Job Description
Principal Consultant –CCUS & Hydrogen Policy and Industrial Decarbonisation
Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world. Ricardo, member of WSP, is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading‑edge and innovative cross‑sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.
Role Title: Principal Consultant –CCUS & Hydrogen Policy and Industrial Decarbonisation
Location: London, Manchester, Madrid, Italy, Belgium (Brussels) – Hybrid
Job ID: 2025‑3023
You will act as a policy‑facing expert on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen, supporting the European Commission, Member States and international institutions in the design, assessment and implementation of industrial decarbonisation policies and regulatory frameworks.
The Role Centres On Analysis, Support And Evaluation Of
EU policy and legislation (e.g. Net‑Zero Industry Act, TEN‑E, ETS, State Aid)
Cross‑border CO₂ and hydrogen transport and storage regulation
Economic and financial assessment of public policy choices
Impact assessments and evaluation of EU‑funded interventions
Key Focus Areas
CCUS and CO₂ transport & storage
Regulatory frameworks
Cross‑border infrastructure
Liability
Access regimes
Cost recovery
Public support
Market creation
Hydrogen policy and markets
Regulatory design
Infrastructure planning
Certification
Public support schemes
Integration with industrial policy and energy markets
EU industrial decarbonisation policy
Net‑Zero Industry Act
Industrial roadmaps
EU funding instruments
State Aid
Market‑based mechanisms
Policy appraisal and decision‑support tools
Impact assessment
Cost‑benefit analysis
Multi‑criteria analysis
Evaluation methodologies supporting evidence‑based policymaking
Key Responsibilities
Leading or co‑leading EU‑level policy studies on CCS, hydrogen and industrial decarbonisation for the European Commission and international institutions
Designing and delivering policy impact assessments, including:
Cost‑benefit analysis (CBA)
Multi‑criteria analysis (MCA)
Economic and distributional impact assessment
Evaluation of public support schemes and regulatory options
Providing regulatory and economic analysis on:
CO₂ and hydrogen transport and storage (including cross‑border issues)
Financing models and public intervention logic
Engaging directly with EU institutions, Member State authorities and stakeholders through interviews, workshops and consultations
Contributing to business development in CCS, hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation and wider energy policy, including proposal leadership and technical input
Mentoring junior staff and ensuring high analytical and quality standards across deliverables
Key Competencies And Experience
A Master’s degree or PhD in economics, physics, energy policy, public policy, environmental economics, or a related discipline (engineering background only if combined with strong policy/economic expertise)
Demonstrated expertise in CCS and/or hydrogen from a policy and regulatory perspective
Proven experience working with EU institutions, in particular:
European Commission (DG ENER, CLIMA, GROW, MOVE, etc.)
EU agencies, Member State authorities or IFIs
Strong familiarity with EU legislative and policy frameworks, including:
Net‑Zero Industry Act, Clean industrial deal, Affordable energy package, Electricity Market Design reform, EU ETS and carbon pricing
State Aid and public funding instruments
TEN‑E and cross‑border infrastructure governance
Hands‑on experience applying policy appraisal tools, such as:
Impact assessment methodologies
Cost‑benefit (CBA)
Multi‑criteria analysis (MCA)
Evaluation frameworks aligned with Better Regulation principles
Strong experience in consultancy or policy advisory environments, including proposal writing, team leadership, project financial management and client management
Desirable Competencies And Experience
Experience with EU Better Regulation Guidelines and evaluation standards
Knowledge of industrial financing models, public support schemes and risk‑sharing mechanisms
Experience with stakeholder consultation and facilitation at EU or national level
Additional European languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish)
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.
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 of our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.
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.
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. 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.
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 recruit@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.
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