Environmental Specialist

Do you want to help power your career and be part of an evolving energy industry?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Environmental Specialist to join our Regional Operations team.

Northern Powergrid, as the company responsible for powering everyday life for 8 million customers across 3.9 million homes and businesses in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, is at the forefront of delivering a power network that meets the region's needs now and in the future.

Role responsible for waste management activities, including hazardous waste, ISO 14001 compliance, and providing expert advice on environmental legislation. The role includes ownership of environmental non conformance incidents through to resolution and liaison with the Environment Agency.

Along with a competitive salary of up to £45,000 - £55,000 (depending on experience) we also offer great benefits such as;

• Enrolment into our pension scheme with a generous company contribution
• 25 days holiday rising with length of service
• Personal Transport Provision
• Up to 10% Bonus

We're excited to hear from candidates with a passion for our company and the energy industry and a desire to succeed.

Key Responsibilities

• Competence Management: Administer, maintain, and own the Environmental Competence Management System standard, ensuring it remains current, effective, and aligned to operational requirements.
• Waste Management: Lead on waste management activities, including hazardous waste, EA waste returns, and identify opportunities to reduce waste generation through improved practices and process improvements.
• ISO 14001 Compliance: Act as the subject matter expert and system owner for ISO 14001, ensuring ongoing compliance, continuous improvement, and effective integration into operational activities.
• Digital Waste Tracking: Own and manage the implementation, operation, and continuous optimisation of the digital waste tracking system, ensuring accurate reporting and regulatory compliance.
• Legal Compliance (WM3): Maintain detailed knowledge of WM3 and ensure legal compliance with waste management legislation, advising the business on changes and implications.
• Circular Economy: Support and promote circular economy principles, embedding sustainable resource use and recovery practices across operational activities where appropriate.
• Supply Chain Support: Provide pivotal environmental support to Operational Contract Managers, ensuring environmental requirements and performance measures are effectively applied across the supply chain.
• Policy and Decision Support: Contribute to the development and ongoing review of environmental policies and provide informed input to environmental decision‑making at an operational and strategic level.
• Environmental Action Plans: Support the business in delivering Environmental Action Plan commitments and providing guidance to ensure deliverables are achieved.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify, promote, and support continuous improvement initiatives and best practice in environmental management across the business.
• Incident Management: Act as the subject matter expert for operational environmental incidents, leading investigations from identification through to resolution, including root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Contract Management: Manage contracts with specialist third‑party environmental providers, ensuring performance, compliance, and value for money.
• Environmental Awareness Training: Own, develop, and implement Environmental Awareness Training to ensure competence and compliance across operational teams.
• Auditing: Plan and complete internal and external environmental site audits, supporting compliance assurance and continual improvement.
• Executive Reporting: Contribute to executive‑level environmental reporting, providing clear, accurate, and timely information on performance, risks, and improvement actions.

Key Competencies

• Comprehensive knowledge of environmental legislation and a clear understanding of how regulatory requirements apply within the utilities industry.
• In depth knowledge of waste management, including hazardous waste and practical waste reduction techniques
• Detailed working knowledge of ISO 14001, including implementation, compliance, and continual improvement requirements.
• Strong understanding of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with strong IT literacy and the ability to analyse, interpret, and report environmental data

Qualifications and Attributes

Essential Qualifications: - evidence must be provided

• Minimum of five years' experience in a similar environmental role within an operational or regulated environment.
• Degree qualified, preferably in Environmental Management or a related discipline (other relevant disciplines will be considered), and a qualified ISO9001 or ISO14001 auditor.

Essential Experience:

• Minimum of five years' experience in a similar environmental role within an operational or regulated environment.
• Experience applying ISO 14001 environmental management system requirements, including legal compliance evaluation, operational controls, and continual improvement.
• Proven ability to audit sites against ISO 14001, environmental permits, and internal environmental policies.
• Experience supporting environmental tendering and contract management, ensuring suppliers meet environmental obligations.
• Strong capability in analysing and presenting environmental performance data, including trends, KPIs, and compliance metrics, to support reporting and decision making.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IEMA, CIWEM or equivalent), with chartered status desirable.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience in developing and managing information gathering and stakeholder consultation processes.
• Working knowledge of distribution network assets, including transformers, switchgear, and fluid filled cables.
• Experience using enhanced data analysis and reporting tools, such as Power BI.

Posted: 28/09/2026

Closing Date: 11/10/2026

In order to comply with our electricity distribution license, we have to ensure our colleagues are fit and proper to visit and enter our customers premises. Consequently, as this role may involve visiting and entering our customers premises, please be aware that the successful candidate will be subject to a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Please confirm in our application if you are content for this check to be completed.

Applicants are considered on the basis of their suitability for the post irrespective of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, race, age or disability, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.