Water Resource Consultant / Senior in Manchester

The Opportunity

If you are looking to join a team that is leading the charge in building a resilient and sustainable water supply for the UK and our international clients, we would be interested in hearing from you! Stantec is a top-tier global consultancy that was named the 'Best Place to Work' at the 2024 New Civil Engineer (NCE) Awards. We have a reputation for providing innovative water supply solutions, as well as environmental and regulatory services, for a range of public and private sector clients in the UK. We have ambitious growth targets in the water resources planning market. We are seeking enthusiastic people with several years of experience in the water industry to play central roles in delivering our workload.

We have opportunities to join our water resources team at numerous locations across the UK (including Leeds, Birmingham, Reading and Shrewsbury - other office locations could be considered). It's an exciting time to be involved in water resources in the UK. In recognition of the considerable future challenges, the industry regulator Ofwat has set out the most significant investment in infrastructure since privatisation, with £4 billion to boost water supply and £2 billion for Nature Based solutions in the recently published draft determination. This includes funding for significant solutions to ensure long‑term national resilience, security of supply for the future and lowering demand through unprecedented leakage reduction and smart meter installation programs.

Stantec's engagement with water resources planning initiatives across the UK and Ireland has grown significantly since 2020. This has included working across several Strategic Resource Option (SRO) investigations in England and Wales, Water Resource Management Plans (WRMP), Drought Plans (DP) and Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) investigations. This continues to be a growing focus for Stantec into 2025 and beyond, helping water companies deliver their AMP8 and SRO schemes and plan for the future. Our water resources team works with water companies, regulators (such as the Environment Agency and Ofwat), design engineers, contractors, planners, and other stakeholders to help achieve positive outcomes for our projects.

We seek a dedicated individual to support water resource projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality and regulatory standards. A key aspect of this role is your enthusiasm for learning and developing technical skills in areas such as WRMPs, Drought Plans, WINEP investigations, and water resource modelling (e.g., Pywr, Aquator, Miser), alongside demand management and environmental assessments (HRA, SEA, WFD). You'll apply your strong numerical skills to hydrological analysis and contribute to technical report writing. Furthermore, you'll flexibly support the wider Water and Environment department, collaborating on diverse projects with groundwater, water quality, and flood risk teams.

About You

We welcome people from varied backgrounds (regulatory, academia, water company or consultancy) who have recent experience applying their knowledge of water resources in policy and technical areas. This role will likely suit individuals who are used to working in fast‑paced, multidisciplinary teams. We recognise that you are at a stage in your career where you need support to learn and grow, and Stantec will provide this. We also do not expect you to fulfil all the job requirements at this stage. A willingness to learn combined with strong numerical skills are key.

Ideally you will possess a strong grasp of UK water resource management and drought planning regulations and processes. You'll have practical experience across various water resources projects, including contributing to WRMPs, drought plans, and regional strategies, alongside expertise in supply‑demand balance, hydrological assessments, demand forecasting, and options appraisal. Your role will involve hydrological analysis using tools like Excel, HYSIM, or GR6J, and you'll be proficient in GIS. Direct experience with water resources modelling tools such as Pywr, Miser, or Aquator is also a key requirement.

Feel free to get in touch to discuss our opportunities; as explained, we don't expect people to fulfil the whole set of requirements listed. We have an interesting, versatile workload within the water resource team that requires a diverse background of skills, experience and knowledge and will provide plenty of opportunities for learning and growth.

About Stantec

The Stantec community unites more than 32,000 employees working in over 450 locations across 6 continents. We have been working with our clients and communities in the UK for over 150 years. We plan, design, deliver and manage the development and infrastructure needed to support the creation of sustainable, healthy and prosperous communities.

Our teams provide effective and relevant solutions, translating our clients’ vision into valued consents, deliverable plans for projects and programmes, and efficient designs for delivery, based on technical excellence and deep market insights. We deal with today’s challenges, but also keep a fairer, better tomorrow in sight, looking at how we deliver clean growth, support radical changes in our economy and meet the needs of future communities.

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment.

Building an inspired, inclusive work environment that attracts, supports, and develops world‑class talent is a crucial key to our success. If you are excited by this role but worry that your experience doesn’t exactly align, we encourage you to apply.

At Stantec we want you to perform your best at every stage of the recruitment process and are committed to ensuring it is accessible to all. If you need any support or require adjustments to be made then please contact us and we will talk to you about how we can support you.