Environmental Consenting Senior Professiona

Join the Planning and Environment group within the Civil, Environmental & Renewables (CER) Department of ESB Engineering & Major Projects (EMP), which is committed to delivering offshore wind projects in Ireland and abroad and which is key to achieving the ESB’s 2040 net zero ambitions. The team specialises in: 

• Environmental Consenting, Licensing & Compliance;  

• Preparation & Submission of planning applications;  

• Environmental Management Systems; 

• Environmental & Ecological Studies;  

• Sustainability Reporting and Leadership;  

• Environmental SI, Site Remediation & Incident Response. 

We are looking for an Environmental Consenting (Licencing) Specialist to contribute to the ESB’s Net Zero by 2040 Strategy centred on decarbonising our electricity system, delivering resilient infrastructure, and empowering customers.  

Position Description   

The Environmental Consenting Specialist will be a member of the Planning and Environment Group within the Engineering and Major Projects (EMP) business unit. The successful candidate will assist with and be responsible for delivery of environmental consenting, primarily licencing, in relation to onshore projects undertaken by ESB Group. 

Key Responsibilities   

Key responsibilities include:  

• Developing of licensing and other consenting strategies including identification of risks and opportunities. 

• Preparation of Industrial Emissions (IE) and other environmental licence applications and preparations of applications for changes to existing IE licences.  

• Commissioning and management of specific technical inputs in the environmental licence applications, including procuring and managing sub-contractor inputs for site assessment, feasibility studies, specialist studies, and consenting purposes. 

• Assist with stakeholder management activities (internal and external) and the running of consultations and engagement with statutory authorities. 

• Collaborate and coordinate with other teams and site environmental managers across ESB to successfully deliver projects in a timely manner.  This will need to include licence compliance design considerations. 

• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of relevant environmental regulatory requirements for ESB development projects especially in areas of new technologies. 

Experience and Qualifications  

 Essential  

The successful candidate must have:  

• Minimum 7 years’ experience in environmental licencing and other forms of environmental consenting. 

• In-depth knowledge and/or experience of the consenting process of major developments, in particular, Industrial Emissions Licencing, GHG permits and Abstraction Licencing.  

• A strong understanding and up to date working knowledge of the environmental regulatory requirements within Ireland related to consenting of major infrastructure projects. 

• A professional manner with strong inter-personal skills, with an ability to communicate at all levels and deliver high results. 

• Strong stakeholder management skills and proven track record of managing internal and external stakeholders including managing correspondence and consultation with statutory bodies e.g. EPA. 

• Demonstrated ability to conduct efficient decision making and problem solving in collaboration with other key stakeholders including design recommendations input to ensure compliance with consent conditions. 

• Strong organisational and structured approach to project management and commercial aspects of projects. 

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills. 

• A high level of commitment and flexibility and a full clean driving licence are required. 

Desirable 

• Experience and preparation of other consent application types and supporting studies and surveys as required.  

• Experience in undertaking EMS and/or site compliance audits. 

• Experience inputting to and/or reviewing EIARs and/or other environmental assessments.  

• Knowledge in one or more specialist environmental assessment areas e.g. noise, air, surface water quality. 

• Knowledge of public procurement rules applicable to a project management role. 

• Experience dealing with legal and other challenges.  

Qualifications  

Essential  

Level 8 Environmental or Science Degree or equivalent qualification.   

Full driving licence valid in the Republic or Ireland. 

Desirable   

• Level 9 Engineering or Science Degree or equivalent qualification.   

• Chartered status in a recognised professional institution   

• Auditor / training qualification. 

• Project Management qualification.   

Location  

This position will be based in our Dublin Offices or Eastgate, Cork. Site visits may be a feature of this role as required.  

 ESB is committed to smart working – combining digital tools with a culture of trust and empowerment to enable flexible ways of working. The successful candidate may work flexibly within their jurisdiction with attendance at the workplace for in-person collaboration on at least one anchor day per week. All smart working arrangements are subject to manager approval and ongoing review, based on the operational requirements of the role, the team, and the individual. 

Reporting To 

Reporting to the Environmental Consenting Team Lead within the Planning and Environment Group which is part of the Engineering and Major Projects (EMP) business unit.