6392 - Senior Specialist- Water Quality

Join us in shaping a future where nature and people thrive. Whether you’re drawn to hands-on conservation or playing a vital part behind the scenes, your work at Natural England will support lasting benefits for the environment and society. Natural England is the Government’s adviser for the natural environment and the Nature regulator with a wide range of statutory duties and powers. We provide the evidence, expertise and advice to recover Nature and shape better places for people to live. We do this working through and with others.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

• Recovering Nature – Increased scale and quality of places where nature thrives.
• Building Better Places – Greener homes and infrastructure create healthier, more investable places, recognising we live better where nature thrives around us.
• Improving Health and Wellbeing – Build nature into everyday life so people can support, access and benefit from nature, wherever they live.
• Delivering Security through Nature – Nature helps us adapt to the threats of a changing climate and improves our national security, supporting more resilient food production, healthy soils, clean and plentiful water and clean air.

Important note: 2 roles are available. One is permanent, the 2nd is a fixed term role until March 2027. The criteria and details below apply to both roles. We will consider applicants for both roles - you do not need to apply separately for them.

The Role

Water quality is a growing, high-profile topic in both the public and political spheres. Nutrient enrichment of freshwater habitats and estuaries due to elevated nitrogen and phosphorus levels is one of the primary reasons for habitats being in unfavourable condition. Water quality plays a critical role in all four of Natural England’s strategic outcomes: Recovering Nature, Building Better Places, Improving Health and Wellbeing, and Delivering Security through Nature. It is also central to achieving key targets under the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan.

As a water quality specialist in Natural England’s Chief Scientist Directorate, your expert technical advice and interpretation of evidence will inform national decision-making and policy development, shape local decisions and help drive ambitious nature recovery delivery on the ground. You will join a team of national specialists leading on a range of specialisms across climate change and environmental quality, working alongside a wider community of scientists advising on a range of specialisms, from habitats and species to social science and economics.

We are seeking candidates with expert understanding of water quality and the natural environment. You will be confident in working internally across your organisation, and externally with partners and stakeholders. We are looking for a clear communicator with an understanding of how evidence is best developed and applied in decisions across Government to support positive outcomes for nature and for people.

Working closely with other specialists, you will interpret evidence to provide expert, practical advice across Natural England, while also working with external partners to enhance the evidence base and achieve environmental outcomes to support delivery of the 25 Year EIP. There is some scope for personal development and developing areas of personal interest.

Key Tasks / Principal Accountabilities

Specific responsibilities will develop and change over time and the post holder will need to maintain a flexible and adaptable approach. Initial broad work areas are described below:

• Provide technical advice and support to national programmes such as Diffuse Water Pollution Plans (DWPPs), Protected Sites Strategies and the Water Company Price Review process. There will be a particular initial focus on providing technical advice into the development of the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF). This will include developing a robust evidence base, processes and tools to support the creation of nutrient Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs).
• Work closely with Natural England’s habitat and species specialists to progress Natural England’s delivery of water-dependent site, habitat and species conservation and condition assessment.
• Review Water quality data and identify and develop new evidence and innovative solutions to inform and improve NE’s approach to addressing water quality issues.
• Build awareness and understanding of Water Quality issues both internally and externally. Ensure that staff understand how Water Quality relates to their work and build organisational capability through provision of advice, tools, guidance and training.
• Represent Natural England externally as an expert in Water Quality. This will include leading Natural England’s engagement on strategic consultations, including liaison with the Environment Agency and other water managers on strategic matters relating to water quality.
• Respond to the direction set by Natural England’s Science, Evidence and Analysis Framework, to develop research areas, publish evidence and build scientific partnerships with academics and other research partners.

There is some scope for personal development and developing areas of personal interest.