Senior Water Scientist and Hydrologist in St Albans

Are you ready to help us shape the future of the water industry? Join our dynamic and multidisciplinary Water Environment team as a Senior Water Scientist or Hydrologist! At AECOM, we’re at the forefront of innovation, delivering an exceptional portfolio of water programmes and projects through long-term partnerships with key clients. We work for clients from across the public and private sectors, including the Environment Agency, Natural England, National Highways, Water Companies, NRW, River Trusts as well as developers and overseas clients. We are also involved in major ongoing projects, such as Lower Thames Crossing, and are responsible for water environment chapters in ES’s and WFD assessments.

A selection of our current and recent projects includes:

• Developing catchment-wide river restoration plans for water companies.
• Delivering hydrological reviews and water balance studies for a range of purposes, such as determining supply sources and ensuring a canal remains sufficiently full despite its top-up water supply failing.
• Design, modelling and installation of Natural Flood Management measures.
• Developing a modelling approach and running these to inform management decisions, such as water level dependent designated sites.
• Delivering improvements through working on water company’s Environmental Improvement Programme (WINEP).
• Designing and helping to deliver awards fish passes and river restoration schemes.
• Deriving strategies to deliver catchment water quantity and quality improvements, driven by WFD and Local Nature Recovery requirements.

The majority of our work is in the fluvial environment, although a significant proportion is also focused on estuaries, lakes and the marine environment.

What your new role will entail:

• Support the preparation of high quality and commercially astute bids and tenders for water science services, typically for Water Companies and Government bodies such as the Environment Agency.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including water scientists, hydrogeologists, hydromorphologists, aquatic ecologists and flood risk specialists, ensuring necessary resources, budgets and controls are in place to meet both programme and budget requirements.
• Identify the need for, plan and implement complex monitoring and field work as may be required (e.g. water quality monitoring, flow gauging, hydromorphological surveys, PWS investigations etc.).
• Support delivery of high-quality water science / hydrology consultancy and advisory services to both internal and external clients, including through our check and review processes.
• Use varied tools to deliver outcomes (software, models etc.) and be able to review data empirically (e.g. review flow data series and spot gauging to develop an understanding of low and typical flow hydrology).
• Support development of technically robust and pragmatic solutions to complex water science / hydrological issues.
• Have insight into how hydrological changes manifest in terms of water quality, geomorphology and hydroecology (e.g. changes to wetted widths and velocities and how these may affect fish passage).

As an experienced water scientist or hydrologist, you’ll provide support to colleagues and liaise closely with internal and external clients. All members of the Water Environment team take an active role in client contact and commercial aspects of our projects. Health, safety, and environmental considerations underpin all of our work.

Qualifications Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Have a degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject such as geography, physical sciences, chemistry, maths, engineering etc.
• Experienced in hydrology (low flows and flood risk), hydromorphology, water quality and/or hydroecology and a strong understanding of aquatic systems.
• Proficiency in the application of hydrological software and environmental modelling (hydrological/hydraulic, water quality, water resources).
• Proficiency in GIS software.
• Report writing skills and ability to clearly present complex technical information visually and orally to a wide audience.
• Experienced in technical project delivery (from bid preparation, drafting technical proposals to project management).

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities. If you are an applicant with a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact ReasonableAccommodations@aecom.com. You will have the flexibility you need to work from home or an office with hybrid options, and AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and wellbeing programmes. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential and we’ll help you reach yours. We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.