Environmental Crime Officer (Water Industry) - Thames - 34297

Environmental Crime Officer (Water Industry) - Thames - 34297
3
London, South East
Farnham , London, Wallingford , Welwyn Garden City
Staff Grade 4
Permanent
Environment & Sustainability
Full Time, Part Time/Job Share
£34,320

18/05/2026, 23:55 hours

ER04 Job Family Role Profile Environment & Regulation, Grade 4

Basic Check

Are you ready to make a real difference? Join our new water industry enforcement team and take the lead in addressing serious and complex environmental issues within the water industry.  
 
Bringing your enthusiasm and experience in regulation, enforcement or investigative work, you’ll play a pivotal role in driving positive change. Guided by a Senior Environmental Crime Officer, you’ll undertake investigations, gather and critically analyse evidence, and deliver impactful enforcement actions. Your contributions will include preparing detailed, high-quality case files that empower the Environment Agency to take decisive action against underperforming sites.  
 
What will you do?  

  • Investigate environmental offences, including supporting site inspections and gathering evidence.  
  • Analyse data and materials from site inspections to identify potential offences.  
  • Write and collect witness statements.  
  • Exhibit evidence and conduct interviews under caution with suspected offenders. 
  • Take clear ownership of cases and progress them from referral through to outcome, including identifying appropriate governance, escalation, or enforcement routes. 
  • Adapt proactively to changing business needs, priorities, and emerging risks, reprioritising work to support team and organisational objectives. 
  • Prepare case files and disclosure schedules in line with the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Code of Practice.  
  • Use digital case management and evidence systems confidently to accurately record case progression, decisions taken, and evidential rationale. 
  • Collaborate effectively across multiple teams to support prioritisation, resource allocation, and delivery within shared workloads. 
  • Provide evidence in court when required.  
  • Liaise with other agencies and local authorities.  
  • Complete relevant training in water industry regulation and be able to identify offences and impacts accurately. 

This role requires travel and occasional overnight stays, so a full UK driving licence is required. You can choose to be based from any of the following offices: Farnham, Wallingford, London Abbey Wood or Welwyn Garden City.

The Water Industry Enforcement team is dedicated to addressing serious and complex performance issues within the water industry, driving improvements in compliance and environmental standards. 

Based in our South East enforcement hub, facing Thames Water, your team will work closely with one or more water companies to achieve these goals. You will mostly be office based with occasional travel to deliver work on investigations and enforcement across your hub. 

To succeed in this role, you should be able to demonstrate a methodical approach with a keen eye for detail, confidence in both verbal and written communication, resilience, flexibility, and professionalism whilst dealing with challenging situations or individuals. You will be able to complete tasks accurately and with minimum supervision, either working individually or as part of a team.  
 
Essential:  

  • Experience in an investigatory or regulatory role, with knowledge of evidence collection and production of case files.  
  • Experience of working with customers.  

Desirable:  

  • An understanding of environmental legislation including the Environmental Permitting Regulations and Environment Act.  
  • Working knowledge of investigative legislation, for example the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and Criminal Procedures and Investigations Act.  
  • Knowledge of corporate investigations.  
  • Experience of proactively establishing good working relationships with colleagues and/or external partners.

We’d love to inspire you to apply. If you have any questions, please contact regulationresourcing@environment-agency.gov.uk

Interviews are expected to take place during the fortnight commencing 1st June.

You’ll be required to undertake an incident role to support effective incident response or business continuity. These roles may attract additional pay, with full training and flexible working arrangements provided. We offer a range of incident roles and will work with you to identify the most suitable option.

A reserve list will be held for six months and may be used to offer similar roles, including fixed-term opportunities.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience.

Achieves Results
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.

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

Please tell us about a time when you had to prioritise a piece of work. Why was it a priority?
Communicates Effectively
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.

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

Please provide an example of a time where communication was key to ensuring you delivered a piece of work.
Illegal Activity Detection and Enforcement
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.

Description: Uses intelligence to detect suspected illegal activities. Instigates and carries out enforcement action where illegal activities have been detected.

Please give an example of when you have identified an offence, and used intelligence to drive an enforcement action.
Full UK driving licence
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 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the  Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

This Vacancy is closed to applications.