Flood & Water Support Officer

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council invites applications for a Flood and Water Support Officer to join the Flood & Water team, supporting the Council's LLFA duties under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The role focuses on data handling, advisory work, and engagement to reduce flood risk for communities.

You will develop technical knowledge using GIS datasets, participate in site visits, and collaborate with communities, professionals and partners to improve resilience and safeguarding.

Qualifications

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage large and complex datasets.
• Knowledge and experience in using GIS to manage, analyse, interrogate and present data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical information clearly.
• Knowledge and interest in flood resilience, flood risk management, drainage and nature-based solutions.

Responsibilities

• Responding to enquiries and data requests from residents, businesses, landowners and partners with bespoke advice.
• Managing flood risk datasets, including the Flood Risk Asset Register and GIS records.
• Supporting flood investigations by gathering data, liaising with communities and partners.
• Assisting with regulation of activities on ordinary watercourses and reviewing surface water drainage.

Skills

Organisational skills

GIS knowledge

Communication skills

Flood resilience

Education

Geography

Environmental Science

Civil Engineering

Planning

Tools

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Job description

We are seeking a Flood and Water Support Officer to join the Flood and Water team at West Northamptonshire Council. The team acts as the Council's Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) providing professional support and advice on flood and water management, including various statutory responsibilities relating to flood risk. This is an excellent opportunity for a graduate or early-career professional seeking to develop a career in flood risk management.What will you be doing? We are looking for a Flood and Water Support Officer to join our Flood & Water team and play a key role in helping the Council fulfil its responsibilities as the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. This is an exciting opportunity to develop your technical knowledge and make a tangible difference to communities at risk of flooding. The role will be supporting all areas of the team, covering a wide range of flood risk management activities. Key responsibilities will include:

Key Responsibilities

• Responding to enquiries and data requests from residents, businesses, landowners, developers and partner organisations. This will include providing bespoke advice to residents and businesses affected by flooding, helping our communities become more resilient to flooding. You will also be supporting with site visits and in-person engagement with communities.
• Manage our flood risk datasets, including the Flood Risk Asset Register and our GIS records, ensuring data is up to date, accurate and accessible.
• Supporting flood investigations by gathering and analysing data and information, liaising with communities and Risk Management Authority partners, and working with them to reduce flood risk.
• Supporting the teams' statutory consultee role in reviewing surface water drainage for new developments and assist in the regulation of activities on ordinary watercourses.

We are looking for a self-motivated and proactive individual who wants to develop and deliver innovative approaches to reducing flood risk to our communities. You will be an excellent communicator, able to engage confidently and sensitively with a wide range of people, including residents, professional partners and elected members. You will often be speaking to people who have recently flooded, and therefore being able to show empathy, professionalism and strong customer service skills are essential.

This role is suitable for a graduate in a relevant degree such as Geography, Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, or Planning. Or someone who has equivalent professional experience relating to the attached job profile. In addition, you will have:

Qualifications & Requirements

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage large and complex datasets. Data protection principles are vital.
• Knowledge and experience in using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to manage, analyse, interrogate and present data and information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical information in a clear and accessible way.
• Knowledge and interest in flood resilience, flood risk management, drainage and nature-based solutions.

Good customer service experience.

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner. The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.