Lead Marine Consents Officer

birmingham, england, United Kingdom

Our client are a renowned energy company operating in the UK and US. They are in an excellent position and looking for experienced candidates to manage an expert marine consents service to the clients business to ensure that project marine consents are delivered economically in accordance with current legislation, regulations, guidance and that our clients reputation continues to be enhanced.

Responsibilities

Take the lead in gaining marine consents for multiple complex multi-site construction projects by leading and managing the delivery of project marine consents related activities through the consistent implementation of best practice, process and guidance, including effective engagement with all relevant internal stakeholders, external marine stakeholders and local communities.

Lead the process of challenging, advising and guiding project teams in relation to the design and development of projects, ensuring the implementation of effective project consents strategies and programmes to ensure that all marine consents related costs and risks are captured and managed and that the reputational impacts of making changes are fully considered.

Responsible for ensuring that project resource requirements are identified, procured and sufficiently embedded within the project team ahead of need, and that these resources are coached and mentored to perform effectively in relation to the delivery of marine consents related activities

Lead, co-ordinate and organise the marine consents and marine EIA team resources to support timely, efficient and effective delivery of all project consents.

Lead the proactive management of external supplier resourcing and finances, providing financial information to the Project Managers, ensuring timely reporting of agreed business metrics, ensuring value for money and appropriate challenge into the project teams to deliver this.

Give evidence as a marine expert witness at hearings, planning committees, public inquiries etc. and coach and mentor other team members about to give evidence.

Ensure that all marine consents reports and documents required in support of marine consent applications are prepared to an appropriate standard within required project timescales.

Develop, lead and manage engagement strategies for strategic stakeholder relationships acting as the key interface with key marine external stakeholders (MMO/TCE/NE/JNCC/HE/MCA)/internal teams/persons on marine consenting matters.

Ensure that all project specific good practice and lessons learnt are effectively identified, properly recorded and relayed to other teams for the purposes of marine consenting process improvement and formulation of positions and guidance to Marine Consents Officers and wider business conducive to obtaining project marine consents and undertaking marine stakeholder engagement.

Oversee and challenge the activities of other members of the Consent team or other project members.

Line manage, provide advice and coaching and mentoring as necessary to more junior members of the consents team on marine consenting. Handle complex issues/cases whilst supporting junior colleagues to handle standard/routine issues.

Performance management and development of Marine Consents Officers, where appropriate.

Lead, manage and co-ordinate the development, delivery and communication of all necessary processes and procedures conducive to the effective delivery of marine aspects of project consents.

Collaborate with the consents centre of excellence and wider clients business to identify and develop marine consents guidance/best practice and strategic marine consenting opportunities;

Attend and represent our client at relevant industry working groups.

Knowledge, Experience and Technical Know How

Experience in the delivery of marine consents and marine EIA related activities in support of complex multi-site marine projects and to programme, cost and specification. These projects will often include significant, difficult, and often geographically dispersed or linked scopes of work

Experience in effectively leading and managing a substantive multi-disciplinary marine consents and marine EIA team comprising both internal and external resources, including specialists, to deliver marine consents, marine stakeholder engagement and marine EIA related activities

Excellent understanding of the marine consents, marine stakeholder management and marine EIA disciplines, and the relationships between them

Strong Project Management skills, specifically in relation to time, cost (forecast and actuals), scope, procurement and managing marine consents and marine EIA resources.

Excellent communication and presentational skills, with experience in presenting complex and contentious information to large and/or challenging external marine audiences.

Ability to work collaboratively across the wider clients business representing the marine consents discipline, at the most senior levels, to support and achieve project delivery

Ability to engage proactively, effectively and productively with marine stakeholders, internally and externally up to the most senior of levels

Financial Control - Experience Required

Finance and cost control management experience on complex, high value projects

Experience in change control on target cost and lump sum construction contracts.

Experience in contracting strategies and procurement seeing contracts through the end to end project life cycle.

Drawing on analysis and highlight reports from the commercial teams to make decisions for financial control

Education

Relevant degree (Marine Biology; Marine environmental Consultancy; Town and Country Planning; Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental Sciences, or equivalent)

Demonstrable experience in marine consenting