Environment Performance Officer - River Restoration

South East Water UK; Detling; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stakeholder pension

Holiday allowance

Flexible leave

Volunteer days

Cycle to work

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

South East Water is recruiting an Environmental Performance Officer - River Restoration to deliver catchment-based restoration projects across the South East Water catchment, overseeing surveys, design, permitting and on-site supervision with partners, landowners and contractors to restore river ecosystems.

The role requires a degree in environmental science or equivalent, strong project management, and willingness to travel; a full driving licence is essential.

Qualifications

• Qualified environmentalist with degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience managing environmental aspects and risks across sites.
• Ability to plan pragmatically to minimise environmental harm.

Responsibilities

• Develop a programme of restoration projects with partners and manage from design to post-works monitoring.
• Produce outline and final designs in line with Environment Agency requirements.
• Provide environmental advice and assess project sensitivities and constraints.
• Coordinate reporting, permits, and stakeholder engagement across catchment areas.
• Audit contractors and ensure CDM compliance and safety on site.
• Collaborate on monitoring programmes to demonstrate project outcomes.

Skills

Project management

Environmental risk management

Stakeholder liaison

Environmental policy awareness

Education

Degree in environmental science or related

Chartership or working towards chartership (CIWEM/CIEEM/CIWM)

Job description

Summary

Do you want to be part of a team restoring healthy river ecosystems across the South East Water catchment?

Do you want to be part of a team restoring healthy river ecosystems across the South East Water catchment? Are you passionate about environmental restoration and ready to make a tangible impact in the South East? As Environmental Performance Officer - River Restoration, you will deliver catchment based restoration (both river restoration and Nature-based Solution (NbS) projects within the Water Industry National Environment Programme to promote a healthy environment ecosystem across the South East Water catchment area. You will work closely with partners, land-owners and contractors to deliver a range of exciting projects that involves all stages from early planning stages, surveying, modelling, design and supervision of site works.

Main responsibilities

• Assist in the development of a programme of restoration and enhancement projects. Work with our partners to ensure all environmental aspects of projects are managed from initial design stage, through to construction and then post works management and monitoring.
• Responsible for the production of outline and final designs as agreed with our Regulator the Environment Agency.
• Provide environmental advice on how the project should proceed and likely environmental sensitivities of a project. This will ensure each project is programmed and executed in a well-planned way in line with environmental constraints, so that environmental risks are avoided or appropriate controls in place.
• Work on detailed reporting, consultation and setting out mitigation on key issues such as heritage and protected species.
• Assist with permits required to deliver projects to deliver on time and budget including planning permission and flood risk applications.
• Coordinate technical reports to a high standard to meet robust internal and regulatory deadlines.
• Check and review work prepared by others.
• Manage and audit contractors and contract documents to ensure environmental risks are effectively represented and managed. Ensure that site health and safety and CDM regulations is carried out in accordance with South East Waters guidance and policies
• Support with engaging and contributing to catchment meetings and liaising with stakeholder partners.
• Collaborate with other staff in the design of monitoring programs to demonstrate project outcomes.

You'll need

Skills / Qualifications / Experience

• Qualified environmentalist (with a degree, HND, or equivalent work-related experience).
• Project management experience.
• Management of environmental aspects and risks across a wide range of settings.
• Ability to determine pragmatic outcomes which minimise harm to the environment and communicate these to the business.
• Passion for the environment with the ability to work closely with colleagues, contractors, stakeholders, regulators and members of the public.
• People management skills, including direct management of a small team and wider management of regulator, stakeholder, and contractor relationships.
• Full, clean driving license and use of own car to travel across Company region/areas is essential to this role.
• Chartership or working towards chartership of a professional body such as CIWEM, CIEEM, CIWM or Institute of Water.
• Specialist subject background, i.e. Archaeology/arboriculture/EIA/Protected species license holder or experience working with protected species mitigation.
• Experience in habitat restoration and management techniques, in particular experience of survey and working in woodland, chalk grassland and heathland habitats.
• Experience in ecology and supervision of works on site.
• Experience of CDM regulations desirable.

Grow a career with a meaningful purpose.

We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

Benefits package

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

What can you expect from your recruitment?

• It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water.
• Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks.

South East Water kindly asks that recruitment agencies refrain from submitting CVs to our employees or associates without explicit invitation from our HR Resourcing team. CVs sent on a speculative basis will not be acknowledged and will not assume any responsibility for fees or commissions in the event that we hire a candidate who applied directly or subsequently introduced by an instructed agency.

Compensation package

Up to £50,000 p.a. (dependent on experience)