Senior Environment and Planning Specialist

We have an exciting new vacancy for a Senior Environment Planning Specialist to join us. If you
are looking for a role that has a focus on our local environment and you love engaging with
equally passionate people, then we want to hear from you!

We will consider applicants on a full-time or a part time basis for this role.

What you’ll do

Our in-house Environment and Planning Services team provides a wide range of services to
facilitate project delivery for engineering, construction and operational projects.

Our focus is to ensure legal compliance and environmental best practice is followed and that
current legislation and the company environmental policy are met in the development and
maintenance of assets.

The Senior Environment Planning Specialist will support a diverse range of projects and enjoy
the satisfaction of working on and influencing their projects from outline design through to
completion.

Supporting our agreed rolling five-year programmes of work – all within the Wessex Water region
– and working closely with our in-house design teams, our Senior Environment Planning
Specialist spend the majority of their time working on projects and enjoy a good work/life
balance.

You will regularly visit sites to better inform the environment and planning risks on our
projects. However, long distance travel and supporting fee proposals are not a feature of this
role.

Your responsibilities will include:

• managing a portfolio of individual projects from initial design through to construction,
  working closely with Design Engineers and Project Managers to minimise the environmental
  impacts and risks of projects
• securing environmental consents to project programme, carrying out external consultation
  and completing consent applications (including planning applications, environmental permits and
  producing supporting reports where required)
• reviewing permitted development/planning permission requirements and environmental
  constraints for a range of water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment projects
• advising Engineers and Programme Managers on environmental risks, consents, issues,
  timescales and costs
• advising on specialist environmental issues (for example, archaeology, noise, odour,
  contaminated land, flood risk, landscape assessment, and pollution prevention)
• consulting with external authorities and bodies to agree the surveys, assessments and
  method statements required to support individual consent applications
• carrying out specialist environmental survey and assessment work within project deadlines
  to support consent application, including managing specialist sub-contractors where necessary
  (eg, archaeologists and arboriculturalists)
• working closely with construction teams to advise on constraints and provide specialist
  environmental support to ensure consents are understood and environmental risks are minimised
  on construction sites
• preparing construction environmental management plans and providing ongoing construction
  site support.

What you’ll need

To be considered you must have significant project experience in a project delivery focussed
planning or environmental role.

Essential

• A good working knowledge of UK EIA and planning legislation.
• Experience in pre-planning consultation and preparing planning applications, including the
  preparation of supporting environmental information.
• Knowledge of environmental good practices during construction including pollution
  prevention planning.
• Excellent communication/negotiation skills with colleagues, technical specialists, external
  organisations and the public.
• A high level of organisational skills and the ability to manage own projects, workload and
  deadlines.
• Good IT skills.
• A full UK driving licence.

Preferred

• An understanding of sewage and water treatment processes.
• An understanding of construction practices.
• GIS skills.
• An awareness of ISO14001 Environmental Management Systems.
• Good presentation/public speaking skills.
• A relevant degree in an environmental or similar related subject and membership to a
  relevant Professional Institution.

What you’ll receive

• Total pension contributions up to 20%.
• Career progression and professional development opportunities.
• 25 days’ holiday rising to 28 with length of service.
• The opportunity to buy up to ten days’ holiday and sell up to five every year.
• A healthcare package that allows you to claim back healthcare costs.
• Life assurance of up to eight times your salary.
• A new electric car in exchange for part of your gross salary.
• Cashback and discounts from more than 3,000 retailers.
• One paid volunteering day each year.
• Enhanced family leave and pay arrangements.
• An interactive health and wellbeing platform.
• Support from mental health first aiders.
• A £1,000 referral fee if you recommend someone to work for us.

Who we are

We are one of the top-performing water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, serving 2.9
million people across the South West.

The work we do goes beyond providing an essential public service. We also aim to have a
positive impact on the communities we serve and the natural environment.

Our people tell us Wessex Water is a great place to work, which is why so many of them stay
with us! You will have the opportunity to develop and progress your career, while also
receiving health and wellbeing support.

We also continue to promote diversity and inclusion – with that in mind, all applicants are
welcome. We are delighted to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and are a Disability
Confident Employer.

This is an exciting opportunity to join us and if you would like to be part of our journey, we
would love to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to let us know about any additional support
you may need.

Sound interesting? Apply to start your application.