Principal Consultant Water Assessments

APEM Ltd; Manchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - GBP 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental consultancy in the UK is seeking a Principal Consultant for Water Assessments, focused on delivering high-quality, evidence-based solutions across various environmental projects. In this role, you will coordinate multidisciplinary teams, manage environmental reporting, and mentor other professionals. Required qualifications include an MSc or PhD in Environmental Science and extensive consultancy experience. Strong understanding of environmental legislation is essential. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to pioneering initiatives in the sector.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Environmental Science (or related discipline) and extensive consultancy experience.
• Strong understanding of environmental legislation and water-related assessment frameworks (EIA, WFD, HRA).
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary projects and integrating technical inputs.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage multidisciplinary projects.
• Lead on environmental reporting and act as a key contact for clients.
• Mentor others and influence future growth across the division.

Skills

Environmental legislation knowledge

Project management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Client engagement

Education

MSc or PhD in Environmental Science

Tools

GIS software

Job description

Overview

About The Role

Are you an experienced environmental consultant with a passion for water and the natural environment? Do you enjoy bringing together specialists from across disciplines to deliver complex, high-impact projects? We’re looking for a Principal Consultant - Water Assessments to join our Environmental Appraisal team within APEM’s Water Management Division. This is a varied and collaborative role, ideal for someone who thrives on technical coordination and cross-team working. You’ll lead and integrate inputs across areas such as water quality, hydrology, hydromorphology, flood risk, groundwater and aquatic ecology to deliver high-quality assessments and evidence-based solutions.

This is a great time to join our growing Environmental Appraisal team. You’ll have the opportunity to work on a wide range of environmental and infrastructure projects across the UK - including some of the most pioneering initiatives in the sector, you may be aware of APEM's involvement for example with the Mersey Tidal Power project. Your work will directly contribute to protecting and enhancing the water environment while supporting responsible and sustainable development.

In this role, you’ll coordinate and manage multidisciplinary projects, lead on environmental reporting, and act as a key point of contact for clients. You’ll also have opportunities to mentor others, shape our approach to integrated water assessments and influence future growth across the division.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage multidisciplinary projects, lead on environmental reporting, and act as a key point of contact for clients.
• Lead on integrating inputs across water quality, hydrology, hydromorphology, flood risk, groundwater and aquatic ecology to deliver high-quality assessments and evidence-based solutions.
• Mentor others, shape our approach to integrated water assessments, and influence future growth across the division.

What we’re looking for / Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Environmental Science (or related discipline) and extensive consultancy experience
• Strong understanding of environmental legislation and water-related assessment frameworks (EIA, WFD, HRA)
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary projects and integrating technical inputs
• Excellent organizational, analytical and communication skills
• Strong client engagement and project management experience
• Proven ability to deliver projects to time, quality, and budget standards
• Commercial awareness and experience contributing to tenders and proposals

Nice to have

• Line management or mentoring experience
• Membership of a relevant professional body
• Experience with HRA assessments or GIS software
• A full UK driving licence

Next steps

We are focused on creating a diverse and inclusive team. If you can’t tick every box on our job description, then we are still keen to hear from you and are open to supporting your development. That may be working part time or supporting you to gain experience in a specific area – we are a growing company and are able to adapt roles to reflect individual skills.

If you think you have what it takes to join our fast-growing business, then please apply immediately on our website. All we need is some basic information and your CV, we will review all applications quickly and will respond to all applications.

About Us

At APEM, we balance technical excellence with flexibility and wellbeing. You’ll be part of a supportive, expert team that works across multiple disciplines and environments — from freshwater and estuarine systems to marine and terrestrial projects.

As part of theAPEM Group, and now withinApplus+, we’re continuing to expand into new markets and deliver some of the UK’s most exciting environmental consultancy work.