Senior Consents Consultant

• Typically seven or more years’ experience in consents or planning roles across major infrastructure projects
• Significant experience delivering DCO or equivalent statutory consenting requirements.
• Experience operating within NEC or comparable contractual frameworks.
• Experience working in matrixed, multi-disciplinary environments
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex decision-making across multiple stakeholders.

Qualifications & Professional Membership

• Degree qualified in Town Planning, Environmental Management, Infrastructure Planning, Engineering, Archaeology, Construction Management, Law or related discipline. 
• Evidence of continual professional development. 
• Full membership (or working towards chartered status) with a recognised professional institution (RTPI, IEMA, RICS, CIWEM or similar).

To lead and assure consents management activities across complex, multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects, ensuring compliance with DCO and statutory obligations, managing risk, and supporting programme-level governance. The role operates with a high degree of independence and provides leadership, assurance and technical oversight across consents and commitments delivery.

This role is a pipeline vacancy to support new projects which will be commencing shortly.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Consents Leadership

• Lead the coordination and delivery of consents and commitments across defined programme areas.
• Provide technical advice to Programme and Project Teams on DCO compliance and statutory requirements.
• Assure Delivery Partner consents management using a risk-based approach.
• Lead development and maintenance of Commitments Registers and Registers of Requirements.
• Support certification, discharge of requirements and post-DCO compliance activities.

Change & Compliance Management

• Support change control processes to ensure DCO baseline integrity. 
• Monitor cumulative effects and compliance risks across the programme. 
• Identify potential changes in scope affecting time, cost or compliance and escalate appropriately. 
• Manage project compliance to key legislation independently.

Programme Governance & Assurance

• Support or lead audit and assurance activities relating to consents compliance. 
• Ensure IMS and governance standards are embedded and complied with across teams. 
• Proactively identify risks, opportunities and control mechanisms. 
• Support reporting to senior stakeholders highlighting risk and progress

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead small to medium consents teams delivering medium-to-high complexity outputs. 
• Allocate work, supervise outputs and ensure quality control. 
• Mentor junior consultants and support their professional development. 
• Facilitate technical engagement between internal teams and external stakeholders. 
• Chair meetings and lead presentations confidently.

Commercial & Programme Awareness

• Prepare and review consulting estimates as part of tendering processes. 
• Support project finance and schedule management activities. 
• Ensure risks, programme and cost considerations are integrated into decision-making.