About the role
We’re looking for a Catchment Advisor to join our water team. In this position, you will be the company’s internal and external catchment stakeholder point of contact for the Whittle Dene Reservoirs catchment, and the River Wear catchment. You will deliver the company’s catchment management initiatives to be completed over the next 5 years – until March 2025, to ensure the protection of water resources now and into the future.
We are seeking an individual with strong communication and stakeholder management skills in order to develop good relationships and partnerships with farmers, landowners, agronomists, regulators, local authorities and NGOs. You’ll be confident attending meetings and events as a representative of Northumbrian Water.
With a background of working with the agricultural sector, and by building relationships at the local farm level, you will provide on-farm advice that supports sustainable farming and the adoption of good farming practices that minimise the levels of pollution reaching local watercourses. You will influence the implementation of water pollution mitigation measures in order to ensure our provision of clean, safe and sustainable drinking water.
You will also help maintain the company’s catchment risk assessments and investigate sources of point and diffuse water pollution from a range of substances including pesticides and cryptosporidium, through the collection and analysis of water quality sample data and land use risk assessments.
About you
You’ll be approachable and engaging, with strong working knowledge of agri-environment schemes and demonstrable experience of farm advice provision. With excellent presentation skills, you’ll be IT literate and familiar with using a GIS application.
We need you to be proactive in order to manage and prioritise your own workload, with a mixture of office-based activity, attending meetings, organising events for farmers, as well as working outside conducting farm visits. Given the nature of this role we need you to be flexible and travel around Northumbrian Water’s operating area so you’ll need a full driving licence.
Ideally, although not essential, you’ll hold a BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection or Soil & Water, and be FACTS qualified. You’ll also be educated to a minimum of HNC or equivalent in agricultural science, agronomy or related subject.
Please note
This role has been defined as a safety or security critical role and as a condition of a formal offer of employment you’ll be required to undergo a drug and alcohol test. Prospective employees and agency workers in defined safety and security critical roles will be required to undertake a drug and alcohol test after the job offer has been made. This will be prior to or within four weeks of their start date.
Prospective employees and agency workers who fail a pre-employment urine drug screen will have their sample analysed by the Company appointed laboratory as a matter of course. Failing a pre-employment drugs or alcohol test may lead to the job offer being revoked.
What we will give you
At Northumbrian Water we want you to be the best you can be and we also want you to feel it’s a great place to work. Frequently people spend their career with us, some because they’ve found their niche, others because of the opportunities to progress through the organisation.
We’re the great company we are because of our people and as our way of saying thanks, we offer a wide range of benefits and discounts to take advantage of including; buying and selling holidays, discounts and cashback offers, free fishing and cycle2work.
About us
Northumbrian Water is more than just a water company. We are one team, fulfilling many roles, working together to ensure our customers have clean, fresh, running water, whilst providing great customer service, protecting the environment, and supporting local communities.
We Live Water, all our amazing people are helping us become the national leader in the provision of sustainable water and waste water services.
