Environment and Consenting Lead

We have a rare opportunity for a senior environmental professional to play a leading role in some of the UK’s largest and most complex infrastructure programmes, helping to shape long term environmental outcomes at both regional and national scale.

Sitting at the heart of nationally significant infrastructure, this role operates at the interface of environment, planning, regulation and delivery. You’ll act as a trusted environmental authority, influencing key decisions and ensuring environmental risks and opportunities are managed intelligently, proportionately and credibly.

LET’S CUT STRAIGHT TO IT

This role focuses on Strategic Resource Options (SROs) — collaborative, long term water supply solutions developed across the sector to improve resilience to climate change, drought and environmental pressures.

Severn Trent is currently involved in several major AMP8 programmes, including inter regional water transfer schemes of national importance. You’ll help shape the environmental strategy, assurance and regulatory approach underpinning these once in a generation projects.

What you’ll do

As an Environment and Consenting Lead, you will:

• Lead environmental investigations and assessments across the full project lifecycle
• Act as the senior environmental authority for assigned programmes, setting direction and assuring quality
• Manage and co-ordinate environmental consultants, delivering regulator ready outputs that provide value for money
• Build strong relationships with regulators, statutory bodies and planning authorities, agreeing scopes and approaches early
• Identify and manage environmental risks and opportunities, developing pragmatic solutions to complex challenges
• Author and assure environmental inputs to key regulatory submissions, including RAPID gate papers
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to project teams
  
  

You’ll be supported by an experienced multi disciplinary team, with access to deep water resources expertise as you build SRO specific knowledge.

You'll be based out of our Head Office in Coventry, and work within our Strategic Resource Options team. With this being such a critical role, we’re looking for someone who can join us 37 hours a week with flexibility to work from home at times.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We’re keen to hear from senior environmental professionals comfortable operating in complex, regulated environments and influencing high value decisions. You may come from water, infrastructure, environmental assessment, planning, capital delivery, or a regulatory or statutory body background.

Direct SRO experience is useful, but not essential — we’re looking for strong environmental judgement, leadership capability and confidence working in regulator facing roles at national scale.

What you’ll bring

• Significant experience providing environmental leadership on complex infrastructure or capital programmes
  
  
• Strong understanding of UK environmental regulation and risk management
  
  
• Ability to translate complex technical issues into clear, defensible advice for senior decision makers
  
  
• Experience working with regulators and external stakeholders on high profile or sensitive issues
  
  
• Confidence to influence, challenge and lead in uncertain or evolving environments
  
  

Why join us

You’ll work on infrastructure that genuinely matters, with the scale and ambition to shape the future water environment of the UK. We offer a senior, influential role with real ownership, exposure to nationally significant programmes, and a supportive, collaborative environment that values professional judgement.

Interested?

If you’re motivated by environmental leadership, complex problem solving and the opportunity to make a lasting impact at national scale, we’d encourage you to apply – even if your background isn’t a perfect match on paper.

Skills and experience are important, but character, positivity, and a caring attitude matter too. If you don’t meet all the criteria but believe you have the skills to be a great fit for this role, please still apply or get in touch with the recruiting team. We understand not everyone will meet all the requirements, but you might have skills we didn’t know we need. 

We welcome and celebrate diverse individuals, knowing they help us better serve our communities. We seek people who get involved, want to be part of something bigger, and make a difference because they care.

HOW WE’LL REWARD AND CARE FOR YOU

Working here isn’t just a job. You can build a career at Severn Trent. We’ll reward you for it, too. We have a range of benefits that recognise great work, and award-winning training to help you reach your potential. And we’ll also help you play your part in looking after the environment and the communities we serve.

With that in mind, here are just some of our favourite's perks that you’ll get being part of the Severn Trent family:

• Competitive salary
• 28 days holiday + bank holidays (and the ability to buy/ sell up to 5 days per year)
• Annual bonus scheme (of up to £2,250 per annum based on company performance)
• Leading pension scheme – we will double your contribution (up to 15% when you contribute 7.5%)
• Sharesave – the chance to buy Severn Trent Plc shares at a discounted rate
• Dedicated training and development with our ‘Academy’
• Electric vehicle scheme and retail offers
• Family friendly policies and two volunteering days per year

READY TO APPLY?

If you’re motivated by environmental leadership, complex problem solving and the opportunity to make a lasting national impact, we’d love to hear from you.