TECHNICAL SPECIALIST GROUNDWATER AND CONTAMINATED LAND - 31418

Technical Specialist Groundwater and Contaminated Land - 31418
Number of jobs available
1
Region
North West
City/Town
Penrith , Preston
Building/Site

DEFRA GRP EA GHYLL MOUNT, CA11 9BP, DEFRA GRP EA LUTRA HOUSE, PR5 8BX

Grade
Staff Grade 5
Post Type
Permanent
Role Type
Operational Delivery
Working Pattern
Full Time, Part Time/Job Share
Salary Minimum
£41,617
Closing Date:
27/07/2025, 23:55 hours
Job description attachment 1
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Candidate pack
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Security checks level
Basic Check
Job description
At the Environment Agency we aspire for inclusivity to thrive in our workforce. We embrace equal opportunities and flexible work arrangements, ensuring everyone can contribute and succeed.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced geoscientist with skills in technical leadership, groundwater quality and land contamination management in Cumbria and Lancashire.
You will use your technical knowledge and professional judgement to make challenging operational and regulatory decisions and provide risk-based advice.
Customers include internal teams, water companies, industry, developers and local authorities.

In this role you will provide technical leadership and expertise for the work of the team relating to land and water quality; permitting and planning work relating to land contamination; voluntary remediation; mine-waters; ongoing Part 2A work. You will:

• Provide and oversee specialist support to Installations, Land and Water and Waste teams on land quality and groundwater issues at permitted and unpermitted sites.
• Lead and develop work to protect groundwater and surface water from land contamination and provide advice on risk relating to pollution incidents
• Develop the technical capability of the team - ensuring a high standard of work and planning for development and succession.
• Ensure effective work delivery, prioritising workload and innovating to improve efficiency.
• Interpret and translate technical information and guidance to ensure delivery of practical solutions for customers, colleagues and the environment.

The team
The role will sit within the Area Groundwater and Contaminated Land team in Cumbria and Lancashire.. The team includes specialists in groundwater resources, groundwater quality, land contamination and surface water protection . We are currently dispersed across the North-West with area offices in Preston and Penrith. The role will be based at Preston or Penrith at one of our area offices. There will be a need for some travel to meetings and sites.
Experience/skills required

We are seeking a hydrogeologist with at least 5 years relevant experience, qualified to at least degree level in a relevant discipline and chartered or working towards chartership. You will be able to demonstrate most of the following experience and skills:

• a relevant geoscience related degree or equivalent experience and a relevant postgraduate qualification
• a professional qualification or Chartered status is desirable (typically Geological Society, ICE or CiWEM), if not chartered then you should ideally be a member and working towards this.
• ability to construct conceptual models, understand contaminant transport in the sub-surface and undertake hydrogeological risk assessment.
• strong communication and interpersonal skills and experience of communicating complex hydrogeological results to non-specialist audiences
• knowledge of Environmental Permitting Regulations
• knowledge of Town and Country Planning
• knowledge and experience of investigation and remediation of land and groundwater contamination.
• ability to influence customers and colleagues through clear, well-reasoned arguments.

Contact and additional information
The interview will be conducted in person and will include a technical assessment focused on multidimensional conceptualisation relating to the subsurface environment and numerical skills.
Interviews are likely to be scheduled in August.

At the interview you will be asked for specific examples that demonstrate your experience and ability against the following capabilities:

• Achieves results
• Coaches Others
• Takes Decisions and Solves Problems
• Multi- Dimensional Conceptualisation

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role which may attract an additional payment. Full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you.
For more information please contact :
Kerry Diamond kerry.diamond@environment-agency.gov.uk
Jeni Templeman jeni.templeman@environment-agency.gov.uk
Competence 1
Achieves Results
Description
Description: Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results
Please give an example of when you had to re-evaluate priorities in response to external factors.
Competence 2
Focuses on Customers and Partners
Description
Description: Addresses the needs of internal and external customers, provides rapid and effective responses.
Describe a situation where your technical knowledge and wider environmental understanding has allowed you to meet and balance the needs of customers and the environment.
Competence 3
Technical Skills
Description
Identify the skills you possess that you think are most relevant to the role of a hydrogeologist?
Please use this capability to show the breadth of your technical skills that you’ve not had the opportunity to include in the previous capability answers. These can include the number of years of experience you’ve had in specific hydrogeological assessment techniques, remediation, data management and visualisation skills/experience.
Role specific license requirements
Full UK driving licence.

In this role you will provide technical leadership and expertise for the work of the team relating to land and water quality; permitting and planning work relating to land contamination; voluntary remediation; mine-waters; ongoing Part 2A work. You will:

• Provide and oversee specialist support to Installations, Land and Water and Waste teams on land quality and groundwater issues at permitted and unpermitted sites.
• Lead and develop work to protect groundwater and surface water from land contamination and provide advice on risk relating to pollution incidents
• Develop the technical capability of the team - ensuring a high standard of work and planning for development and succession.
• Ensure effective work delivery, prioritising workload and innovating to improve efficiency.
• Interpret and translate technical information and guidance to ensure delivery of practical solutions for customers, colleagues and the environment