Consultant, Flood Risk

ERM is the world’s largest specialist sustainability consultancy, with over 50 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex environmental, social, and governance challenges. We bring together a global community of experts to deliver meaningful impact for our clients and the planet.

Our Consulting Delivery Hub (CDH) in India is a critical part of ERM’s global consulting model enabling scalable, high-quality delivery across regions and service lines. CDH teams work in close partnership with regional consultants to support global client projects, providing specialist expertise, driving consistency, and enhancing delivery efficiency across our most important programmes.

As part of the Consulting Delivery Hub, you will collaborate with colleagues worldwide, contribute to complex sustainability projects, and play a key role in shaping the future of global consulting delivery.

Why this role matters?

As a Flood Risk Consultant, you will support ERM's global flood risk and water management practice by delivering high-quality Flood Risk Assessments (FRAs), drainage strategies, and hydraulic modelling solutions for infrastructure, energy, and development projects. Working closely with ERM consultants, technical specialists, regulatory authorities, and clients across multiple regions, you will help identify and manage flood-related risks, support planning and environmental approvals, and contribute to resilient, sustainable project design. This role plays a key part in enabling scalable global delivery by providing technically robust assessments, maintaining regulatory compliance, and ensuring projects are delivered efficiently and to the highest quality standards.

What your impact is?

• Deliver high-quality Flood Risk Assessments and drainage strategies that support successful planning applications, environmental approvals, and informed decision-making for clients.

• Apply hydrological and hydraulic modelling expertise to identify flood risks, evaluate mitigation measures, and improve the resilience of infrastructure and development projects.

• Produce technically accurate, regulator-ready deliverables that comply with UK and Irish flood risk policies, planning requirements, and industry best practices.

• Support the integration of flood risk, drainage, and water management considerations into Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and wider sustainability projects.

• Collaborate with global ERM teams, regulators, and client stakeholders to resolve technical challenges, maintain project schedules, and achieve successful project outcomes.

• Contribute to technical excellence through quality reviews, knowledge sharing, mentoring of junior team members, and continuous improvement of flood risk assessment methodologies and delivery processes.

What will you bring?

• Degree in hydrology, or related discipline.

• Proven experience delivering FRAs for projects including excellent report writing skills.

• Proven experience undertaking peak flow analysis for UK sites using the appropriate UK methodologies (FEH statistical, FEH-RR and/or ReFH2.4).

• Proven experience in hydraulic modelling (e.g. ESRI-TUFLOW / Flood Modeller / HEC-RAS) and drainage system modelling (e.g. InfoWorks ICM).

• Proven experience delivering sustainable drainage system (SuDS) designs (both outline and detailed) for projects.

• Strong knowledge of UK wide (Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and Irish flood risk and SuDS related planning policy, regulatory requirements, and local authority requirements.

• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills.

• Experience technically reviewing others work.

• Experience writing FRA proposals.

• Skilled in using GIS platforms (ArcGIS, QGIS) for spatial analysis.

Preferred qualifications, skills & competencies

• Data analysis tools (Excel, Python/R for environmental datasets).

• Collaboration tools (MS Office Suite, SharePoint).

• Experience using automation or AI-enabled tools.

• Relevant certifications or advanced qualifications.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver FRAs for major infrastructure and development projects, ensuring compliance with planning policy and regulatory requirements.

• Develop outline drainage strategies and designs, including SuDS and preliminary hydraulic calculations.

• Provide technical input to EIAs and planning submissions, integrating flood risk and drainage considerations.

• Manage data collection, peak flow estimation including climate change allowances, hydraulic modelling, interpretation of flood mapping, and recommendations.

• Liaise with regulators (Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Environment Agency, Natural Resource Wales, Lead Local Flood Authorities etc) and clients to ensure FRAs meet regulatory requirements.

• Mentor junior team members and contribute to technical quality assurance.