Number of jobs available: 1
Region: National
City/Town: Various
Grade: Staff Grade 5
Post Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time
Role Type: Operational Delivery
Salary Minimum: £37,462
Job description
This is an exciting opportunity to join the East Anglia Sustainable Abstraction Team which is currently delivering a project in Norfolk which is facing significant water pressures.
The Environment Agency (EA) is England’s environmental regulator, and it is our duty to ensure that water supplies are sustainable for the future. Following a recent Judicial Review, the EA were instructed by the Court to produce and deliver a plan to investigate and address the effects of abstraction on the Broads Special Area of Conservation.
We are recruiting two Water Resources Advisors, an Appeals Coordinator and the role this job advert refers to. This is a hybrid role, for which we are looking for someone with experience in hydrological analysis and abstraction licensing.
In this role you will be providing specialist hydrology, water resources and abstraction licensing expertise to support the implementation of sustainable abstraction proposals across unique environments and within designated European sites. Working closely with senior members of the project team and other departments, you will be responsible for the following:
- Responding to and providing water resource licensing support, advice and guidance to internal and external customers.
- Lead on providing hydrological analysis and advice to support licence changes and new abstraction proposals.
- Support the team to implement the Broads Sustainable Abstraction Plan including liaison with licence holders.
- Work alongside our National Permitting Service to co-ordinate, track and review all aspects of our licence change work.
Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You’ll be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.
The team
The East Anglia Sustainable Abstraction team are a friendly, dispersed, and dedicated team focussing on water resources and abstraction pressure. The team works collaboratively with national and area focussed internal teams, and with external partner organisations, to coordinate and deliver a programme of abstraction licence research and changes. We also provide specialist advice to abstraction licence holders and stakeholders.
For more info on working with us see https://environmentagencycareers.co.uk/
Experience/skills required
You’ll have relevant work experience in hydrology and water resources. You’ll play a critical role within the team, working on some challenging issues facing water resources and providing workable solutions.
We’d expect you to be able to demonstrate the following:
- Experience and knowledge of water resources and abstraction licensing.
- Good understanding and experience of hydrological concepts, analysis, and Environment Agency data recording methods (telemetry).
- Ability to analyse, interpret and visualise data to inform problem solving and decision making.
- Experience of handling and analysing large datasets.
- Good communication skills and the ability to present convincing verbal and written ideas at all levels.
- Ability to develop and maintain good relationships with internal and external customers.
- Being proactive, self-motivated and have strong team working skills to deliver the best outcomes for the environment.
A degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant environmental discipline would be beneficial.
Contact and additional information
In East Anglia we want to create a diverse workplace where people are respected, valued and listened to. We’re all different, and by embracing Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) we can become an equal opportunity employer where jointly we all grow and learn together.
It is our ambition to champion diversity through building a workforce as diverse as the communities we serve.
We offer a fantastic benefits package detailed in the candidate pack.
For further information on this role, please contact Matt Vale, Sustainable Abstraction Team Manager: matt.vale@environment-agency.gov.uk
Whilst this project is currently focussed on East Anglia and proximity to the Area would be preferable, the location is flexible as the role is project based and the geographical area may change in the future.
Job description attachment 1
Job Profile – 26724.pdf – 180KB
Candidate pack
Candidate Pack – 26724.docx – 1867KB
Converted File Candidate Pack – 26724.docx.pdf – 513KB
Closing Date: 19/06/2023, 23:55 hours
Level of security checks required: Basic Check
Competence 1: Strategic Environment Planning
Description
Please note we do not assess CVs. Answers to these competency questions will be used for interview selection so ensure you draw out your skills and experience in your responses. You have up to 250 words so please do use them to tell us what we need to know about you. See Candidate pack for more details and a link to our capability dictionary.
Description: Understand current and future environmental pressures objectives and standards to protect the future sustainable use of the environment.
Please provide an example of where you have used your technical and/or regulatory knowledge and experience to analyse a complex environmental issue. Describe the skills that you used to analyse the situation and the problems you had to overcome to resolve any issues.
Competence 2: Communicates Effectively
Description
Description: Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing. Understands the needs of both the technical and management audience.
Working with a wide range of customers with varying levels of technical knowledge, requires the ability to communicate effectively. You will be expected to communicate and engage with others effectively through speech and writing.
Please describe a time when you have had to communicate complex information, how you tailored your communication style to a specific individual or situation and how you ensured your message was understood?
Competence 3: Data and Information Management
Description
Description: Collects, analyses, interprets, records, manages, develops, and shares data, material or information appropriately for a variety of purposes.
Gathering and analysing robust, accurate and often complex hydrological or ecological data/information to inform and underpin our water resources decisions as a regulator is a vital aspect of this role.
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.
We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.
We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
