Water Neutrality Officer

About the role: 

Horsham District Council, alongside Crawley Borough Council, Chichester District Council, Mid
Sussex District Council, South Downs National Park Authority, and West Sussex County Council
(the Sussex North authorities) are required to demonstrate ‘water neutrality’ for new
development in the Sussex North Water Resource Zone. This means that any new development in
this area cannot use more water than before the development existed. Therefore, offsetting
water use on existing developments in the Sussex North area is a critical part of the process
to demonstrate water neutrality. This role will support the Water Neutrality Project Manager
with activities associated with the development and implementation of a multi-million pound
joint local authority-led water offsetting scheme to support planned development in Sussex
North.

The post holder will be employed by Horsham District Council in the Strategic Planning team,
working on behalf of all the Sussex North authorities. The role will be based at Horsham
District Council’s Parkside office in Horsham, with occasional visits to the offices of the
other Sussex North authorities and site visits to offsetting properties and opportunities.

As a Water Neutrality Officer you will identify and engage with potential offsetting providers
across the Sussex North area and secure properties and opportunities to be used as part of the
water offsetting scheme, as well as managing ongoing relationships with property owners and
offsetting measure providers. You will need to prepare regular progress reports and updates on
the status of offsetting activities for internal and external stakeholders in line with the
projects reporting requirements. You will also be required to support the Project Manager and
wider project team with other project comms and engagement activities, including supporting the
Project Manager or others representing the Sussex North authorities at Local and Neighbourhood
Plan examinations, hearings and public inquiries, and NSIP examinations, presenting as
required, to seek to ensure that development takes place in accordance with national and local
planning policy guidance.

About you:

To succeed as a Water Neutrality Officer, you will be educated to Degree level in a relevant
subject, or have equivalent experience demonstrating a high level of applied knowledge in
environmental issues with a focus on water resources management, land or property management or
development, ‘neutrality’ issues, or offsetting. You will have Chartered Membership,
eligibility to progress to membership, or willingness to work towards membership of a relevant
professional body (e.g. CIWEM, RTPI, RICS, APM).

You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively
engage with a diverse range of stakeholders and to convey complex and/or contentious issues to
various audiences through various means, successfully building credible working relationships
and positive partnership working. You will have a proven ability to work independently and
collaboratively in a dispersed team in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, managing multiple
priorities and deadlines, and using strong problem-solving skills to identify, evaluate and
secure water offsetting opportunities. You will have excellent time management and
organisational skills, be computer literate and able to use a variety of programs as part of
your work.

We would particularly welcome applications from those with a sound understanding of water
management principles, including water efficiency and/or water scarcity; knowledge of relevant
UK legislation; experience in securing land use agreements, negotiating contracts, and managing
supplier relationships; proficiency with project management tools, scheduling, and reporting;
and/or those with experience working in the public sector or with local authorities.

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Clark Gordon, Water Neutrality
Project Manager, at [email protected] (between 13th to 25th June, and 8th to
12th July), or Catherine Howe, Strategic Planning Manager, at [email protected]
(between 26th June to 5th July).

About us:

We have a friendly and supportive working environment and being a smaller Council, you can
really get to know everybody.

We encourage and support our employees to have a healthy work life balance by offering 28 days’
(207.2 hours) annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata), and flexible/hybrid working options
where applicable.

We offer a generous benefits package including an online platform offering discounts from
online retailers and access to a car lease scheme. Staff are also eligible to join the Local
Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), where the Council contributes circa 20% of pensionable
salary.

To support employees’ professional development the Council provides reimbursement for
professional subscriptions and a number of training opportunities, including extensive in-house
learning resources, short courses, Apprenticeships, and qualifications such as Institute of
Leadership & Management (ILM), Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Visit our Jobs and careers page to
find out more about Working for
Horsham District Council and Our employment
commitments.

To apply:

If you would like to apply for the role, we highly recommend you show clearly within the
‘Experience Section’ of the application form how you meet the essential criteria detailed
within the Role Profile when applying. If you do not make this clear, it is unlikely you will
be shortlisted for interview.

Closing date: 12 July 2024