Freshwater Senior Officer - ( Ref : 6680 )

This position can be based at Eastleigh, Nobel House London, Reading or Wallingford.

Natural England’s Thames Solent Area Team covers Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Hampshire, London and the Isle of Wight. Our main offices are in Reading, Eastleigh, and London. We are the largest local delivery team in Natural England and are responsible for protecting the natural environment across a patch of land and coast from the New Forest in the west, to London and Surrey in the east and including the Isle of Wight. This area contains a range of rare habitats which are critical for biodiversity for both the United Kingdom and Europe. With the proximity to centres of population, we have the opportunity to promote greater connection with nature for all the benefits it brings.

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.

The role currently covers the responsibilities listed below however these can be adapted to an extent to suit the strengths and skills of the applicant.

• 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.

• 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)

It is essential that the post holder has a current, valid, full UK driving licence. Some national travel may be required, which might involve overnight stays.

This post is suitable for applicants within reasonable travelling distance of the Thames Solent area (Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Surrey & London).