Environmental Compliance Programme Manager

Severn Trent; Coventry; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

31 days holiday

Annual bonus up to 20%

Pension scheme

Family friendly policies

Sharesave program

Academy training

Car allowance

Private medical cover

EV scheme

Volunteer days

Job summary

Severn Trent is seeking an Environmental Compliance Programme Manager to lead regulatory responses with the Environment Agency, OFWAT and DEFRA. You will coordinate multi-disciplinary teams, oversee investigations, and advise senior leaders on risks and regulatory strategies.

The role requires strong programme management, stakeholder engagement, and a track record of delivering compliance improvements. Based at our Coventry HQ, 37 hours per week, with varied shifts.”

Qualifications

• Degree in a scientific or environmental discipline.
• Professional membership (CIWEM, CIWM or ILM) desirable.
• Proven experience engaging regulators and leading compliance investigations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the environmental regulatory response for the company with agencies such as Environment Agency, OFWAT and DEFRA.
• Coordinate multi-disciplinary teams to deliver high-profile regulatory projects on time.
• Define programme structures, manage risks and dependencies, and report findings to senior leadership.
• Develop proactive environmental compliance strategies and embed lessons learned in business plans.

Skills

Environmental compliance

Regulatory affairs

Programme management

Stakeholder engagement

Regulators engagement

Education

Science degree

CIWEM/CIWM/ILM membership desirable

Job description

LET’S CUT STRAIGHT TO IT

At Severn Trent, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re in the top 5% of utility companies worldwide for employee engagement, and we’re equally proud of our strong Glassdoor score — reflecting how much our people love working here.

At Severn Trent, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re in the top 5% of utility companies worldwide for employee engagement, and we’re equally proud of our strong Glassdoor score — reflecting how much our people love working here. Join us to make a positive impact on the environment and our communities, while being valued and supported in a truly inclusive workplace.

If you want to do more, because you care, we want you on our team.

LET’S TELL YOU MORE

The Environmental Compliance Programme Manager will lead the company's response to environmental regulatory requests and assessments from organisations such as the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Ofwat and Defra. Acting as a subject matter expert in environmental legislation and compliance, the role will oversee complex investigations, assess organisational performance against regulatory requirements and provide strategic advice to senior leaders on risks, obligations and regulatory responses.

Using strong programme management expertise, the postholder will establish and coordinate multi-disciplinary teams across areas including Customer Operations, Chief Engineer, Capital Delivery and General Counsel to deliver high-profile, time-critical regulatory projects. They will be responsible for defining programme structures, managing risks and dependencies, overseeing assessment findings and ensuring clear reporting and recommendations are presented to operational, strategic and executive stakeholders.

The role will also drive the development of proactive environmental compliance strategies across Severn Trent Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy, ensuring lessons learned, regulatory commitments and emerging requirements are captured and embedded within business plans. Through strong relationships with regulators, industry bodies and key stakeholders, the postholder will provide thought leadership, interpret changing legislation and influence business decisions to support ongoing compliance and environmental performance.

You’ll be based at our Headquarters in Coventry. You’ll work within our Environmental Regulations and Policy Team. With this being such a critical role, we’re looking for someone who can join us 37 hours a week, working across a range of shift patterns including evenings and weekends.

How We Work

You’ll join a caring culture that collaborates to achieve, grow, and develop. Our employee engagement scores are among the highest globally in energy and utilities. That’s why we value in-person moments to keep our culture alive and why for this role you’ll usually find us in the office during our working hours.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for an experienced environmental and regulatory professional with extensive knowledge of the water industry, particularly wastewater recycling, waste networks compliance and environmental legislation. You'll have a proven track record of working with regulators such as the Environment Agency, OFWAT and DEFRA, leading complex compliance investigations, interpreting regulatory requirements and driving improvement across operational businesses.

You will be an influential leader with strong programme and project management experience, capable of delivering complex initiatives within challenging timescales. Comfortable operating at executive level, you'll be skilled at presenting complex findings in a clear, risk-based manner, influencing strategic decision-making and embedding a culture of compliance, accountability and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Key Requirements Include

• Significant experience within wastewater recycling and waste networks operations.
• Strong understanding of environmental regulation, compliance requirements and emerging policy changes.
• Proven experience engaging and influencing regulators, senior leaders and executives.
• Demonstrable programme and project management expertise with successful delivery of business-critical outcomes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to draw conclusions from complex data and regulatory information.
• Experience driving cultural change and embedding effective risk management and compliance practices.
• Degree in a scientific or environmental discipline, with practical experience implementing compliance improvement plans.
• Professional membership (e.g. CIWEM, CIWM or ILM) desirable.

Skills and experience are important, but character, positivity, and a caring attitude matter too. We welcome people from all walks of life and celebrate individuality, as we know diverse minds, experiences and backgrounds help us to learn and better serve our communities. We’re looking for people who want to get involved, be part of something bigger, and make a difference because they care.

HOW WE’LL REWARD AND CARE FOR YOU IN RETURN

Benefits

It’s not just a job; it’s a career. We offer benefits that reward great work and award‑winning training to help you reach your potential. You’ll also contribute to the environment and community. Some of our benefits include:

• 31 days holiday + bank holidays (and the ability to buy/ sell up to 5 days per year)
• Annual bonus scheme (of up to 20% of salary dependent on company performance)
• Leading pension scheme – we will double your contribution (up to 15% when you contribute 7.5%)
• Family friendly policies (including, a year off fully paid maternity and adoption leave)
• Sharesave – the chance to buy Severn Trent Plc shares at a discounted rate
• Dedicated training and development with our ‘Academy’
• Car allowance of £5,208 pa (pro-rata where appropriate)
• Private medical cover, life assurance, income protection and personal accident cover
• Electric vehicle scheme and retail offers
• Two volunteering days per year