Environment Protection Officer

Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Motherwell; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Annual leave and public holidays

Wellbeing support & volunteering leave

LGPS

Family friendly policies

Training & development

Employee discounts

Cycle to Work Scheme

Job summary

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is recruiting 2 full-time Environment Protection Officers within the Enforcement Function on a permanent basis.

This role focuses on protecting Scotland’s environment by investigating environmental crime and ensuring compliance. You will conduct investigations, carry out site visits, gather evidence, and provide expert advice to local teams to support enforcement operations. Training and flexible working are offered.

Qualifications

• A degree-level qualification in a relevant scientific discipline or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience in regulatory or enforcement roles with evidence gathering and investigations.
• Ability to resolve challenging customer situations with professionalism and effective communication.
• Experience producing detailed written reports and documentation.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications including Outlook, Word and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Carry out investigations into environmental crime, aiming to disrupt, deter and detect offending.
• Conduct targeted site visits and deploy surveillance to gather evidence and interview individuals.
• Provide expert advice to local teams and accompany them on field operations to ensure compliance.
• Deal with operators and others who fail to meet environmental responsibilities.

Skills

Regulatory/enforcement experience

Investigation skills

Customer handling

Written reports

Education

Degree-level qualification in a relevant scientific discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We are recruiting for 2 full time Environment Protection Officers within the Enforcement Function, on a permanent basis

Your passion has never had a greater purpose

Here at SEPA, we’re connected by a passion that drives us to be purposeful in every action we take - to protect our environment. Through our expertise, we lead projects that make a difference for Scotland, and our workplaces are grounded in respect for that expertise.

That’s why, when you join us as Environment Protection Officer, you’ll discover enriching benefits, meaningful support, and opportunities to learn every day. That’s what it means to be Passionately Purposeful - for our environment, and for your career.

Work that goes beyond your desk

Experts at what we do, we work in a professional way towards our shared goals, knowing the work we do makes a genuine, lasting difference on the environment.

• Carry out investigations into deliberate environmental criminality, with the aim of disrupting, deterring and detecting environment offending. This may include gathering evidence which results in you issuing a Variable Monetary Penalty or submitting a report to COPFS
• Conducts targeted site visits and deploys covert surveillance capabilities to detect and disrupt environmental crime. Gathers critical evidence by interviewing individuals, recording formal statements, and conducting detailed analysis of site paperwork and bank accounts
• Delivers agency AOP obligations by applying an interventions-based approach to mitigate high-risk environmental crime. Provides expert advice to local teams, assists with specialized phases of their inquiries, and accompanies them on high-impact field operations to guarantee enforcement compliance
• The role will routinely deal with operators who seek to profit from illegal activity or who fail to meet their environmental responsibilities

Respect for your expertise

This is a highly important role within our Regulation, Business & Environment portfolio, which means you’ll need:

• A degree-level qualification in a relevant scientific discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• Proven experience in regulatory or enforcement roles, with a demonstrated ability to conduct investigations into unauthorised activities and execute fieldwork safely in line with health and safety protocols
• Demonstrated ability to resolve challenging customer situations with professionalism, leveraging strong problem-solving skills to guide and advise others through successful issue resolution
• Strong experience in producing detailed written reports and documentation
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, and Excel

Please open the link to the Environment Protection Officer role profile link which outlines the core responsibilities and expectations of the role within a defined activity family. Please note the role profile name may be different to the job title being advertised.

Support that goes beyond the workplace

We’re cultivating a workplace that supports not only your passion and your professional lives, but your personal life.

So, you’ll find benefits that make a difference at work and at home. Such as:

• Hybrid and Flexible working opportunities
• Up to 35 days annual leave and 7 additional public holidays each year (pro rata)
• Paid time off to support your Wellbeing and enable you to Volunteer in your community
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Progressive Family Friendly policies
• Training & development to enable colleagues to improve their skills, competencies and knowledge to perform at their best.

Plus, many more lifestyle benefits such as 24/7 access to an online employee discount platform, credit union facilities and access to a Cycle to Work Scheme.

Passionately you. Purposefully supportive

SEPA is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and good relations in everything it does - as a community leader, as a provider and commissioner of services, and as an employer.

Passionately Purposeful about Scotland’s environment - and your career.

Protecting our environment, promoting our work, and supporting our people, working at SEPA means being part of an organisation that’s grounded in respect for your expertise - and your wellbeing. So you can be your best, and make the biggest impact.

We recruit solely based on merit. Our shortlisting process is conducted on an anonymous basis.

We support flexible working arrangements to help you maintain a healthy balance between career and homelife. This includes working part time, reduced hours, job sharing, working remotely. As a flexible first employer we are open to having conversations about flexible working arrangements that work for you and SEPA from day 1 of your employment with us.

We are proud to be a 'Disability Confident' employer and will work to identify and implement reasonable adjustments and equipment to support you in the role that you do.

Applicants with a visual impairment can request job descriptions and application forms in Braille, large print or on tape.

For the security and wellbeing of our colleagues, successful candidates will undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) pre-employment checks including a level one Disclosure Scotland check.

If you have questions or need any assistance with the recruitment process please contact SEPA’s Recruitment Team at [e-mail]