At Sweco, we are committed to creating a sustainable future through our core behaviours, effective collaboration and innovative solutions risk management in engineering, architecture, and environmental consultancy. Our Environmental and Sustainability (E&S) team plays a crucial role in delivering high-quality environmental planning and wider sustainability services that support our clients’ projects while protecting and enhancing the environment.
Sweco have a wide range of inhouse technical environmental teams and designers who collaborate on a wide variety of projects and sectors. At Sweco, every team and consultant is empowered to ensure their expertise makes a difference by understanding the client’s business and needs. We want to be our clients’ most relevant partner, and we aim to solve any challenge, no matter scale or location.
Position overview
This is a unique opportunity with two key functional roles. We are seeking a graduate level consultant to deliver both environmental and sustainability projects and the company ISO14001 certified environmental management system (EMS). Your time will be split evenly between the following roles.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
You will work closely with Sweco’s Environment Manager who is based at the Leeds Head Office. The Environment Manager is a member of the E&S Team and also divides their time evenly between the EMS and environmental planning roles.
This role involves working cross-functionally in the UK and Ireland business to develop and implement systems and processes that deliver Sweco’s environmental and climate goals and targets, while improving internal efficiency and ensuring the management and mitigation of environmental risk in both company operations and project delivery.
You will help ensure the company is maintaining compliance with current, relevant environmental legislation and the requirements of our ISO 14001:2015 certification, while helping Sweco stay up to date with forthcoming changes to legislation so that we meet new requirements from day one.
Key responsibilities
- Support the Environment Manager with day-to-day management and delivery of the EMS, including but not limited to coordination of environmental compliance records and the document register, conducting internal audits, reviewing and updating company environmental documents.
- Help to maintain the environmental legal register, horizon scanning and preparation of inputs for statutory and internal environmental reporting.
- Work closely with the health and safety and quality teams to deliver the common elements of the management systems such as the incidents reporting system, internal auditing and preparing for management reviews.
- Prepare internal communications and engagement e.g. campaigns and associated materials.
- Collaborate with Sweco’s Environmental Champion community e.g. support at meetings, coordinating activities and progress updates.
- Help prepare environmental management responses to PQQs, tenders and proposals.
- Provide environmental guidance to other colleagues to help them to comply with the EMS and minimise their environmental impact.
- Ensure communication with key teams across the business. Participating in team meetings.
Environmental planning
Our team currently has 15 passionate, open-minded, and experienced professionals across the UK offices. As a graduate environmental consultant, you would be joining our growing Environmental and Sustainability team to deliver complex and rewarding projects across a range of sectors, including energy, infrastructure and development. The role involves leading Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes, risk management, design input, coordinating interdisciplinary teams, and engaging with stakeholders to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and sustainable practices.
Key responsibilities
- Support business development activities to grow our team ‘s presence in environmental planning and sustainable services in strategic, growing UK sectors (e.g. energy, water and sustainability) and cross selling our multi-disciplinary services and undertaking regular liaison with clients.
- Support in liaison with clients, regulators and stakeholders to ensure successful delivery.
- Support the management of technical and commercial delivery of smaller scale projects and bids.
- Contribute to larger projects as part of wider project teams and work with the project design team to deliver an integrated design which meets the environmental objectives of the project.
- Assist in the provision of technical guidance, support and training to colleagues and assist, where practicable, in mentoring and development of others.
- Ensure communication with other parts of the EIA business in other offices. Participating in weekly E&S Team calls.
- Ensure adherence of output to EIA Regulations and current best practice.
Qualifications
- An undergraduate degree in environmental science/ management, EIA or another related subject Knowledge/ experience of UK environmental legislation and EIA processes.
- You may have a relevant Masters, although this is not essential.
- You may have experience with the following: Environmental Management Systems/ ISO 14001 and PowerBI reporting or other digital reporting skills. This is not essential, but developing digital sustainability skills is important within Sweco.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
- A proactive approach to problem-solving and a passion for sustainability.
What we offer
- Enrolment onto Sweco’s Graduate Scheme which will provide you with the opportunity to visit some of our UK offices, socialise with other Sweco Graduates and provide you with the soft skills to succeed within your role and the wider business.
- A supportive and collaborative work environment – Sweco’s ‘team of teams’ model provides a balanced combination of autonomy and technical support to deliver.
- Opportunities for professional development and career advancement
- The chance to work on exciting, meaningful projects that shape our sustainable future.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
If you are a motivated and experienced professional looking to make a difference in the field of environmental sustainability, we want to hear from you!
About us
Transforming society together, we're planning and designing sustainable communities and cities of the future.
Solving the great societal challenges of our time is more relevant, demanding and inspiring than ever before. At Sweco, we bring together experts with different perspectives and skills to develop solutions that address the challenges of urbanisation, harness the positive power of digitalisation and make societies more sustainable.
We offer our clients a combination of global expertise and local presence, adapted to their business and reality. Our ambition is to be our clients’ most relevant partner, working together to help them solve their challenges, today and into the future.
Sweco is committed to enabling all its colleagues to achieve a great balance between work and their other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, leisure activities, further learning or other interests. We offer flexible start and finish times, part time and hybrid working options so that you can flex your hours around your day to day needs.
Equality, diversity & inclusion
It’s important to us that that all our colleagues thrive at work - we strive to have a friendly and inclusive culture which respects the contribution individuals can bring to Sweco. We aim to promote equality, inclusivity and diversity for everyone.
Here at Sweco we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity.
We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer, and will interview applicants covered by the Equality Act 2010 that opt into the guaranteed interview scheme on the application form and meet the minimum criteria for the role.
If you’re an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, please contact GB_Function-HR-Resourcing@sweco.co.uk for assistance.
