Are you an experienced survey operations manager with a strong understanding of the environmental sector? Do you enjoy bringing people, resources and operational planning together to make sure the right skills are available at the right time to deliver for clients? Are you looking for a senior role where you can shape workforce planning, operational governance and the future capability of a growing environmental business?
Our Ecosystems and Environmental Management Business Unit is growing, with increasing demand across freshwater, marine and terrestrial environmental services, as the world faces up to our changing climate. We’re looking for a Survey Operations Lead to ensure our environmental and ecological survey capability can keep pace with that growth, while maintaining high standards of safety, quality and delivery.
Success in this role means having a clear view of what work is coming, what capability we need and how we build or secure it. Working closely with the Operations Director, People team, Business Unit leadership and Talent Acquisition, you’ll own workforce planning and resource allocation for survey operations, ensuring we have the right people, with the right skills, at the right time. This will include balancing permanent, fixed-term and subcontractor capacity, improving utilisation and developing internal capability to reduce reliance on external resource.
You’ll also establish the frameworks and relationships that give the Business Unit real oversight of survey operations. You’ll drive consistent governance, competence and assurance, while working closely with technical teams who remain responsible for day-to-day delivery. The result will be a more predictable, productive and sustainable operation, with strong HSE performance and clear development pathways for our survey teams.
This is a role for someone who understands the environmental consultancy sector and the ecological environments we work in and can translate operational pressures into practical decisions. You’ll need the credibility to engage with technical specialists, challenge senior stakeholders and understand the constraints created by survey programmes, client commitments, skills availability and seasonal demand.
To be successful in this role, you’ll need:
- Significant survey operations leadership experience within environmental consultancy or professional services
- Proven experience in workforce planning and resource modelling, including permanent, fixed-term and subcontractor capacity
- Experience working with Talent Acquisition and People teams to deliver effective resourcing strategies
- Strong operational governance and assurance experience, including competence, licensing, audit and corrective action processes
- Demonstrable HSE leadership experience and knowledge of ISO 45001, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence and challenge without direct line authority
- A technical background in freshwater, marine or terrestrial ecosystems
- A strategic and data-driven approach, while remaining close enough to delivery to make standards practical and enforceable
Bonus points if you have:
- Experience developing learning, competency and career pathways
- An IOSH or equivalent health and safety qualification
- Membership of a relevant professional body or chartered status
At APEM, you’ll have the opportunity to shape how a growing environmental consultancy plans, develops and deploys its survey capability. Working across our EEM Business Unit, you’ll play a key role in turning growth plans into a workforce and operational model that can deliver them. All helping build the capability we need for the future while ensuring our people have the skills, support and opportunities to thrive.
If you’re looking for a senior operational role where workforce planning, environmental expertise and business growth come together, we’d love to hear from you.
Next steps
We are focused on creating a diverse and inclusive team. If you can’t tick every box on our job description, then we are still keen to hear from you and are open to supporting your development. That may be working part time or supporting you to gain experience in a specific area – we are a growing company and are able to adapt roles to reflect individual skills.
If you think you have what it takes to join our fast-growing business, then please apply immediately on our website. All we need some basic information and your CV, we will review all applications quickly and will respond to all applications.
The APEM Group is a global environmental consultancy, we work with a range of clients including large corporations and governments to help them understand and solve a wide variety of environmental projects in the UK and globally. Our successful pioneering work has enabled us to grow and combine forces with other businesses who share our ethos and integrity. At our core, our people are working towards the protection of the environment across the globe.
