Senior Environmental Inspector

The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) is responsible for developing, administering and ensuring compliance with the environmental regulatory regime for the UKCS, in relation to offshore oil and gas exploration, production, decommissioning, gas unloading and storage, and carbon storage.

The Offshore Environmental Inspectorate (OEI) is a team within OPRED which works to protect the environment through implementation of the United Kingdom’s offshore environmental regulations.  To ensure continued high standards of environmental performance and protection we are looking for a suitably experienced and qualified person to join the Inspectorate Team. The team brings together individuals with varied but specific work experiences and skills in order that all environmental aspects associated with offshore oil and gas activities are competently monitored. 

Within the OPRED Regional Delivery Programmes (RDP) the OEI are responsible for developing, administering, and ensuring compliance with the environmental and decommissioning regulatory regime in relation to offshore oil and gas.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

• Providing strong leadership to a team of Offshore Environmental Inspectors within the Central North Sea RDP, including direct line management of specialist Inspectors. 

• Prioritising, developing, implementing work plans to ensure delivery of objectives and targets which contribute to the overall achievement of the DESNZ’s four priority outcomes (Climate Security, Energy Security, Economic Security, Consumer Security) and OPRED’s Strategic Goals. 
• Actively managing resources to deliver OEI core and priority activities as defined in the OEI Business plan using a risk-based approach coupled with a prioritisation programme.
• Assessing, defining, implementing and overseeing a prioritised inspection and investigation programme including the review of Environmental Inspector's findings to ensure consistency, proportionality and transparency.
  
• Carrying out offshore inspections and investigations.
• Assessing and planning OPRED / HSE joint inspections as part of the OMAR Competent Authority and in line with the existing Memorandum of Understanding.
• Responding to environmental incidents or regulatory non-compliance events linked to DESNZ's priority outcome on Energy Security including maintaining and participating in an effective 24/7 response capability and providing advice and support to the on call Environmental Inspector. 
  
• Liaising, negotiating and participating with various industry work groups, such as the Offshore Energy UK’s Oil Spill Response Forum, Environmental Forum and Emergency Preparedness Offshore Liaison Group to improve guidance, ensure learning and identified improvements are implemented into DESNZ and industry operational and response procedures.
• Providing advice and direction, in liaison with the Senior Investigations Officer, on investigations, and where necessary leading such investigations, into contraventions of environmental legislation and deciding on the appropriate enforcement action.
• Reviewing the regulatory processes for review, assessment, inspection and/or approval of submissions to OEI and to ensure competent assessment, approval and compliance within the regulations.
• Developing or approving new or amended policy, regulation, guidance or procedures.
• Providing expert advice for responses on oil and gas environmental issues to government, industry bodies and the general public.
• Actively develop and maintain effective liaison with assigned industry representatives, other Government departments and agencies as well as other non-governmental organisations on environmental issues.
• Deputising for the Grade 7 Technical leads in their absence.
• As the OEI Regional Lead for the Central North Sea (CNS) Region, the post holder will additionally be responsible for:
• Line management of environmental managers within the CNS region.
• Delivery of agreed operational and policy work priorities within the CNS region.
  
  Chairing regional team meetings and reporting on OEI operational delivery, risks, and issues within the region to OPRED senior management via the RDP governance structure.