Wastewater Strategy Engineer

at  Wessex Water

The Waste Strategy team is responsible for developing and maintaining the investment strategies associated with our waste services to deliver outcomes for our customers and the environment, while also meeting our performance commitments and statutory obligations in the most efficient way.
Our team’s function is to understand the needs and challenges facing our assets in the future and to develop adaptive pathways to ensure our wastewater assets are resilient and able to meet these future needs, producing business plans and long-term strategies that outline these plans and that meet the expectations of our regulators.
This role is within the Sewage Treatment Strategy team and will focus on meeting these needs for around 400 of our water recycling centres. We have two vacancies and are looking for both junior and senior candidates.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

We are looking for:

• degree qualified or equivalent
• chartered engineer or equivalent status
• analytical and influential oral and written communication skills
• excellent knowledge of wastewater treatment processes and hydraulic design
• good working knowledge of the interfaces with other disciplines, eg, civil, hydraulic, process, electrical, modelling, etc
• good knowledge of the financial and environmental regulatory frameworks affecting planning and investment in water company assets
• good knowledge of the planning and legal environment as it affects investment planning and implementation
• knowledge of the operational environments, operator skill levels and operating and maintenance cost implications of proposed investments
• knowledge of asset management principles and practice
• a high level of interpersonal skills to enable effective working with people at all levels
• experience delivering results through cross functional working.

WHO WE ARE

We are one of the top-performing water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, serving 2.9 million people across the South West.
The work we do goes beyond providing an essential public service. We also aim to have a positive impact on the communities we serve and the natural environment.
Our people tell us Wessex Water is a great place to work, which is why so many of them stay with us! You will have the opportunity to develop and progress your career, while also receiving health and wellbeing support.
We also continue to promote diversity and inclusion – with that in mind, all applicants are welcome. We are delighted to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and are a Disability Confident Employer.
This is an exciting opportunity to join us and if you would like to be part of our journey, we would love to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to let us know about any additional support you may need.

Covering wastewater treatment strategy, your responsibilities are to:

• assist with the development of relevant company investment strategies (including our five-year business plan) that meet our long-term objectives and statutory obligations, including cost-beneficial investments
• identify and develop strategic opportunities for the company, including strategic enhancement plans for the company’s major assets
• liaise with and influence our environmental regulators (the Environment Agency and Natural England) so that their support for mutually beneficial projects is obtained
• provide technical assessment and risk management advice to ensure compliance with regulatory consents is maintained
• manage the high-level review and confirmation of sites’ treatment and hydraulic capacities, and be able to assess their ability to treat additional flows and loads from developer and trader enquiries
• liaise with service providers and Operations teams to secure their support and agreement to investment plans and solutions
• drive and champion innovative solutions to the business and provide appropriate input and advice for the preparation of our annual performance review.