Discharge Permitting Lead

This is an exciting opportunity to shape how South East Water champions environmental excellence. As a cornerstone of our regulatory compliance, you will focus on the technical performance and water quality of treatment processes across our Water Treatment Works. Based within the Water Resources department, you will lead the technical heart of the environmental permitting process, acting as the essential bridge between real-world operations and our regulatory commitments. Success in this role thrives on collaboration, requiring you to work hand-in-hand with our Assets and Operations teams while building strong, professional relationships with external regulators.

If you prefer the field to a desk, this role offers the perfect balance. You will spend time on-site to gain a first-hand understanding of discharge compliance and Trade Effluent Run to Waste activities as they happen. As our primary technical validator, you will provide the internal expertise needed to challenge assumptions and develop innovative treatment solutions, reducing our reliance on outside consultants. Beyond the day-to-day, your technical insights will guide our long-term strategic planning, helping us navigate emerging water quality challenges like Nitrates and PFAS to safeguard our operational future and the environment we serve.

Main responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of the technical assessments required for environmental permit applications, ensuring that the underlying science and engineering of water discharge activities are robust and compliant.
• Conduct regular site visits and inspections at WTWs to gain an in-depth, real-time understanding of discharge performance and ensure treatment solutions work effectively in practice.
• Provide technical expertise and quantification of risks regarding long-term water quality challenges (e.g., PFAS, Nitrates) to inform the WRMP strategic planning process.
• Offer expert advice to Assets, Engineering, and Operational teams to validate information provided by other departments and propose alternative treatment solutions where necessary.
• Coach and mentor junior team members to raise collective technical capability, specifically focusing on the technical data and analysis required to progress environmental permit applications.
• Act as the primary interface with operational colleagues to ensure regulatory discharge requirements are practical and understood at the site level.
• Lead technical negotiations with the Environment Agency and other external stakeholders on complex applications or compliance challenges to achieve operationally feasible outcomes.
• Review all technical documentation associated with permit submissions against Environmental Permitting Regulations to ensure absolute quality and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee the transition of permit administration to supporting staff, while retaining accountability for the technical integrity of every application.
• Manage technical input for escalated regulatory investigations or enforcement actions to mitigate reputational damage and restore compliance quickly.
• Develop new ways of working for the permitting function that drive efficiency and improve the company’s overall environmental performance.

You’ll need:

• Degree in a relevant science or engineering subject.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify solutions and critically validate technical information provided by other teams.
• Ability to amend communication style depending on your audience.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
• The ability to negotiate effectively with both internal stakeholders and external regulators, such as the Environment Agency.
• A natural ability to coach and mentor team members, supporting their technical development and career progression.
• A strong understanding of how various water treatment solutions work.
• Operational knowledge and experience of the water industry’s regulatory framework, environmental legislation and policies.
• Experience in quantifying the consequences of long-term water quality challenges, such as Nitrates and PFAS, particularly regarding their impact on strategic planning (WRMP).
• Proven experience in a field-based or mobile role, with a focus on visiting and inspecting discharge activities at Water Treatment Works (WTWs).
• Proven experience in applying for environmental permits.
• Water industry experience desirable.

We want to be the water company people want to be supplied by and want to work for. We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

Benefits package:

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

To apply for this position, please submit your CV on our career’s website. It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water. Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks. If this sounds like the opportunity you’ve been looking for, apply now!

South East Water kindly asks that recruitment agencies refrain from submitting CVs to our employees or associates without explicit invitation from our HR Resourcing team. CVs sent on a speculative basis will not be acknowledged and will not assume any responsibility for fees or commissions in the event that we hire a candidate who applied directly or subsequently introduced by an instructed agency.

Compensation package:

up to £45,000 p.a. (dependent on experience)