Environmental consultancy, planning and regulation
Environmental consultants, planners and regulators help organisations understand, manage and reduce their environmental impacts while meeting legal and regulatory requirements. Working across areas such as development, infrastructure, energy, water and conservation, they provide advice on issues including environmental impact assessment (EIA), biodiversity, land use, pollution control and sustainability.
Many roles work closely with specialists in Nature, Conservation and Land Management, helping to protect habitats, support nature recovery and ensure that development is balanced with environmental and community priorities.
Environmental consultancy is one of the largest areas of graduate recruitment in the sector and operates in both specialist firms and within large interdisciplinary engineering.
Graduate roles can provide a pathway towards professional registration, such as Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), helping you demonstrate your expertise and commitment to sustainable environmental practice as your career develops.
Explore job roles
Environmental consultancies employ specialists from many of the areas featured elsewhere in this section, including ecology, conservation, GIS, hydrology and earth science, and sustainability. Environmental consultants usually specialise in a specific area and the profile below provides an excellent overview.
Use the job profiles below to find out about, skills, entry routes and experience
- Environmental consultant Prospects profile
- Environment engineer Prospects profile
- Environmental auditor Prospects profile
- Environmental impact assessor (EIA) Green Careers Hub profile
- Contaminated land consultant The Geological Society (see also geology section – need to review video in case too basic)
Tip: Use the information about skills in the profiles to help you build a tailored CV.
Building skills and experience
Specialist roles in consultancy (e.g. EIA, ecological surveying, data modelling) often require a relevant degree gained at undergraduate or postgraduate level, but you can supplement your study with volunteering and work experience to evidence your knowledge of and commitment to environmental work and to build practical skills. This can also make you stand out for competitive graduate trainee roles.
Gain relevant experience and skills while you study
Use the job profiles above to check which skills are normally needed for the roles you are interested in.
- Use our transferable skills pages to explore ways to gain the top skills employers are looking for
- Students - University Living Lab Affect change for sustainable development through your University assessment!
- The Environmental Sustainability Team at the university has a brilliant list of suggestions, including becoming an environmental rep for your hall and engaging with sustainability via the Student Union. Environmental Sustainability advocates in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health.
- Explore opportunities on the Volunteer Hub - previous opportunities included facilitating climate change workshops in schools.
- Discover sustainability initiatives, which will also contribute towards the Stellify Award and the UCIL unit ‘Leadership in Action’. UCIL also offers ‘Creating a Sustainable World: 21st Century Challenges and the SDGs’. (SDGs are the UN's Sustainable Development Goals)
- Look for summer internships and seasonal ecological surveying jobs if you are interested in consultancy. Find them on CareerConnect and sites like environmentjob, but also consider approaching consultancies speculatively. Entry-level jobs in this sector are not always widely advertised, so going direct to relevant organisations is a good tactic.
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You may be able to gain experience through local authority, wildlife and river trusts, the Environment Agency or wildlife partnership projects, helping with activities such as species surveys, water quality monitoring, habitat assessments or community environmental engagement. E.g. Citizen Science (Environment Agency), volunteering with Wildlife Trusts. The JNNC website has details of various biodiversity monitoring projects across the UK (JNCC is the public body that advises the UK Government and devolved governments on UK-wide and international nature conservation).
- Check out professional bodies and societies for careers information pages and sector news. Some have reduced memberships for students and additional careers resources for members. E.g. Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals Student Membership, Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management Early Careers Network.
Finding and applying for jobs
Large environmental consultancies often recruit through graduate programmes with set application periods, while many other roles are advertised throughout the year as vacancies arise. To maximise your chances, target organisations that interest you, keep an eye on their vacancies and consider making speculative applications where appropriate.
Tip: Look for Manchester graduates on LinkedIn working in roles and companies that interest you, are there common job titles at entry level? Follow companies on LinkedIn and other social media to find out when they are recruiting.
Find vacancies
- CareerConnect
- TargetJobs
- Environmentjob
- CIWEM
Further resources
- Society for the Environment Professional body
- Green Careers Hub Careers platform from the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals
Next steps
When planning your next steps you may have additional questions or want to explore certain aspects in more detail:
- Equality, diversity and your future career Explore diversity in the workplace and the support available to you.
- Careers meetings To help with planning your career, making decisions and exploring options.
