Environmental Performance Officer - Biodiversity

South East Water; Snodland; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading water company is looking for an Environmental Performance Officer to enhance biodiversity efforts. You will engage with stakeholders, manage environmental aspects of projects, and work towards effective environmental risk management, contributing to sustainability initiatives within the community.

Benefits

Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.

5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays, increasing with service.

Flexible annual leave policy.

Paid volunteering days.

Cycle to work scheme.

Health cash plan.

Life assurance.

Wellbeing related benefits.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable practical ecological/environmental experience.
• Management of environmental aspects across diverse settings.
• Holder of protected species licences is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to environmental aspects of projects following company strategy.
• Assist Environmental Leads with environmental performance commitments.
• Liaison with environmental regulators obtaining consents and advice.

Skills

Stakeholder liaison

Environmental risk management

Botanical field identification

Technical excellence in Environmental delivery

Good IT skills

Practical ecological/environmental experience

Education

Relevant environmental or ecological degree

Tools

ArcGIS

Job description

Environmental Performance Officer - Biodiversity

Summary:

Do you have a passion for environmental stewardship and excellent stakeholder liaison skills?

Do you thrive on collaborating with internal and external partners on environmental and recreation issues?

We are looking for an Environmental Performance Officer - Biodiversity yo support the Environment Team Leads. In this role you will deliver a professional environmental service to the core business and liaise with key external and internal stakeholders on environmental and recreation issues. You will sign off on advice to the wider business to ensure effective management of environmental risk.

Main Responsibilities

• Contribute to all environmental aspects of projects following company strategy and guidance.
• Assist Environmental Leads with the delivery of the environmental performance commitments.
• Assist Environmental Leads Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP).
• Support Environmental Leads and work closely with the Project Managers, Project Engineer and Operational staff to ensure timely delivery of survey work and documentation.
• Working within business to integrate good biosecurity practice and increase awareness of INNS.
• Onsite management of Water Company owned SSSIs, to include sign off of reports with Natural England, organisation of on site management and monitoring of compliance with legislation. Partnership working with other regulatory and environmental stakeholders.
• Capture and management of environmental data and updating of South East Water environmental asset database.
• Support the business with reactive and emergency environmental advice to minimise environmental impact of work and to reduce the likelihood of environmental prosecutions.
• Liaison with environmental regulators obtaining consents and advice where necessary and reporting back to the business.
• Environmental desktop appraisal and sign off of elements of the project delivery process on behalf of the business ‘client’ (Assets). This will involve providing environmental advice on how the project should proceed and likely environmental sensitivities of a project.

You'll need:

Skills / Qualifications / Experience

• First class verbal skills are essential.
• 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.
• Technical excellence in Environmental delivery.
• Demonstrable practical ecological/environmental experience.
• Experience of the delivery of effective environmental risk management
• Good botanical field identification skills are essential.
• Good IT skills are essential.
• Working knowledge of BNG and UKHabs.
• Experience of ArcGIS or similar.
• Experience in habitat restoration and management techniques essential, in particular, experience of survey and working in woodland, chalk grassland and heathland habitats.
• Experience of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) control and biosecurity advantageous but not essential.

It will be a bonus if you have:

Skills / Qualifications / Experience

• Holder of protected species licences for Great crested newt, Bats, and Dormice are desirable
• Chainsaw, brush cutter, ride on mower and hedge cutter qualifications and experience advantageous but not essential
• Ability to mentor and inspire members of the team.
• Report writing and data presentation skills
• Working Knowledge and familiarity with the Statutory Biodiversity Metric
• Experience with aquatic environments.
• Experience managing projects including finances.
• Working knowledge of SEA, HRA and EIA is advantageous but not essential.
• Experience of working on construction sites would be an advantage.

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.

We want to be the water company people want to be supplied by and want to work for.

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.

What can you expect from your recruitment?

• To apply for this position, please submit your CV on our career’s website.

• 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.

If this sounds like the opportunity you’ve been looking for, apply now!

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:

Salary starting from £31,733 dependent on experience.

Join our team:

Be you, belong and valued.

Grow a career with a meaningful purpose.