Consents and EIA Manager

About the Company

Extraordinary teams building inspiring projects: Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

About the Role

Join us for an extraordinary opportunity. Be part of a major aviation project in the Greater London area, that will redefine the future of air travel and delivery excellence. The Consents and EIA Manager will support the planning, coordination, and delivery of all statutory consents and approvals required for the airport expansion under the Development Consent Order (DCO) regime. The role spans pre-application strategy, examination leadership, and post-decision requirements discharge, ensuring all consents are robust, deliverable, and fully aligned with the wider programme. Reporting to the Senior Consents and EIA Manager and to the Project Manager, the role manages the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Planning consultants.

Responsibilities

• Strategy, Planning & Governance
• Maintain the Consents Strategy, covering the DCO and all secondary consents (e.g. environmental permits, highways approvals, flood risk activity permits, s.61 consents, and protective provisions).
• Maintain the Master Consents Register, the integrated consents schedule, and the associated risk register.
• Drive programme-wide alignment on consents pathways, evidence requirements, and critical-path items.

• DCO Lifecycle Management
• Pre-Application: Support statutory consultation, oversee Statements of Common Ground, and lead engagement with the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), regulators, local authorities, and stakeholders.
• Examination: Manage responses to the Examining Authority’s Questions (ExQs), hearings, and action trackers to ensure submissions are coherent, timely, and evidence-based.
• Post-Decision: Implement and manage the requirements-discharge framework, ensuring consents and conditions are satisfied prior to works commencing.

• Management of EIA Consultants
• Coordinate, and quality-manage all EIA consultant teams on behalf of Bechtel and the customer, ensuring delivery of a legally robust, well-structured Environmental Statement (ES) and supporting environmental assessments.
• Set scopes of work, manage schedules and budgets, and ensure EIA outputs integrate with the design, engineering, and planning workstreams.
• Chair review meetings, track progress, manage risks, and maintain consistency in environmental reporting across all technical chapters.
• Oversee the quality of EIA evidence used in stakeholder engagement, pre-application submissions, and Examination responses.

• Stakeholder & Authority Engagement
• Support negotiations on protective provisions, side agreements, and technical approval processes.
• Ensure clear and effective communication channels across the project, including with community engagement teams.

• Reporting & Evidence Management
• Produce and maintain a consents look-ahead, quarterly updates, and governance reports.
• Ensure all consents deliverables, approvals, and evidence are stored and controlled in accordance with programme requirements.

Qualifications

• Degree in planning, environmental management or science, engineering, or a related discipline.
• Proven track record delivering permits and consents, ideally on complex transport or aviation projects.
• Strong understanding of the Planning Act 2008, the EIA and HRA Regulations, and secondary consents.
• Demonstrated experience managing environmental consultants, technical assessments, and environmental evidence bases.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage complex schedules, risks, and reporting frameworks.

Required Skills

• Experience of DCO / NSIP submissions and the Examination process or Hybrid Bill Process.
• Familiarity with Examining Authority procedures, requirements discharge, and protective provisions.
• Chartered status (CEnv, MRTPI, or equivalent), or actively working towards it.
• Highly organised and detail-oriented, with strong written and verbal communication.
• Confident leading multi-disciplinary teams and external consultants.
• Comfortable working to structured processes, deadlines, and quality expectations.
• Collaborative, proactive, and outcomes focused.