Officer - Chemical monitoring programmes - 24316
1
National
All
All
Staff Grade 4
Permanent
Full Time
Environment & Sustainability
£28,785
Monitoring Programme Technical Services (MPTS) provides “national once” activities for the monitoring community. We support the full range of monitoring programmes, such as the new River Surveillance Network and the Emerging Substances programme that looks for new, potentially hazardous chemicals in water and biota samples. We support the different field monitoring activities: habitat, fish and plant surveys in rivers, estuaries and the coastal environment; macroinvertebrates; all water quality programmes and techniques.
This post will be focussed on our chemicals monitoring programme, and includes monitoring for PFAS, the ‘Forever Chemicals’.
Your duties will include working with the water quality lead in MPTS to:
-understand the chemicals monitoring needs of our customers, and turn these into a chemicals monitoring programme;
-manage the site-by-site detail for this programme;
-work with national and Area colleagues to turn the plan into a reality on the ground;
-track and assure its delivery, helping to spot and fix issues with the programme or its delivery;
-audit and quality check the data collected (using our water quality systems such as WIMS, MIDAS, etc)
The successful applicant will need the flexibility to cover other aspect of work within MPTS’s remit as required.
This post will be focussed on our chemicals monitoring programme, and includes monitoring for PFAS, the ‘Forever Chemicals’.
Your duties will include working with the water quality lead in MPTS to:
-understand the chemicals monitoring needs of our customers, and turn these into a chemicals monitoring programme;
-manage the site-by-site detail for this programme;
-work with national and Area colleagues to turn the plan into a reality on the ground;
-track and assure its delivery, helping to spot and fix issues with the programme or its delivery;
-audit and quality check the data collected (using our water quality systems such as WIMS, MIDAS, etc)
The successful applicant will need the flexibility to cover other aspect of work within MPTS’s remit as required.
MPTS is a dispersed team with a strong team identity. We support the delivery of monitoring for ecology, chemistry and fishing in all water categories.
We have our own work areas but work collaboratively to support other members of the team.
Location is flexible.
The successful applicant would be office based, with travel as required.
We have our own work areas but work collaboratively to support other members of the team.
Location is flexible.
The successful applicant would be office based, with travel as required.
• You will have excellent data management skills, to maintain the datasets essential to our monitoring programmes.
• You will help to build and maintain strong relationships in monitoring, to ensure that our monitoring and assessment requirements are completed efficiently and on time.
• You will help support monitoring teams through training, guidance, optimisation and assurance of delivery.
• You will be encouraged and supported by the WQ technical lead to work independently to solve problems with the programme.
• You will be supported in working collaboratively with the wider MPTS team.
• You will have good written and verbal communication skills, and work towards being comfortable engaging with staff at all levels.
• You will work towards having good influencing skills to ensure the right people are carrying out the right activities in the right way.
• You will help to build and maintain strong relationships in monitoring, to ensure that our monitoring and assessment requirements are completed efficiently and on time.
• You will help support monitoring teams through training, guidance, optimisation and assurance of delivery.
• You will be encouraged and supported by the WQ technical lead to work independently to solve problems with the programme.
• You will be supported in working collaboratively with the wider MPTS team.
• You will have good written and verbal communication skills, and work towards being comfortable engaging with staff at all levels.
• You will work towards having good influencing skills to ensure the right people are carrying out the right activities in the right way.
For more information about the post, please contact; Rob Barron (07795 061 668) or Katie Smith (07771 940712). This role is advertised as full-time, but we are open to other working arrangements.
Interviews will be in the week commencing 10th October 2022, over video conferencing.
The interview will be competency based, using some or all the three competencies listed below, plus ‘Communicates effectively’ from the Environment Agency’s Capability Dictionary.
Interviews will be in the week commencing 10th October 2022, over video conferencing.
The interview will be competency based, using some or all the three competencies listed below, plus ‘Communicates effectively’ from the Environment Agency’s Capability Dictionary.
02/10/2022, 23:55 hours
Basic Check
Builds and Sustains Relationships
Description: Develops and maintains effective working relationships
In this post, you could be interacting with any of the individuals, teams or parts of the organisation that are involved with different types of monitoring, analysis and assessment. Some of these people or groups may be familiar to you, and others will be less familiar.
Please show how have you used your skills to build a new, successful relationship, and how did you keep it strong over time?
PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection. Please draw out your skills and experience in your response. Your examples can be from within work, or from outside the work environment.
In this post, you could be interacting with any of the individuals, teams or parts of the organisation that are involved with different types of monitoring, analysis and assessment. Some of these people or groups may be familiar to you, and others will be less familiar.
Please show how have you used your skills to build a new, successful relationship, and how did you keep it strong over time?
PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection. Please draw out your skills and experience in your response. Your examples can be from within work, or from outside the work environment.
Data and Information Management
Description: Collects, analyses, interprets, records, manages, develops, and shares data, material or information appropriately for a variety of purposes.
In this post, you will be regularly working with environmental data and information. This could include a list of monitoring locations on a spreadsheet, or a set of chemical results on an archive. We need to be confident that the data are being collected in the right place, using the right technique and to the right quality.
Please show how have you used your skills to manage a dataset, and how did you make sure it was the right quality.
PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection. Please draw out your skills and experience in your response. Your examples can be from within work, or from outside the work environment.
In this post, you will be regularly working with environmental data and information. This could include a list of monitoring locations on a spreadsheet, or a set of chemical results on an archive. We need to be confident that the data are being collected in the right place, using the right technique and to the right quality.
Please show how have you used your skills to manage a dataset, and how did you make sure it was the right quality.
PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection. Please draw out your skills and experience in your response. Your examples can be from within work, or from outside the work environment.
Achieves Results
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.
In this post there will be timescales and deadlines to work to. Please describe a time when had to deliver a piece of work or a project to a tight deadline. In your answer, you could include;
• How you achieved the result,
• The decisions you made when prioritising your work,
• How you would approach it differently if you had to do it again.
PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection. Please draw out your skills and experience in your response. Your examples can be from within work, or from outside the work environment.
Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.
In this post there will be timescales and deadlines to work to. Please describe a time when had to deliver a piece of work or a project to a tight deadline. In your answer, you could include;
• How you achieved the result,
• The decisions you made when prioritising your work,
• How you would approach it differently if you had to do it again.
PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection. Please draw out your skills and experience in your response. Your examples can be from within work, or from outside the work environment.
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.
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.
This Vacancy is closed to applications.