The role involves using your ecological and regulatory knowledge and a problem‑solving approach to provide leadership and coordinating the delivery across the breadth of work related to the freshwater environment within the team. The post holder will work closely with other senior and principal officers, locally and nationally including the Strategic solutions staff, to contribute to the wider strategic water programme in Natural England and the Area Team Nature Recovery ambitions.
You will support colleagues across the Area Team, providing technical advice and support, leadership and effective networks to support this. This role will also collaborate with staff in neighbouring Area Teams to encourage wider nature recovery and bring resilience by improving integration of water work at regional scale.
You will work closely with partners and stakeholders providing strategic engagement and relationship management – such as with the Environment Agency, Water Companies, Local Authorities and wider water stakeholders.
As part of the leadership team, you will contribute to building capability and capacity within the team by supporting staff development and sharing knowledge gained through national networks.
Working for the Thames Solent Area Team
The Thames Solent area covers many counties; Berkshire, Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes), Hampshire, Isle of Wight, London, Oxfordshire and Surrey. All of which have a diverse geology and natural environment, rich in history and habitats. Features include extensive areas and mosaics of wetlands, heathlands, coastal habitats and marine sites, ancient woods and pasture, chalk river catchments and estuaries. They are complemented by the rural nature of our agricultural landscapes.
Partnerships for Nature Recovery are at the heart of everything we do. We work with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including Water Companies, Local Authorities, Water Resources Southeast, The Environment Agency, Wildlife Trusts, Rivers Trusts, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, major landowners, farmers and our local communities. We want to help support the restoration of flourishing landscapes that are a source of rich biodiversity, pride, employment, access and enjoyment.
Job Description
Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities
- Provide oversight and direction of the team’s engagement and input into Strategic Water Planning. Taking an ecosystem and hydro‑ecological process approach to identify and secure opportunities to address the challenges affecting our water environment e.g. climate change, drought, flooding, abstraction, pollution
- Provide technical advice and leadership for the team on hydrological issues to build resilient ecosystems
- Seek effective solutions to long standing freshwater issues working with others to implement them, using innovative and novel approaches where appropriate
- Commission and / or deliver work to build our evidence base to support nature recovery
- Work with colleagues from across the organisation, both local and national, and lead on technical input into major water projects and / or casework including Discretionary Advice Services
- Strategic engagement and relationship management of key partners (such as the Environment Agency, Water Companies, Local Planning Authorities, stakeholder groups and organisations) to maximize joined up and effective delivery of opportunities
- Build and lead effective networks to facilitate and influence thinking in this area, building resilience and sharing information across the freshwater team, Thames Solent Area Team and neighbouring Area Teams
- Provide risk oversight and act as the escalation point for freshwater related high‑risk casework in the area team in accordance with NE’s schemes of delegation
- Work with all our work areas (e.g. protected sites, integrated farm advice, sustainable development and marine) and support our Officers to deliver water outcomes across all our work to ultimately deliver nature recovery at scale
- Provide technical input where possible / relevant into Protected Sites Strategies in the Area
- Provide mentoring and training to grow the capability and capacity of our teams to provide technical water advice, and create resilience in this work area
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
- Familiarity and experience of Strategic Water Planning, or similar strategic approaches, e.g. Water Company Plans and Price Review, RAPID, River Basin Management Plans, Diffuse Water Pollution Plans, Water Level Management Plans, Local Plans, Water cycle studies. (essential)
- Understanding of the challenges affecting our water environment e.g. climate change, drought, flooding, abstraction, pollution, management. (essential)
- Understand how freshwater dependent ecosystems function, recognising and advising on impacts which could affect the resilience of an ecosystem (including ecological networks) (essential). This could include:
- Understand the use of Habitats Regulations and give appropriate consent, assent and advice (essential)
- Identify and apply relevant environmental, water and/or planning legislation, policies and processes to deliver effective and proportionate evidence-based solutions and advice (essential)
- Understand the environmental value of designated sites, utilising evidence on site condition and explain that to partners, stakeholders and customers. (essential)
- Knowledge of water quality, hydrology and hydrogeology (desirable)
- Ability to use available evidence and make decisions (essential)
- Ability to oversee complex technical cases/issues in the team (essential)
We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.
Technical Skills and Knowledge
- Demonstrable technical expertise in freshwater ecology, hydrology and hydro ecological processes, with applied experience of using this knowledge to identify pressures, risks and solutions for freshwater‑dependent habitats, designated sites and wider catchments, supporting nature recovery and ecosystem resilience (Essential).
- Strong working knowledge and practical application of environmental, water and planning legislation and mechanisms, including Habitats Regulations Assessment, strategic water planning processes (e.g. River Basin Management Plans, Water Company Plans, Water Resource Management Plans, Water Level Management Plans) and related consents, enabling proportionate, evidence‑based advice and decision‑making (Essential).
- Ability to understand, interpret and apply new and emerging planning, regulatory and policy processes to enable delivery of enhanced freshwater nature recovery, including integrating climate change adaptation, abstraction, water quality and flood risk considerations into strategic solutions (Essential).
- Knowledge of how partner organisations operate, particularly Environment Agency, Water Companies and Local Planning Authorities, and the ability to build effective partnerships across organisational boundaries to influence outcomes; supported by a sound understanding of ecological evidence, site condition and land or water management practices (Desirable).
Personal Effectiveness
Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence (expert)
Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and Natural England and inspire others to act (practitioner)
Work Delivery
Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (expert)
See the big picture so you can set your team’s work within the context of the organisation’s vision, mission and aims, and help them understand how their work relates to and supports this (practitioner)
Putting People at the Heart of the Environment
Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and Natural England (practitioner)
Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural England’s vision, mission and aims (practitioner)
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