At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead hydrological assessments and support water resource management across various regions.
- Company: Join a leading organisation focused on sustainable water resource management.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a chance to make a real environmental impact.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth and collaboration with industry regulators.
- Why this job: Be the expert in hydrology and influence key environmental decisions.
- Qualifications: Degree in relevant field and experience in hydrological assessments required.
The predicted salary is between 46300 - 52800 £ per year.
Role Purpose
The Hydrologist is responsible for providing specialist hydrological expertise to support water resource management, environmental compliance, and strategic planning activities across the organisation's operating regions.
The role leads hydrological assessments and investigations that underpin key statutory programmes, including the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), Water Resource Management Plans (WRMP), and Drought Plans.
Acting as the organisation's expert client for hydrology, the postholder will analyse, interpret and communicate hydrological data and modelling outputs to assess environmental impacts, support water resource decision‑making, and ensure compliance with environmental regulations and licence requirements.
The role supports operations across Bournemouth Water, Bristol Water, South West Water (including the Isles of Scilly), and SES Water.
Key Responsibilities
- Hydrological Leadership & Expertise
- Provide technical hydrological leadership and advice for key statutory programmes including WINEP, WRMP and Drought Plan development.
- Act as the subject matter expert for hydrology and hydrometry across water resources activities.
- Support environmental and water resource planning decisions through robust hydrological analysis and interpretation.
- Ensure compliance with environmental legislation, abstraction licences, permits and industry best practice.
- Hydrological Assessment & Analysis
- Undertake hydrological assessments associated with new and varied abstraction licence applications.
- Analyse the impacts of licence conditions, hands‑off flows and abstraction regimes on water availability and environmental outcomes.
- Support drought permit applications and strategic drought planning activities.
- Deliver naturalised and de‑naturalised flow assessments to support hydro‑ecological modelling and environmental investigations.
- Undertake flow assessments to support fisheries and ecological studies.
- Support operational abstraction compliance monitoring and reporting.
- Data Management & Modelling
- Manage, maintain and improve naturalised flow models and associated analytical tools.
- Analyse and interpret hydrometric and environmental datasets to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
- Apply rainfall‑runoff methodologies and hydrological modelling tools to support water resource assessments.
- Develop evidence‑based recommendations to support operational and strategic decision‑making.
- Hydrometry & Monitoring
- Support the design and delivery of hydrometric monitoring programmes and solutions.
- Review and develop stage‑discharge rating curves where required.
- Assess flow measurement techniques, hydrological monitoring systems and data quality standards.
- Ensure monitoring activities provide robust evidence for regulatory and operational purposes.
- Stakeholder & Consultancy Management
- Build effective working relationships with regulators, including Environment Agency hydrology teams.
- Discuss modelling methodologies, hydrological assessments and monitoring approaches with external stakeholders.
- Specify, manage and review work undertaken by external hydrological consultants.
- Prepare scopes of work and evaluate consultant proposals and tenders.
Person Specification
Essential Knowledge & Experience
- Strong understanding of catchment hydrology and water resources management.
- Experience undertaking hydrological assessments, analysis and technical reviews.
- Experience analysing and interpreting hydrometric datasets.
- Ability to produce high‑quality technical reports and present complex information clearly.
- Experience supporting low flow studies, drought assessments and water resource investigations.
- Technical Skills
- Hydrological assessment and catchment analysis.
- Hydrometric monitoring and flow measurement.
- Stage‑discharge rating curve development and review.
- Rainfall‑runoff modelling and hydrological forecasting.
- Technical report writing and stakeholder communication.
- Data analysis and interpretation.
- Project management and prioritisation.
- Analytical problem solving.
Desirable Experience
- Use of hydrological modelling packages such as GR6J and Qube.
- Programming and analytical tool development using R or Python.
- Experience with GIS software and spatial analysis.
- Knowledge of groundwater‑dominated catchments and regional hydrological characteristics.
- Experience working within the water industry environment.
- Hydrometric knowledge, including flow measurement techniques and monitoring infrastructure.
Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Earth Sciences, Physical Geography or another relevant analytical discipline.
- Full UK Driving Licence.
Desirable
- Master's Degree in a relevant subject.
- Minimum five years' experience delivering hydrological studies and catchment assessments.
- Professional membership of CIWEM or equivalent professional body.
- Chartered status or actively working towards chartership.
Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.
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Hydrologist in Bristol employer: Bristol Water plc
As a Customer Leakage Administrator at South West Water, you'll be part of a dynamic team dedicated to delivering exceptional service in the beautiful locations of Cornwall and Exeter. We pride ourselves on fostering a supportive work culture that values collaboration, professional growth, and employee well-being, offering opportunities for training and development to help you thrive in your career. Join us and enjoy the unique advantage of working in a role that not only contributes to the community but also provides a fulfilling and rewarding experience.
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We think this is how you could land Hydrologist in Bristol
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We think you need these skills to ace Hydrologist in Bristol
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Technical Skills:When applying for a role in environmental engineering tech, make sure to highlight your technical skills like CAD software proficiency, data analysis, or modelling techniques. These are essential for the job and should stand out in your CV and cover letter, showing how you can contribute to projects at Bristol Water plc.
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How to prepare for a job interview at Bristol Water plc
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