About the role
ORS’s Environmental team delivers high-quality, science-led solutions that help clients navigate complex environmental and regulatory challenges across Ireland.
ORS is seeking an experienced Senior Geo-Environmental Scientist to join our Environmental Department in a strategically critical role. We are seeking an accomplished geo-environmental or hydrogeology professional who brings deep technical expertise, strong project and client leadership credentials, and the ambition to step into a future-focused leadership role.
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping the direction of the Environmental team, leading high-value, complex projects, mentoring the next generation of specialists. You will be working closely with senior management on strategy, capability development, and client growth.
This role will evolve into a key leadership position within the consultancy , and will suit an ambitious and enthusiastic individual.
Technical & Project Leadership
- Provide senior technical leadership across geo-environmental, hydrogeological, contaminated land, and water-related projects, ensuring robust, defensible, and proportionate solutions.
- Lead complex site-specific risk assessments, groundwater investigations, abstraction studies, and remediation strategies for brownfield and development sites.
- Take overall responsibility for the technical quality, programme delivery, resourcing, and financial performance of assigned projects.
Oversee and contribute to high-quality technical reports, interpretative assessments, modelling outputs, and regulatory submissions.
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Groundwater & Environmental Assessment
- Lead and oversee groundwater abstraction feasibility studies, including desk studies, conceptual site models, and demand assessments.
- Specify, coordinate, and supervise field investigations, including reconnaissance, trial wells, pumping tests, and water quality sampling.
- Interpret pumping test data for confined and unconfined aquifer systems and assess yield, sustainability, and environmental impact.
- Support abstraction licence applications and environmental compliance documentation.
Apply a strong understanding of Irish and EU environmental legislation, EIA processes, and regulatory frameworks.
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Leadership, Mentorship & Strategic Growth
- Act as a senior mentor within the Environmental team, supporting and developing junior and mid-level staff through coaching, technical guidance, and quality assurance.
- Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams (ecologists, engineers, planners) to deliver integrated environmental solutions.
- Engage confidently with clients, regulators, and stakeholders, building trusted relationships and supporting repeat business.
- Contribute to the strategic development of the Environmental team, including service line growth, technical innovation, and best practice.
Progressively assume greater leadership responsibility, with structured support and visibility at senior management level.
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Essential Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences, Geology, Environmental Science, Geochemistry, or a related discipline.
- A degree or postgraduate qualification in Hydrogeology is desirable but not essential.
- Significant professional experience in a senior technical and project leadership role within environmental consultancy or a related sector.
- Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects, budgets, programmes, and multidisciplinary teams.
- Strong experience in groundwater investigations, contaminated land assessment, and geo-environmental risk assessment.
- Practical experience with data analysis, conceptual modelling, and interpretation of groundwater and environmental datasets.
- Familiarity with GIS software (e.g. ArcGIS, QGIS) and relevant modelling tools.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information clearly and authoritatively.
Strong leadership mindset, commercial awareness, and a commitment to technical excellence and professional integrity.
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What We Can Offer You
Being part of ORS means more than just a job, it means joining a company that invests in you and your ambitions with transparency, structure and support.
We are delighted to offer a suite of benefits when you join ORS, which include:
- Performance-related bonus
- Pension scheme with matching contributions
- Remote-first hybrid model – use your home as a base and any of our office locations as you see fit
- Access to over 60 health disciplines through our Kara Connect Platform
- Continuous Professional development (CPD) programme & funding
- Paid maternity, paternity and fertility leave
- Company and birthday annual leave days
- Tax saver - travel and bike to work
- Culture, social, wellness and CPD committees
- Talent Development Programmes
Access to leading career coach Gerry Duffy
About ORS
ORS is a world-class multidisciplinary building consultancy with more than 30 years of delivering technical excellence across the built environment. Our mission is simple but powerful: We endeavour to make the lives of our team, clients, partners and communities happier and better in the ways that really matter every single day.
Don’t just take our word for it! ORS has won numerous awards, recognising our Great Place to Work culture.
- Winner of the Engineering Consultancy of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2025
- Winner of the Graduate Programme of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2025
- Winner of the Best Company to Work For at the Irish Design & Build Awards 2024 & 2025
- Winner of the Best People Development of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2024
- Winner of the Recruitment & Retention Strategy at the Workplace Excellence Awards 2024
- Great Place to Work certified consecutively since 2017
- Top 3 Company Best Workplaces in the medium-sized category at the Great Place to Work awards 2025
- Best Workplaces for Health & Wellbeing 2025 Great Place to Work
- Engineers Ireland CPD Accreditation since 20217
- Awarded for Hybrid Way of Working at the 2022 Great Place to Work Awards
Silver Accreditation through Investors in Diversity 2025
ORS is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company culture. We foster a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects and supports their individual strengths and experiences.
