Reservoir Regulation Manager - 36296

Environment Agency; Farnham; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Environment Agency is seeking an experienced and inspirational leader to head the Reservoir Regulation team. This national role drives regulation across England, ensuring compliance with the Reservoirs Act for public safety and resilient communities.

You will lead a dispersed team of professionals, champion continuous improvement, psychological safety, and effective stakeholder engagement, working with Defra and other partners to deliver the Reservoir Safety Reform Programme and high

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Regulation, Civil Engineering, Law or similar.
• Strategic leadership with proven delivery of operational plans.
• High-performance culture and psychological safety.
• Innovative thinking and ability to deliver value through new approaches.
• Confident, risk-based decision making under pressure.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders to secure optimal outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead proactive stakeholder management in a way that builds trust, fosters strong relationships & creates opportunities for collaboration
• Set strategic priorities aligned to EA Regulatory strategy and motivate your team to deliver efficiently
• Develop and embed a culture of continuous improvement to adapt to changing needs
• Foster a culture of psychological safety that empowers confident decision making and innovation
• Manage complex, fast-paced, multi-agency risks to uphold public safety to the highest standard
• Support Reservoir Safety Reform Programme with senior input and collaboration with Defra and others
• Translate strategic intent into high-quality operational delivery
• Drive a high-performance culture with accountability and psychological safety
• Generate innovative ideas and deliver value through new approaches
• Make proportional, risk-based decisions under pressure and remove barriers to delivery
• Build consensus and influence senior internal and external stakeholders for optimal outcomes

Skills

Strategic leadership

Regulation

Civil Engineering

Law

Stakeholder management

Influence

Change management

People leadership

Decision making under pressure

Innovative thinking

Job description

Job Description

We’re looking for an experienced and inspirational leader to lead the Reservoir Regulation team.

You will lead on reservoir regulation across England, enabling compliance with the Reservoirs Act in the interest of public safety.

We’re looking for an inclusive, collaborative, and driven leader that can lead teams through change whilst enabling and supporting a diverse workforce to thrive and deliver to the highest standards.

As well as being an experienced leader, you will have experience in regulation, flood risk management, civil engineering and/or legal application. You will have a proven track record of working closely with & influencing; senior leaders, industry experts, professional institutions, and external stakeholders, achieving mutually beneficial outcomes at a strategic level.

The key accountabilities of the role are below:

• Lead proactive stakeholder management in a way that builds trust, fosters strong relationships & creates opportunities for collaboration
• Lead the setting of strategic priorities aligned to broader EA Regulatory strategy and motivate your team to operationally deliver in an efficient manner.
• Lead, develop and embed a culture of effective continuous improvement, to optimise and support the changing needs of our business, our environment, and our stakeholders.
• Lead a culture of psychological safety that empowers confident decision making & enables innovation to thrive.
• Manage complex, fast paced, multi-agency operational risks that ensures public safety is upheld to the highest standard
• The Environment Agency is currently working with Defra to reform and modernise the Reservoirs Act 1975 to secure public safety both now and for future generations. You and your team will be pivotal in providing senior user input for the team delivering the Reservoir Safety Reform Programme.
• Strategic leadership — Proven experience setting and translating strategic intent into confident, high‑quality operational delivery.
• High‑performance culture — A track record of driving high performance, modelling personal accountability, and fostering psychological safety where people feel empowered and supported.
• Innovative thinking - Ability to generate creative ideas, challenge assumptions, and deliver value through new approaches
• Confident decision‑making — Skilled at making proportionate, risk‑based decisions under pressure and at pace while removing barriers to delivery.
• Influential collaboration - Able to build consensus and influence senior internal and external stakeholders to secure the best outcomes for the environment and the business.

The team

You will join the Environmental Assessment & Reservoir Regulation (EARR) Department, which is part of the Flood & Coastal Risk Management (FCRM) Directorate.

You will work alongside three other SLT Managers, ensuring close collaboration and one collective senior leadership team.

The Reservoir Regulation Team is a nationally dispersed team comprising of 20 experienced, skilled, and passionate people who are responsible for the regulation of the 2140+ large raised reservoirs in England.

Experience/skills Required

To excel in this prominent position, the following experience/ skills/ capabilities are expected for this role:

• Expertise - Significant experience in Regulation, Civil Engineering, Law or similar and relevant subject to Reservoir Regulation.
• Strategic leadership — Proven experience setting and translating strategic intent into confident, high‑quality operational delivery.
• High‑performance culture — A track record of driving high performance, modelling personal accountability, and fostering psychological safety where people feel empowered and supported.
• Innovative thinking - Ability to generate creative ideas, challenge assumptions, and deliver value through new approaches
• Confident decision‑making — Skilled at making proportionate, risk‑based decisions under pressure and at pace while removing barriers to delivery.
• Influential collaboration - Able to build consensus and influence senior internal and external stakeholders to secure the best outcomes for the environment and the business.

Contact and additional information

At the Environment Agency we aspire for inclusivity to thrive in our workforce. We embrace equal opportunities and flexible work arrangements, ensuring everyone can contribute and succeed.

This is a national role with flexibility on base location. It will involve some travel and face‑to‑face engagement across England.

Everyone that joins us is required to undertake training and participate in incident response duties when the need to respond arises.

Please download the candidate pack for full details including how to apply.

For those interested in applying for the role that would like more information, please contact the recruiting manager Lee Meaden [e-mail]

Assessments will take place week commencing 19th October. Assessments will comprise a panel interview and a staff engagement exercise.

Competence 1

Leads People

Description

Describe your personal leadership style and give an example of how your leadership style enabled your team to deliver a high-quality service for the organisation.

Competence 2

Influences and Persuades Others

Description

Please give an example of when you have influenced others to think innovatively. How did this benefit the business and industry sector you were operating in?

Competence 3

Manages Change

Description

When delivering change, how do you overcome resistance and enable benefits to be realised by your team and key stakeholders?

Competence 4

Builds and Sustains Relationships

Description

Please describe a time when you have taken the initiative to establish new relationships allowing you to manage reputational risks and deliver priority outcomes for the business.

Programmes and Conditions

If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls. Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.

Artificial Intelligence Guidance

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.