Environment & Sustainability Specialist

Environmental & Sustainability Specialist

Climate17 | South Coast, UK | Home-based initially

About the opportunity

Climate17 is working with a specialist international infrastructure organisation to recruit an Environmental & Sustainability Specialist to support the delivery of projects across sub-Saharan Africa and other international markets.

Working across the full project lifecycle, from early-stage planning and site selection through to design, construction and project completion, this is an opportunity to contribute to infrastructure projects that deliver essential social services, including healthcare, housing, education, agriculture and water.

You will join an established Environmental and Social Management function, working closely with senior leadership, project teams, funding institutions and local regulatory bodies to ensure projects meet relevant environmental and social requirements and international standards.

Reporting to the Director of Sustainability & ESG, you will help strengthen environmental and social performance across both individual projects and the wider business. This role would suit an environmental professional with strong technical and report-writing skills, an interest in international infrastructure and the confidence to work across different regulatory and cultural environments.

Key responsibilities

• Research environmental and social requirements across new jurisdictions, providing recommendations to support project delivery and wider business activities.
• Prepare accurate, high-quality environmental and social documentation for funding institutions and local regulators.
• Support the development and costing of environmental and social management activities during tender and bid processes.
• Contribute environmental and social expertise to project design and site selection, including site walkovers, assessments and surveys.
• Support the implementation of project-specific environmental and social management plans through site audits, reviews, data collection and reporting.
• Prepare internal reports and provide technical input to project teams, senior management and the Board.
• Monitor emerging legislation, technologies, certification schemes, funding opportunities and wider developments in environmental and social management.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of environmental and social systems, processes and business strategy.
• Manage competing priorities and deliver work to agreed budgets, deadlines and quality standards.

About you

You will bring a strong environmental consultancy background, sound technical knowledge and the ability to communicate complex information clearly.

Essential experience and qualifications:

• Five to eight years of post-graduate experience in a recognised environmental consultancy role.
• A relevant undergraduate degree.
• A demonstrable understanding of environmental and social impact assessment and infrastructure development, ideally involving international projects.
• Knowledge of international environmental compliance standards.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills, alongside excellent technical writing and report-writing capabilities.
• Graduate membership of a relevant professional body, such as IEMA, CIWEM or an equivalent organisation, with active progression towards Chartered Environmentalist status.
• A collaborative, open-minded approach and the ability to work effectively with people from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds.
• A curious and proactive mindset, with an interest in emerging environmental and social developments.
• A full, valid UK driving licence and the flexibility to travel within the UK and internationally, sometimes at short notice.

Desirable experience

• Experience working in sub-Saharan Africa or other international markets.
• Experience in infrastructure design, construction or operations.
• The ability to work independently and adapt quickly to unfamiliar environments.
• Strong IT skills, workload management and organisational capabilities.
• An understanding of sustainability issues across business, government and infrastructure.

Location and working arrangements

The role will initially be home-based, with a preference for candidates based on the South Coast of England. The organisation anticipates moving to an office in the Southampton area in the future.

International travel will be required as part of the role.

Why consider this opportunity?

This is an opportunity to apply your environmental expertise to meaningful international infrastructure projects, working across different jurisdictions and throughout the project lifecycle. You will have the scope to influence environmental and social performance, contribute to business strategy and continue developing your technical expertise in a varied, internationally focused role.

Interested?

To find out more about this opportunity, or to apply confidentially, please contact:

Katie Pereira
Associate Director | Climate17

? katie@climate17.com