Job Description 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. We are looking for a dynamic thinker who feels passionately about reducing the impacts of chemicals in the environment. You will work with technical specialists to deliver complex and challenging work with a range of duties. You will be expected to lead your own work, and also work with others. You do not need to be a chemist, but an awareness of the environmental risks posed by chemicals is essential. Duties may include: Technical support to the Chemicals Investigation Programme, a long-running collaboration of investigations with the water industry to understand and control chemicals in sewage effluents and the environment. Delivery of our Priority and Early Warning System on chemicals of emerging concern. Working with Defra, other UK Regulators, external parties and other parts of the EA such as the National Laboratory Service. Supporting the River Basin Planning chemicals lead on all aspects of our approach to chemical classification. Supporting the chemical monitoring technical lead to commission monitoring and ensure our monitoring programme is fit for purpose to build our body of evidence of emerging risks. Producing technical responses for formal government questions, public enquiries, and information requests. Assisting with permitting work across sectors to address complex chemical issues and develop a strategy for the effective regulation of chemicals. The team The post sits within the Chemicals Surveillance and Emerging Risks Team in the Chemicals Programme, a national team within the Environment and Business Directorate. The team is focused on ensuring emerging chemical risks are identified and with building robust evidence to influence policy and inform our regulatory responses. We are a dispersed team, and you will need to be comfortable working virtually via MS teams. We hold quarterly team meetings in either Birmingham or Bristol. Experience/skills Required You will have an awareness of ongoing concerns about chemicals in the environment and be comfortable working with technical reports and large data sets. Government, regulatory or industrial experience of one or more environmental regimes (e.g. air quality/contaminated land/water quality/waste classification, etc.) is essential. You will be: a motivated self-starter, with a can-do approach well organised with good attention to detail used to working under your own initiative and a good team player comfortable working in a virtual team able to balance multiple pieces of work in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities flexible and able to positively respond to changing priorities able to adapt communication styles to suit your audience and have strong written communication skills proficient in Word, PowerPoint and Excel and familiar with MS Teams and SharePoint You’ll have a range of development opportunities. Appropriate training will be provided. Contact and additional information You’ll have an incident management objective in your development plan. We’ll support you to find an incident role to suit your needs and circumstances. Appropriate training will be given. You’ll have an EA Office base location, but your choice of working location is flexible. We use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel, some travel and overnights will be required. Please see Candidate / Additional Information Pack for more information. Any queries, contact martin.flackenvironment-agency.gov.uk Applications are “blind” assessed using your answers to the competency questions. Interviews will be held via MS Teams in September 2024. 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. Competence 1 Communicates Effectively Description Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing. "Tell me about a time when you have had to communicate well to win someone over to your point of view. What made your communication so successful?" Competence 2 Takes Decisions and Solves Problems Description Finds and delivers optimal solutions by effectively analysing all the information, probing to develop alternatives and taking sound and timely decisions. "Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision to solve a complex problem when you did not have all of the relevant facts. How did you make your decision?" Competence 3 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. "Using a specific example please explain your involvement in the delivery of a high-quality project or other significant piece of work in an environmental field. What did you do to ensure the work was delivered on time and to a high standard?" Competence 4 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 role you will use water quality data to monitor for chemical pollutants in the environment and to make decisions about their future regulation. Tell me about a time when you have used environmental data. How did you use the data and what considerations did you have?" 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.