Job Description

Overview:
Role Title: Principal Consultant - Energy and Industrial Decarbonisation Policy
Location: London, Manchester, Madrid, Italy, Belgium (Brussels) - Hybrid
Job ID: 2025-3023
Ricardo is creating a world fit for the future
Ricardo Energy & Environment is a leading sustainability consultancy combining energy, climate change, environmental and economic expertise. We work in partnership with governments, industry and multilateral institutions to shape and deliver ambitious energy transition policies. Our teams help decarbonise complex sectors, from heavy industry and power to transport and buildings, combining cutting-edge regulatory analysis with strong technical insight.
We are one of Europe's leading consultancies supporting the UK Government, the European Commission, overseas governments and multilateral development agencies in the development, implementation and appraisal of climate change policies affecting industry.
We are expanding our Policy, Strategy and Economics team and looking for a Principal Consultant with experience in energy regulation, power sector decarbonisation and industrial decarbonisation pathways, and energy markets. The ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in on or more of the following areas: gas or electricity market design, regulatory frameworks for hydrogen or CCS, carbon pricing or energy taxation, energy subsidies, infrastructure decommissioning or transition planning, evaluation of public support schemes or industrial roadmaps.
About the Role
Your work will involve project management, technical delivery, and business development activities, including competitive bidding, client and partner relationship management, and participation in promotional events. You will also be responsible for technical leadership and supporting the development of more junior staff within the practice.
You will work flexibly within Ricardo Energy & Environment's consultancy business, collaborating with specialists in fields such as renewables and heat supply, environmental policy, and transport policy. You will have a strong commercial awareness and energy and enthusiasm for growing the business in your technical area. Ideally, you will have experience in leading or working on proposals and projects for clients such as UK Government, the European Commission, overseas governments and multilateral development agencies in the development.
Key Responsibilities
The role is a high-level position with responsibility for:

• Monitoring market developments and shaping company business development activities to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
• Leading the delivery of large complex projects or tasks within such projects. Responsibility for client satisfaction, timely delivery, project financial management and high-quality outputs.
• Manage or contribute to the delivery of complex consultancy assignments for governments, development banks, international organisations and energy regulators
• Lead or support policy evaluations, regulatory assessments, market studies, stakeholder consultations or impact assessments;
• Guide junior staff, contribute to internal knowledge sharing, and maintain high quality standards across deliverables;
• Support business development, including proposal writing and client engagement;
• Build trusted relationships with clients and represent Ricardo in external meetings, workshops and events.

Key Competencies and Experience
Essential

• Educated to Master's level in economics, energy policy, engineering, physics, environmental studies, or a related discipline.
• Experience in energy consulting, regulatory analysis, or public sector advisory work.
• Experience leading business development and/or competitive bid writing in a consultancy environment is essential.
• Experience managing or working within projects for clients such as the European Commission, World Bank, GIZ, EBRD, Asian Development Bank, and UK Government is essential.
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas: gas or electricity market design, regulatory frameworks for hydrogen or CCS, carbon pricing or energy taxation, energy subsidies, infrastructure decommissioning or transition planning, evaluation of public support schemes or industrial roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of the technologies, economics and policy frameworks driving the energy transition, including in different power sector structures.
• Knowledge of EU energy and climate legislation and funding mechanisms.

Desirable

• Additional language skills (especially French, German or eastern European languages)
• Experience in leading stakeholder engagement, including interviews, workshops or public consultations.
• Familiarity with Better Regulation guidelines or policy impact assessment tools.
• It would be an advantage if you were to have specialist knowledge of one or more sub-areas relevant to this role, for instance:

• The cost structure of different energy technologies, including thermal generation, renewables and storage
• The value chains of different energy technologies (and the need for a just transition along the fossil fuel value chain)
• Fossil fuel subsidies and subsidy reforms
• Power purchase agreements and project financing
• Low or zero carbon incentive mechanisms (e.g. auctions, feed-in tariffs, contracts for difference, tax incentives, concessional financing and guarantees)
• Electrification of downstream sectors (including industry, residential and transportation), including the economics, challenges and policies to support the electrification process

Working here
You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.
Work life balance
We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.
Benefits
We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health.
Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.
Next steps
Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.
Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.
#LI-EP1 #LI-Hybrid

Skills Required