infrastructure projects.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

An experienced Hydrologist and EIA practitioner with a background in, or seeking to specialise in, the renewable energy sector whilst working within an integrated planning, environmental and engineering consultancy focused on supporting the UK energy transition.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepare and contribute to Water Environment and Hydrology chapters for EIAs and Environmental Reports.
• Assist in the growth and development an integrated hydrology and geoenvironmental workstream within TNEI’s existing Environment and Engineering team.
• Undertake baseline studies, constraints assessments and environmental appraisals.
• Support EIA Screening and Scoping exercises.
• Identify potential effects on hydrology, hydrogeology, private water supplies and surface water receptors.
• Develop embedded mitigation and enhancement measures to support project design and consent strategies.
• Undertake carbon assessments and whole life carbon assessments for renewable energy projects through the development and utilisation of a carbon toolkit using pre-existing tools such as carbon calculator.
• Undertake, coordinate and review technical assessments including:
  • Private Water Supply Risk Assessments.
  • Water Framework Directive (WFD) assessments.
  • Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystem (GWDTE) assessments.
  • Surface water and groundwater baseline studies.
  • Watercourse crossing assessments.
  • Construction phase water management strategies.
  • Hydrological and hydrogeological impact assessments.
  • Carbon / peatland and drainage related assessments where appropriate.
  • Flood Risk Assessments, where applicable.
• Undertake and co-ordinate field work as required.
• Work closely with environmental planners, engineers, GIS specialists, ecologists, landscape architects and project managers.
• Support site design optimisation by identifying environmental constraints and opportunities early in the development process.
• Assist in the development of environmental management plans and construction mitigation strategies.
• Manage technical work streams on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Prepare high-quality technical reports to meet client, regulatory and company standards.
• Support bid preparation, fee proposals and business development activities.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with clients, regulators and stakeholders.
• Mentor and support junior consultants through team growth and development.
• Provide technical guidance to project teams.
• Share knowledge and best practice across the business.
• Support continuous improvement of TNEI’s EIA and consenting services.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential requirements include:

• Degree in Hydrology, Environmental Science, Geography, Hydrogeology, Water Resources Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience delivering hydrology and water environment assessments within planning, EIA or environmental…