Job Description

It\'s a fantastic time to work for the Environment Agency as we the tackle the climate and nature emergency. As part of the Cumbria and Lancashire Water Resource Integrated planning team, and working across the Northern Hub area, you will be at the heart of ensuring the area is resilient and ready to respond to drought to safeguard the environment and water supplies.

You will build area drought resilience, working with your local drought coordinator and across multiple areas, to plan and deliver drought response improvements, working across the hub to ensure that each area in their hub has a current drought plan, a resilient level of drought capability and incident capacity. As part of the national drought communities of practice (water supply, agriculture, regulation), you will help deliver lessons learnt from recent drought, develop guidance (internal and external), develop and deliver training and work with external partners in testing and training.
In addition, you will:

• Shape approaches to drought planning - providing advice and technical support to area, pan-area and national teams.
• Providing support to key incident roles helping us meet the demands of improving our incident preparedness.
• Support area and national operations input during drought, being agile to meet the business need.
• Act as a drought specialist to deliver drought management, planning, preparedness, and response.
• Guide and advise others on drought issues, ensuring decisions are made on sound technical grounds
• Maintain links with national drought groups / staff on behalf of area - raising issues and feeding back to Area Drought Leads. This includes the national drought practitioners\' group.
• Identify external engagement opportunities across the area and hub
• Participate and lead projects to deliver learning from recent drought and planning for drought.

The team

You will sit within the Cumbria & Lancashire Water Resources (WR) Integrated Environment Planning team, we are a new team so it\'s an exciting time for you to join us. The team of technical specialists and officers plan and deliver a wide variety of WR activity. You will add vital leadership capacity to the team, help provide drought resilience planning alongside providing regulation support and building a knowledge base on drought planning activity and response.

Experience/skills required

Your excellent interpersonal and project management skills will be complimented by your ability to achieve results, solve problems, and communicate technical issues in a clear and concise manner to a range of audiences, supported by your drought knowledge.

Through your experience you will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Good interpersonal skills, communication, and presentation skills.
• Self-motivated and able to work on your own initiative or as part of a dispersed team.
• Excellent communication skills and experience of building relationships.
• Ability to work across Area teams, pan-area, OCS and E&B for a joined up and nationally consistent approach.
• Good judgement, problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Good planning & organisational skills, with the ability to handle multiple priorities and deliver to tight timescales.
• Good understanding of water resources management for the environment, and keen to lead our role to ensure a water resilient future.

Contact and additional information

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.

For further information contact Team Leader Rachael Hesketh Rachael.hesketh@environment-agency.gov.uk mobile 07833647569 or Ali Mclean, Senior WR Strategy and Advisor - alison.mclean@environment-agency.gov.uk mobile 07786800315

Interviews will be remote on MS Teams.

Job description attachment 1

Candidate pack

Closing Date:

24/09/2023, 23:55 hours

Level of security checks required

Basic Check

Competence 1

Achieves Results

Description

Please note we do not assess CVs. Answers to these competency questions will be used for interview selection so ensure you draw out your skills and experience in your responses.

Definition: Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.

Question: Give an example of when you have planned and delivered a challenging piece of work to a deadline, where delivery relied on others\' input as much as your own and what you did to achieve this?

Competence 2

Communicates Effectively

Description

Definition: Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately, and persuasively through speech and writing.

Question: Describe a time where you have communicated important and vital information to a technical audience to achieve a stated outcome or result?

Competence 3

Data and Information Management

Description

Definition: Collects, analyses, interprets, records, manages, develops and shares data, material or information appropriately for a variety of purposes.

Question: Give an example of how you manage data and report it and how you keep it up to date?

Competence 4

Takes Decisions and Solves Problems

Description

Definition: Finds and delivers optimal solutions by effectively analysing all the information, probing to develop alternatives, and taking sound and timely decisions.

Question: Describe a situation when you successfully resolved a technical issue and the steps you took to achieve this?

If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit for more information.

Environment Agency