Associate Director - EIA

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

12/13/2024

RPS is looking for an Associate Director to join us in our EIA team, to be based at either Abingdon, Manchester, or Edinburgh. We are working on some of the most exciting Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in the UK and internationally, including large scale energy projects – think GW rather than MW! This includes solar, offshore wind, international interconnector, and energy storage projects. We are head EIA head for the Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Project, Morgan and Mona Offshore Wind Projects, Morgan and Morecambe Transmission Assets, TWP, XLinks interconnector and a large portfolio of energy storage and solar projects.

Our team works with bp renewables, EnBW, Flotation Energy, Alcemi, Photovolt Development Partners, XLinks, Statera and Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), as well as many major energy companies. Our track record in renewables, transport, and net zero carbon means that we gain repeat business across these sectors.

We are RPS, our projects are all around you. We define, design, and take care of projects that create shared value to a composite, urbanising and resource-scarce world. Our people are our success. We are looking for people who can find a solution to the problems that matter. Our flat structure creates greater collaboration and speed of communication, enabling us to work with some of the brightest minds in the industry.Here you will find work that is stimulating and rewarding.

What You Will Be Doing

With experience within this sector, you will already be familiar with what we are looking for.You will have the opportunity to work on and direct a range of EIA projects, including large scale renewable DCO projects. You will be able to drive a multidisciplinary EIA project team and provide advice to the customer, based on your experience on other projects.

You will be working within a multi-disciplinary environment with the opportunity to be part of a highly regarded team.

A Typical Week Could Include

• Project management role for large DCO projects or for several smaller TCPA EIA projects
• Management of EIA team, including briefings of authors and counsel for ensuring chapters are compliant and maintaining high quality of services
• Working as a primary point of stakeholder contact on some of the prominent EIA projects in the UK
• Advising on legislative requirements, good practice, budget and programme.
• Management of EIA consultation, requirements including coordination of Expert Working Groups
• Sign off of ES documents in preparation for stakeholder or legal review
• Opportunities for line management and mentoring of team members
• Opportunities to work on and develop digital EIA solutions.
• Preparation of bid/tender documents with our bid team, as required
  
  

Who We Are Looking For

You will have excellent experience of presiding over EIA projects, ideally including DCO and renewable infrastructure projects. Experience in the requirements for developing and consenting offshore wind, onshore cable routes, substations, solar farms would be an advantage.

Your Report Writing And Review Experience Will Reflect Our High Standards And You Will Be Able To Work Collaboratively And Possess The Knowledge To Work With Stakeholders’ Legal Teams And Other Consultancies.A Good Eye For Detail Is Essential As Are Strong Troubleshooting Techniques, Helping To Address Customer Concern. We’d Like You To Have

• Experience of overseeing large EIA projects (essential).
• Experience working on large DCO projects, ideally including renewable projects (desirable).
• Experience in overseeing the client-EIA team interface and ensuring our customers’ high standards are met (essential).
• Detailed knowledge of the EIA Regulations and Planning Act and the requirements to deliver a compliant submission (essential).
• An eye for detail (essential).
• Willingness to travel for stakeholder meetings.
• Previous digital EIA experience or relevant techniques to help in influencing our digital EIA offering (desirable).
• A first degree in a relevant environmental subject and ideally an MSc in a relevant topic e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Management or similar
• There will be some travel, so a full UK driving license is required.
  
  

What is in it for you?

We are proud to be an accredited ILM training provider, internationally recognised and providing robust fully accredited professional training programmes - to master’s degree level professional qualifications in leadership & management and executive coaching & mentoring, we provide learning and development for everyone.

We encourage and value different ideas, perspectives, and styles of thinking. We need a mix of experiences and techniques to develop the ideas. We respect one another and recognise the potential and contribution of everyone. You’ll be joining a diverse community and a company that puts its people first and prioritises their wellbeing.

We identify the need to work flexibly, with agile offices and hybrid working offered as standard, we’re happy to communicate about flexible working. This is a workplace that works for you.

What happens next?

The Talent Acquisition Team will be in touch to let you know the outcome of your application. If your application is progressed, you’ll have a conversation with one of our recruiters and then there’ll be a two-stage interview process with the Team.

All applications will be considered.

We know we develop better solutions together. That’s why we’re committed to ensuring Fairness, Inclusivity, and Respect in all that we do. For us to live our purpose of creating shared value and to deliver on our promise to ‘make complex easy’ – for us and for our clients, we continue to build a culture where different working styles and experiences can thrive to achieve exceptional results.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and work in partnership with Inclusive Employers. We’re also proud to support reservists and their families, having signed the Armed Forces Covenant. An inclusive culture enables our people to do things differently, working in ways to suit them while delivering their best for RPS. That’s why we’ve created working groups as true inclusion is a journey that involves learning, collaboration, and engagement.

Please let us know if you require any adjustments during the interview process, we can then make reasonable changes to support you in performing to the best of your ability.

Recruitment Agencies We have a Preferred Supplier List of trusted partners to assist us when required and do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions from agencies not on this list. Please refer to the careers page on our website if you require any further information.