Consents Officer

Consents Officers – Multiple Roles/Levels – Warwick (Hybrid)

National Gas is securing Britain’s energy. We transport gas throughout Great Britain, repair and maintain gas pipelines, and manage the meters that allow millions of homes and businesses to access the energy they need. We are the national gas network, providing secure energy to power Britain, achieve net zero, and maintain our industrial competitiveness.

Project Union is our flagship programme to facilitate a low-cost, secure, and reliable route to net zero, empowering a UK hydrogen economy by repurposing existing pipelines to create a hydrogen ‘backbone’ for the UK by the early 2030s. We are looking for curious and enthusiastic people to join us at this pivotal time in the project. You will collaborate with industry leaders, internally and externally, as we shape the next phase of this innovative project.

We are continuing to build our Consenting Teams and seeking experienced Planning and Environmental Specialists to work as Consents Officers to help obtain the permissions we need to deliver the energy transition. As a National Gas Consents Officer, you will help obtain the necessary planning permissions to make major gas infrastructure projects happen contributing to net zero.
 

Senior Consents Officer

As a Senior Consents Officer you will use your technical ability in planning, consenting and project management, to deliver a high quality economic consenting and environmental assessment service to secure the required consents for Project Union. You will play a lead role in managing the DCO process and associated workstreams for obtaining planning consents for projects. 

You will manage various technical environmental disciplines, including archaeology, ecology, landscape and visual, traffic and transport and others as required, including managing technical consultants as they produce environmental assessment reports, planning deliverables, consultation reports or other supporting consent applications documents.

You will engage with strategic stakeholders, acting as the key interface between external and internal teams. You will play a key part in consultation with the public. You will give evidence as an expert witness at DCO hearings and public inquiries, and coach and mentor Consent Officers to give evidence.

The ideal candidate will have an excellent in-depth knowledge of the UK planning system, as well as practical experience of delivering consents and related assessments on complex infrastructure schemes. You will have a proven track record of consenting Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, ideally with experience across all stages of the project lifecycle from option development through to onsite delivery. You will understand the differing challenges each project phase can bring and how to overcome them.

Strong skills in communication, stakeholder management, negotiation, contract and project management are essential to this role. The successful candidate will also be required to hold a valid UK driving license. 
 

Consents Officer

As a Consents Officer you will work alongside colleagues to obtain consents for your projects, enabling them to be developed and delivered to programme and cost, whilst maintaining or enhancing the reputation of National Gas. You will support other consenting experts for your projects and work with more senior consents officers and managers. You will support managing all the necessary environmental survey and assessment work across your projects. 

With the support of a Lead Consents Officer, you’ll provide guidance to Project Managers and Engineers on subjects such as consenting strategies and processes, consenting and environmental risks, and associated costs and timelines.  

You will support engagement effectively and professionally with external stakeholders.  You will be involved in public consultation.

You will support the management of technical consultants as they produce environmental assessment reports, planning deliverables, consultation reports or other supporting consent applications documents.

You will ideally have major project experience on DCO projects or other consents regimes and/or infrastructure planning or policy experience, alongside experience in the delivery of project consents and EIA related activities to programme, cost and specification.

Strong skills in communication, stakeholder management and project management are essential to this role. The successful candidate will also be required to hold a valid UK driving license. 
 

What we can offer you

•    A salary between £48,000 to £55,000 for Consents Officers, and £55,000 to £67,000 for Senior Consents Officers,

•    Annual bonus of 6% based on personal and company performance,
•    26 days’ holiday plus 8 statutory holidays – plus option to buy 5 additional days,
•    Double-match pension scheme - for every £1 you put in, we'll add £2 (max company contribution 12%),
•    Opt-In flexible benefit scheme, including salary sacrifice private healthcare, dental insurance, technology plans and more,
•    Financial protection with 10x salary death in service and financial support if you're unable to work due to long term illness or injury,
•    Excellent family friendly provisions - maternity/paternity/adoption/surrogacy/ shared parental leave,
•    Career progression, professional training and development,
•    Employee assistance programme offering free confidential professional counselling 24/7,
•    Financial support to cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions relevant to your role.
 
Other 'nice to knows':
•    Circa 40% travel working at UK-wide sites, the rest working from home 
•    Flexible working hours
•    Technical Training budget
•    Staying away allowance – breakfast, lunch and dinner 

About us

National Gas is securing Britain’s energy. Gas is an essential part of a secure energy supply in Britain, and will continue to play a vital role for decades to come. More than ever, we need the security that gas brings to keep the lights on, businesses running, and to protect jobs. National Gas provides that security.

National Gas is responsible for transporting gas to power stations, major industries, storage facilities, more than 500,000 businesses, and 23 million homes through nearly 5,000 miles of pipes across Britain.

National Gas is also proud to lead the way in transforming the energy network for a net zero future. Gas provides the energy security to support renewable electricity generation, and we are developing our infrastructure to transport hydrogen and carbon dioxide across the country. 

At National Gas, we are disability confident and we are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve. We celebrate the different experiences our colleagues bring to our organisation, and strongly encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply.