Closing Date 2025-03-01 Job Title: Nature Based Solutions Specialists Location: Worthing/Brighton/Remote Contract Type: Permanent Hours: 37 hours per week Salary: £competitive, depending on skills and experience Principal up to £65k, Senior up to £55k, Specialist up to £50k The Environment & Innovation team is at the forefront of Southern Water’s drive to enhance and protect the environment. Deploying the latest innovative solutions and working in partnership with our customers and stakeholders, the team takes a holistic approach to managing water quality and flow across the region. Currently delivering a £50million portfolio which rapidly expands to over £2 billion over the next 10 years. This is a fast-paced team that is now expanding to continue to deliver a larger programme of sustainable and innovative solutions. We have a range of brand-new Nature Based Solutions roles available (from Principal/Senior to Specialist) created to join our Environment & Innovation team. Job Overview These are critical roles underpinning the implementation of our Catchment Management strategies, which influence our 5-to-50-year strategic plans. The catchment management programme is driving environmental benefit via the delivery of our regulatory commitments such as the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) and statutory plans such as the Water Resource Management Plan, Drought Plan and Water Resources Southeast. Key focus of the roles are: to support delivery of our regulatory programme, supporting the Catchment Hydrogeology Strategy Manager to technically manage the implementation, delivery and reporting of our regulatory investigations, impact assessments, ecological improvement schemes and compliance requirements. to be responsible for undertaking technical evaluation / recommendations on environmental nature-based measures that will likely be needed to mitigate predicted environmental challenges from our operations. to provide specialist advice to the wider business in relation to hydroecology, planning and development, environmental policy etc. to contribute to industry forums promoting Southern Waters Catchment First approach. About You The role holders will actively promote and effectively collaborate on catchment solutions with our regulators (Environment Agency, Natural England and DWI), catchment stakeholders (Rivers Trusts, Wildlife Trusts) and community groups, driving the principals of the Catchment First approach. You will have: demonstrable expertise in ecology, river / wetland restoration, biodiversity enhancement, Habitats Directive, Water Framework Directive, planning and development. proven expertise of technical report writing. the ability to demonstrate the completion of quality multi-disciplinary tasks on time to a consistent & high standard. experience of designing and delivering nature-based solutions. excellent verbal, written and presentation skills. excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to work effectively under pressure is essential. experience managing delivery of technical work via sub-contracted consultancy teams. experience translating regulatory environmental requirements into deliverable and manageable work streams. degree in relevant environmental discipline or relevant work experience. Package This role will be full time Monday to Friday with a hybrid approach to working between our Worthing or Brighton office and home. We are offering a competitive salary as well as other benefits including: Generous pension up to 11% company contribution 25 days annual leave Life assurance equal to 4x salary Salary sacrifice electric car scheme (after 6 months service) Health Cash Plan Full funded eye tests Two paid volunteering days a year Occupational health service Discounts with over 800 popular retailers Digital GP service Study support may be available for job-related qualifications Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options Cycle to work scheme Join our Environment & Innovation team and see how far your career could progress with a company committed to career progression, training and development opportunities, our customers and the environment. Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role? Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position. Privacy Statement: Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application. All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.