Senior Permitting Officer

Job description

The role within the National Permitting Service will provide technical leadership on regulating chemicals through permits with a focus on discharges to water.

Critical to this role is ensuring EA policy on the permitting of hazardous chemicals and elements in discharges to surface waters is applied effectively to all new permit applications and variations which may have chemicals in their effluents.

The post will support sector specific reviews of existing permits which are identified by E&B as not fit for purpose in terms of chemicals’ regulation. These targeted permit reviews will be led by E&B and will require the post holders to work closely with the Chemicals Regulatory Planning Team and Chemicals Surveillance and Emerging Risks Team.

The post will provide training, mentoring and guidance to all permitting teams across water, installations, and waste. It will support Senior Advisors on more technical issues relating to chemicals, in collaboration with colleagues in E&B and Area operations.

Regular training and mentoring on chemicals regulation will be provided throughout the assignment for the successful candidates by E&B.

Accountabilities include:

• To act as technical lead for chemicals’ permitting in NPS (all regimes)
• To provide guidance for NPS staff to assist them in completing chemical related permitting work that may be needed, in conjunction with E&B Chemicals Regulatory Planning Team.
• Mentoring and support for NPS officers to increase chemicals’ permitting capability and resilience across NPS. Provision of training where the need is identified.
• To contribute to reviews and updates of operational instructions
• To work with E&B Chemicals Regulatory Planning Team and Chemicals Surveillance and Emerging Risks Team identifying permits which need reviewing to reduce chemical pollution, or watercourses where a review of a group of permits is required
• To assist with chemicals related pre-app queries

The team

Working within the National Permitting Services’ – Water Quality Regime Technical Team, you will join an experienced unit of Senior Permitting Officers who work collaboratively with E&B Chemicals Regulatory Planning on a wide range of Chemicals related projects.

This is an assignment opportunity with the possibility of becoming permanent for the right candidate.

Experience/skills required

• Technical working knowledge of the permitting of chemicals
• An understanding of the water discharge permitting process
• An understanding of Installations’ and waste permitting is desirable
• Experience of training and/or mentoring staff in a variety of styles and platforms
• Understands the business, including resourcing pressures
• Demonstrate the Environment Agency’s culture and behaviors
• Recognises strength in diversity, promoting an inclusive workplace
• Build rapport and positive new working relationships quickly
• Be organised and personable
• Undertake national travel to meet dispersed team members and attend meetings if conditions permit

Contact and additional information

We support flexible working patterns and job shares for this role. This role would suit candidates looking for their first technical leadership opportunity.

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market. We are committed to being an inclusive employer, ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, people with a disability, people with gender diverse identities and from varying socio-economic backgrounds.

For more information, contact Simon Hewitt (simon.hewitt@environment-agency.gov.uk - 02030 251 011), Mel Farmer (mel.farmer@environment-agency.gov.uk – 02030 252 370) or Martin Flack (martin.flack@environment-agency.gov.uk – 02030 256 630).

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £37,462.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexitime
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Flexitime

Work Location: In person