Permitting Officers

Environment Agency; Warrington; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A national environmental regulatory body is seeking a flood risk activity permitting officer to assess applications for environmental permits aimed at protecting the environment and communities. The role involves managing a diverse caseload, making informed decisions on flood risks, and engaging with various stakeholders. Successful candidates will have strong skills in time management, communication, and data handling. A competitive salary, flexible working options, and extensive benefits are provided to support career growth in this vital field.

Benefits

Competitive salary

25 days holiday + 8 bank holidays

Company pension scheme

Career opportunities

Maternity, paternity, and adoption leave

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Ability to manage time and workload effectively.
• Strong decision-making skills with justifiable reasoning.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess applications for environmental permits.
• Manage a caseload of permit applications.
• Respond to incidents and support business continuity.

Skills

Time management

Decision making

Communication skills

IT proficiency

Data management

Customer interaction

Education

GCSE English Grade A-C or equivalent

Tools

Word

Excel

Job description

As a flood risk activity permitting officer, you will play a vital role in protecting the environment and supporting the work of the Environment Agency (EA). You will be responsible for assessing applications for a range of flood risk activities across the country, from minor construction in and around rivers, to nationally significant flood management projects. By following EA processes and regulatory obligations, you will conduct technical assessments to ensure the environment and local communities are safeguarded. By joining the Environment Agency (EA), you become part of a collective effort to protect and improve the environment in England. Our work addresses national-level issues, ranging from industry regulation to flood defences, land contamination, water quality, fisheries, and conservation. As a flood risk activity permitting officer, you will play a crucial role in safeguarding the environment by assessing applications for a wide range of flood risk activities. Your work directly contributes to creating a more sustainable and safer environment by supporting growth and enabling people to go about their business. Team environment: The EA's diverse scope of work necessitates a multi‑skilled workforce. Working with us means being part of a team that promotes sustainable growth, tackles climate change, and secures a better future for everyone. As a permitting officer, you will collaborate with professionals from various disciplines and engage with permit applicants, ranging from multinational companies to individual householders. This collaboration and interaction allow for a rich and diverse working environment, fostering personal and professional growth. Varied and impactful responsibilities: As a flood risk activity permitting officer, you will experience highly varied and challenging work that is essential to protection of people, wildlife and the natural environment. You will assess applications for environmental permits, ensuring compliance with EA processes and regulatory obligations. You will manage a caseload of permit applications for a range of flood risk activities and make informed decisions that directly impact flood risk and environmental management. This role offers continuous learning opportunities and the chance to deepen your expertise in environmental permitting. Creating a safer environment: The work of permitting officers at the EA plays a key role in creating a more sustainable and safer environment. By assessing applications for environmental permits, you actively contribute to the protection of local communities and natural resources. Additionally, you will develop relationships with a wide range of partners and support vital functions, such as flooding and environmental response. This holistic approach ensures that our work extends beyond permitting, enabling comprehensive environmental management.

Incident response: Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment, and full training will be given, alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role. There are a range of incident roles available to support varied working patterns and in line with our flexible working policy. As an organisation we strive to reflect the communities we serve, to achieve this we welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of race, sexual orientation, and religion. We also welcome applications for part-time hours.

Key Responsibilities & Selection Criteria

• Effectively manage your own time and workload, meeting performance targets for both you and your team.
• Demonstrate the ability to make informed and timely decisions, providing justifiable reasoning behind your choices.
• Possess excellent communication skills and the ability to build strong relationships with customers.
• Exhibit proficiency in IT skills, including experience with data management, information processing, and tools such as Word, Excel and job-specific digital platforms.
• Demonstrate expertise in data/information management, including the ability to gather and manipulate data, analyse it and tailor it to different audiences.
• Be capable of handling difficult conversations with customers by balancing the needs of the customer and the environment and displaying confidence in making risk‑based decisions.
• While prior experience in environment permitting is not mandatory, having some experience or interest in the environment and regulation is preferred. What we value most is a passion for the environment and a strong desire to protect it by regulating harmful activities.
• GCSE English Grade A‑C or equivalent.

Join our dedicated team within the Permitting Service as we work to determine the necessary environmental permits for activities that have the potential to pollute the air, water, or land, increase flood risk, or impact land drainage.

You’ll benefit from a culture that embraces difference and includes everyone, where you’ll feel supported and trusted to do the right thing. We’ll invest in you and allow you to grow and shape your career.

Benefits

• A competitive salary of £29,751 pro rata.
• 25 days holiday + 8 bank holidays.
• Company pension scheme.
• Great career opportunities.
• Maternity, paternity, and adoption leave scheme.
• A range of flexible working options, plus many more!