Environment Agency • Welwyn Garden City
About this role
The Biodiversity and Geomorphology team are looking for an enthusiastic Biodiversity Technical Officer to provide advice, guidance, and technical support within the Hertfordshire and North London area. The team has a vast amount of biodiversity expertise, and you’ll be offered mentoring and development opportunities. We cover a diverse range of environments including a mix of urban and rural catchments.
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual, with proven technical and inter-personal skills, to be part of a friendly and hardworking team. You'll be responsible for covering a wide geographical area, providing high quality biodiversity technical advice.
You will provide input into a range of projects. You will help identify, design, and deliver a programme of mitigation and restoration activities in surface waters to deliver measurable environmental outcomes. Your work with operational staff will ensure we prevent or minimise ecological impacts from our own activities and those we regulate.
You will proactively engage staff throughout the EA, communicating with colleagues internally and externally to successfully build trusted networks and strong partnerships to maximise delivery.
You will support our statutory work, acting as a consultee on planning and permitting applications, providing biodiversity advice and guidance to ensure compliance.
You will keep up to date on changing legislation and best practice to inform internal priorities and direction. We will shape the job in a way that builds on your strengths and interests and reflects the developing needs of the business.
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. Full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role. This may attract an additional payment.
The team
The team plays a pivotal role in supporting the organisation to achieve biodiversity and ecological objectives. We screen and advise on internal plans and projects for potential biodiversity and geomorphology impacts, ensuring compliance with legislation. We identify opportunities to deliver multiple benefits through river basin management and flood risk management. We seek to develop and influence partnerships and organisations to help meet the objectives of the WFD and 25 Year Environment Plan.
Experience/skills required
You’ll be qualified to degree standard (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline and have the ability and knowledge to
Provide guidance to ensure compliance with Environment Agency policy and current legislation.
Apply influencing skills and knowledge of stakeholder engagement techniques to work with both internal and external teams and partners.
Provide knowledge of wetland and river conservation and legislation relating to wildlife and designated sites, and an understanding of policies relating to biodiversity.
Achieve outcomes in line with the objectives of the Water Framework Directive.
Be a passionate and confident biodiversity champion, understanding it’s importance and being able to communicate this to others.
Be open to innovative ways of working, especially new opportunities to work with nature.