Flood & Water Project Officer - Sustainable Drainage

About the team

If you have a passion for the environment and are keen to work with our SuDS and Watercourses Team in Hertfordshire to fulfil our aspiration to create a greener, cleaner, healthier environment, then this could be the role for you.

Hertfordshire County Council declared a climate emergency in July 2019 and is committed to Net Zero by 2030. This position has a direct role in facilitating a sustainable future for Hertfordshire, as well as allowing the county to adapt to climate change. Your role would involve working within LEADS (Landscape, Ecology, Archaeology, Design and Sustainability), a multidisciplinary environmental team.

This role is a mid-level position ideally suited for candidates who already hold a degree of experience but are looking to take the next step in their career development.

About the role

We are looking for an individual with the ability and expertise to provide timely, high-quality advice and expert consultation on the flood risk, engineering designs and sustainable drainage aspects of planning proposals and applications. You will also input into flood risk management within the county through the regulation, inspection and enforcement of ordinary watercourses. You will have a critical role in the Council’s response to flooding events and long-term goal to provide sustainable housing growth. The successful applicant will be expected to support the Flood Risk Management Team following major flood events through desk and field-based flood investigations, liaison with affected residents and other stakeholders such as the Environment Agency and Thames Water.

You will join the SuDS and Watercourses Team, contributing to reducing flood risk while supporting sustainable growth within Hertfordshire and ensuring the Council meets its statutory responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, primarily in its role as a statutory consultee in the planning system.

Our ambition is to ensure that sustainable growth in Hertfordshire can be achieved without increasing flood risk elsewhere and ideally, reducing flood risk to existing properties where possible.

Responsibilities of this role include:

• Providing a professional & compliant flood risk advisory service to Local Planning Authorities & developers, prioritising workload to achieve timescales
• Ensuring that development proposals with high flood risk/social impact are prioritised
• Providing pre-application advice on a range of projects, from housing sites and commercial proposals to large solar farms
• Ensuring that all relevant casework information is recorded and reported to the required standard
• Supporting senior colleagues in the delivery of the team’s objectives
• Managing relationships with LPA to strengthen the role of sustainable drainage in Hertfordshire
• Working collaboratively with partner organisations within the Hertfordshire spatial planning and flood management fields
• Engaging with local, regional and national networks to benefit the service and contribute to wider HCC strategy development
• Supporting wider HCC Lead Local Flood Authority activity including investigating of flood incidents and securing corrective action

About you

You will be progressing your knowledge of relevant national policy and legislation covering flood risk/sustainable drainage, spatial planning, and hold a relevant qualification. You will be used to communicating ideas persuasively orally and in writing and collaborating with a range of colleagues, consultants, professionals, partners, and members of the public. You will enjoy working as part of a team and independently and have examples of where you have negotiated with external parties to achieve justified and appropriate outcomes within set timeframes.

You will exhibit an enthusiasm to raise understanding of the benefits and importance of sustainable drainage and flood risk management and see them reflected in placemaking, with an ambition to make a difference in Hertfordshire’s environment. Through this role you be able to progress your career in Flood Risk Management, whilst contributing to sustainable growth in Hertfordshire.

A full current driving licence is desirable as the role will involve site visits not accessible via public transport.

You will be joining an experienced and expanding Lead Local Flood Authority and will be supported in your development (including in gaining/progression CIWEM membership) as you support others in theirs.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact David Uncle on 01992 555839 for an informal discussion about the role.

Closing date: 16 May 2025.