Number of jobs available: 1
Region: South East
City/Town: West Malling
Building/Site: DEFRA GRP EA ORCHARD HOUSE, ME19 5SH
Grade: Staff Grade 4
Post Type: Fixed Term
Role Type: Environment & Sustainability, Operational Delivery
Working Pattern: Full Time
Salary Minimum: ÂŁ33,000 Pro-rata
Closing Date: 18/05/2025, 23:55 hours
Job description attachment 1
Job Profile – 30889.pdf – 68KB
Candidate pack
Candidate Pack – 30889.docx – 2042KB
Converted File Candidate Pack – 30889.docx.pdf – 718KB
Security checks level: Basic Check
Job description
We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please clearly include any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.
Kent has a great variety of geological and groundwater interests and pressures. Groundwater is vital for maintaining the health of rivers, wetlands and is essential for industrial and agricultural sectors. Groundwater also serves 80-100% of Kent’s private water supply for over 5 Water Companies in the area. We support the appropriate regulation and management of this precious resource in a variety of ways including, but not limited to:
- Responding to planning consultations from local authorities.
- Providing technical advice to customers on sites affected by land contamination.
- Working with our National Permitting Service to determine Environmental Permits and consents.
- Providing technical advice on compliance activities to internal regulatory teams, including waste, installations and water regulation.
- Supporting the management of Kent’s Groundwater Quality networks and assessing the resulting data.
- Providing groundwater quality specific advice to various internal and external customers and stakeholders, especially other teams within the area
- Supporting the team’s technical specialists in progressing groundwater quality projects.
By doing the above, you will play a critical role in safeguarding the quality of our groundwater and ensuring that improvements are achieved.
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. This may attract an additional payment and full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.
The team
- Team covers the whole of Kent, South London and East Sussex (KSLE, its members are dispersed across our offices in KSLES. We work with a variety of other teams across the Environment Agency, external customers and partners through written communication, in person, virtual meetings, and site visits.
- The team has a supportive culture despite being dispersed. We prioritise personal and professional development of team members, including supporting membership to two relevant professional bodies.
Experience/skills required
- You will hold a degree or similar in a relevant discipline, relevant work experience, with the ability to
demonstrate an awareness and/or experience of the following skills; - Contaminated land and groundwater quality knowledge.
- Ability to solve problems, make risk-based decisions based on complex or incomplete information.
- Ability to use technical knowledge to present a clear, reasoned justification for decisions.
- Ability to work as part of a team to achieve common goals.
- Excellent communication skills including the ability to communicate with a variety of customers.
- Be a member of a relevant professional body/have a desire to work towards this.
- Understanding of key environmental legislation (i.e.: Environmental Permitting Regulations, Environment Protection Act and the Water Framework Directive).
- Experience in project management is desirable.
Other key requirements for this job include; good IT skills, data handling and analysis, good time management , developed organisational skills.
Contact and additional information
The role will be based in Kent and interviews are planned for early June 2025. The interviews may use different capabilities and questions to the application form and there will be a technical assessment.
For further details please contact Rebecca Buhrmann at Rebecca.buhrmann@environment-agency.gov.uk.
The office location is ideally Addington. Other Kent offices including Tonbridge and Canterbury are also considered. We offer hybrid working with a mix of office and home working where appropriate. You will be required to travel within Kent and South London on a regular basis, including a minimum of 1 day a week for in office team meetings. Travel to other EA locations will be required on occasion for meetings and training.
Full UK driving licence is essential.
Length of contract: Until 31/03/26
Competence 1: Data and Information Management
Description
Please note we do not assess CVs. It is your answers given to the questions below that will be used for interview selection so ensure you draw out your skills and experience in your response. We encourage you to refer to the candidate pack for a link to our “EA capability dictionary” You may find it helpful to research the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach when formulating your response.
Please provide an example of a time you have demonstrated the competency in the question set out below (the answer you provide will be assessed as part of your application):
Please tell us about a time when you have had to manage information to support the work of others. How did you ensure the correctness of this information whilst meeting organisational and/or legislative requirements?
Competence 2: Scientific Knowledge
Description
Please note we do not assess CVs. It is your answers given to the questions below that will be used for interview selection so ensure you draw out your skills and experience in your response. We encourage you to refer to the candidate pack for a link to our “EA capability dictionary” You may find it helpful to research the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach when formulating your response.
Please provide an example of a time you have demonstrated the competency in the question set out below (the answer you provide will be assessed as part of your application):
Describe a situation where you had to apply your scientific knowledge to design and implement an environmental programme or project. What were the objectives, methods and outcomes? How did you ensure the quality and reliability of the data collected? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Competence 3: Focuses on Customers and Partners
Description
Please note we do not assess CVs. It is your answers given to the questions below that will be used for interview selection so ensure you draw out your skills and experience in your response. We encourage you to refer to the candidate pack for a link to our “EA capability dictionary” You may find it helpful to research the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach when formulating your response.
Please provide an example of a time you have demonstrated the competency in the question set out below (the answer you provide will be assessed as part of your application):
Please tell us about a time you have delivered a successful outcome by working with and balancing the needs other teams and team members.
Competence 4: Manages Self
Description
Please note we do not assess CVs. It is your answers given to the questions below that will be used for interview selection so ensure you draw out your skills and experience in your response. We encourage you to refer to the candidate pack for a link to our “EA capability dictionary” You may find it helpful to research the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach when formulating your response.
Please provide an example of a time you have demonstrated the competency in the question set out below (the answer you provide will be assessed as part of your application):
Please describe a time when you have had to manage multiple workstreams, with competing deadlines and priorities. What were the challenges you faced and how did you overcome these.
Role specific license requirements: Full UK Driving Licence
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.
