Project Environmental Specialist

Atkins’ Transportation is our centre of excellence for the design of highway and rail infrastructure projects. As a Principal Contractor in the rail design and build market, we work for Network Rail in delivering their aims of a resilient UK signalling system. We are a major signalling framework supplier; we put the requirements of our clients and stakeholders at the heart of our project delivery.

We are seeking a Project Environmental Specialist for our Croydon office principally to support our current portfolio of re-signalling projects to help us in this challenge and to support our internal vision for a sustainable future. This is to provide environmental and sustainability assurance during project planning and delivery throughout detailed design and construction phases of our resignalling projects. This role is crucial in supporting project management and engineering staff to understand their responsibilities and getting our delivery right from the start. It is likely you will also get involved in other types of work and in developing our environmental management procedures and guidance from time to time.

The position will be based from Croydon but there will be a requirement to travel across the UK occasionally to support the needs of our projects and clients. The person appointed will be expected to work as part of the senior Quality, Safety, Security and Environmental (QSSE) team with our other QSSE professionals across the UK. The position will also be supported by our world-class environmental consultancy business as required throughout project delivery. You would report to our Environmental Manager within Transportation.

Responsibilities:

• Provide timely and sound environmental advice during project delivery to manage our risks and opportunities in line with political, legal, contractual and stakeholder expectations.
• Review and update of project environmental deliverables and ensure these documents are implemented appropriately.
• Coordinating activities involved in the process of obtaining environmental consents required by our project compliance obligations.
• Carrying out site inspections and audits for environmental considerations against legislation, client standards and business procedures.
• Providing input in respect of planning projects in terms of price and programme with regards to known and reasonably foreseeable environmental risks and opportunities across environmental disciplines such as contaminated land, waste, water and ecology.
• Liaise with environmental specialists in our consultancy business for subject matter expert advice, assessments and deliverables as and when required.
• Monitoring the implementation of environmental plans, strategies, standards, procedures and systems as required by our internal Business Management System.
• Communicate any environmental risk assessments or project-specific impacts to staff as part of toolbox talks or similar briefs.
• Support and implement any environmental best practice initiatives and opportunities that may be relevant or suitable in improving project environmental performance.
• Represent the company professionally at client and industry meetings as and when required


Requirements:

Essential
• Appropriate academic and professional qualifications, including Practitioner level membership of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) or equivalent with chosen environmental body.
• Environmental (or related) degree or diploma-level qualification.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the statutory framework for good environmental project delivery in the construction environment.
• Experience of working on multi-disciplinary engineering projects with good interpersonal skills in communicating with other roles and disciplines.
• Proven ability to manage and organise the workload of self and others to meet programme and budget targets set for environmental discipline on projects.
• Proven ability to keep control in pressurised situations, deliver work to the required quality within set timeframes and create a well-motivated team
• Proven ability to deliver site-based briefing and awareness materials.

Desirable
•Evidence of successfully delivering a similar role for a rail Principal Contractor.
•Experience of working to environmental requirements of our key rail client, Network Rail.
•Experience of working with a regulatory body in England such as Natural England, Environment Agency or local authority.
•Strong technical background in one or more environmental disciplines such as air, ecology, water, heritage, noise, waste management etc.

The Individual:

• Excellent interpersonal, organisational and communication skills both verbally and in writing.
• A hard working and flexible individual, who is a team player, possesses great attention to detail, is reliable, proactive and shows initiative whilst able to keep cool under pressure and when working to often demanding deadlines.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently as well as within a larger multi-discipline team within a budget and programme agreed with others.
• A high expectation of performance for themselves.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels including site staff.
• A collaborative approach to working with others including relationship building with key clients.
• Be available to travel across the UK and work away from home occasionally.
• Have a valid UK driving licence.

Training and development:

Atkins develops individuals through a portfolio of training and development activities designed to help you make the best of your abilities and talents. These are reviewed with individuals through an annual appraisal process. We actively support staff in achieving full or chartered membership of relevant institutions as well as investment in relevant training and personal development opportunities.

Rewards and Benefits:
Please refer to our website for details of our full benefits package.

Right to Work:
The UK Government have taken steps to reduce net migration to the UK by limiting the number of overseas workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) coming to the UK for employment. Please note that whilst we are able to consider applications from overseas workers from outside the EEA (who require a Tier 2 (General) visa) we can only employ them if we can provide evidence that there are no other suitable candidates for this vacancy from inside the EEA.

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary it will be discussed with you at interview.