Senior Water Quality Officer - 32215

Senior Water Quality Officer - 32215
2
National
All
Staff Grade 5
Permanent
Environment & Sustainability, Science
Full Time, Part Time, Compressed Hours
£43,198

16/11/2025, 23:55 hours

Basic Check
The Environment Agency are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We don't just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it, and live it, for the benefit of our staff, our communities, and our environment.

The Environment Agency protects and improves water quality in our rivers, lakes, and seas. In Operations Catchment Services we help make this happen. We provide a professional water quality modelling service to customers such as our environmental planning, water company account, and permitting teams. Our work helps identify where investments for improvements in water quality are most valuable.

We provide technical advice on water quality topics such as water quality modelling, wastewater flow, and urban drainage. We assess new discharge proposals by combining environmental data with discharge data and recommend actions that will focus infrastructure investment.

As a Senior Water Quality Officer, you will be a national technical leader. You will provide timely answers to technical questions from colleagues, coordinate the response and retain an overview. In the Freshwater team, our primary focus is water quality planning for river catchments and lakes, where we assess the impact of discharges on water quality and help identify potential solutions.

As a team we share and develop our skills and establish great relationships with our customers to ensure they receive the service they need and understand our expert advice.

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training, and alternative working arrangements will be available to help you deliver your incident role.
You’ll join our Water Quality Freshwater Team. We work with a wide range of teams across the country and use technology to communicate, meeting face to face when the need arises. This allows us to be flexible on location for the role.
In E&B we promote a positive, inclusive, and supportive culture where everyone feels valued. We use evidence, expertise, engagement, and innovation to enhance and support delivery, influence policy, legislation, and secure resources.
In your capability-based answers please include any demonstration of:

• Manipulating and analysing large data sets
• Experience of water quality modelling and of the water industry
• Explaining complex information simply
• Using GIS and statistical packages
• Ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and actively encourage others to consider diversity issues in their work.

You’ll have a range of development opportunities and appropriate training will be provided.
You’ll have an EA Office base location, as a national role the working location is flexible / hybrid.

We use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel, some travel and overnights may be required.

Please read the Candidate / Additional Information Pack for information. Any queries, contact Graham.Watt@environment-agency.gov.uk

Applications are “blind” assessed using your answers to the competency questions. More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in the candidate pack.

Interviews will be held via MS Teams within two weeks of the closing date.

If you consent to being held on a reserve list, we’ll hold your details for 6 months and may offer you an alternative post.

#LI-DNI
Communicates Effectively
Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.

You will need to communicate technical data to a wide range of people. Please describe a time when you presented to an audience of varying technical backgrounds.

• What communication style did you use?
• How was your communication received?
• How did you ensure your message had been understood?
• What would you change in future?


If a large number of applications are received, an initial sift using this lead capability may be conducted. Successful candidates will then proceed to a full sift or directly to assessment/interview. Feedback is generally not available at sift stage
Takes Decisions and Solves Problems
Finds and delivers optimal solutions by effectively analysing all the information, probing to develop alternatives and taking sound and timely decisions.

When have you had to solve a complex problem?

• What was the issue?
• What made it complex?
• What information did you need to solve it?
• What was the outcome?
Numerical Modelling and Forecasting
Numerical modelling and forecasting: Interprets data and information to forecast the state of the environment, including large-scale trends such as climate change, and more localised forecasting such as pollution, flooding and water availability.

Describe a time when you have either produced or audited a numerical model, or analysed data, to forecast the state of the environment.

• What were the questions you needed to answer?
• What was the model / data source?
• How did you approach the problem?
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.