31384 - Groundwater and Contaminated Land Environment Officer
| Posting date: | 07 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £33,000 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 20 July 2025 |
| Location: | West Malling |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 5 days per week |
| Company: | Environment Agency |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 31384 |
Summary
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 variety of geological, groundwater interests and pressures. Groundwater is vital for maintaining the health of rivers, wetlands being essential for industrial and agricultural sectors.
Groundwater also serves over 70% 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 management of Kent’s Groundwater Quality networks and assessing the resulting data.
• Providing groundwater quality specific advice to various internal, 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, ensuring improvements are achieved.
Other key requirements for this role include good IT skills, data handling, analysis, time management. Membership of a relevant professional body/chartered status, is desirable.
Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role making yourself available to respond to incidents/provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment, full training, and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.
The team
The Team covers the whole of Kent, South London and East Sussex (KSLES). Its members are dispersed across our offices in KSLES. We work with a variety of other teams across the Environment Agency and external customers/partners through written communication, in person and virtual meetings, and site visits.
The team has a supportive culture despite being dispersed. We prioritise the personal and professional development of team members, including supporting membership to two relevant professional bodies.
Experience/skills required
Holding a degree in fields i.e. Hydrogeology, Geology, Earth Science/Environmental Science, and/or relevant work experience in the environmental/geotechnical sector, being able to demonstrate experience and/or awareness of:
• Groundwater quality, land contamination issues, including source-pathway-receptor principles.
• The ability to create, review, communicate 3D hydrogeological concepts based upon written information and maps/plans.
• The ability to solve problems making risk-based decisions based on complex/incomplete information.
• Understanding of key environmental legislation and guidance (i.e. Environmental Permitting Regulations/Environmental Protection Act/Water Framework Directive, Land Contamination Risk Management).
• Understanding of the planning regime, including the role of local authorities, the Environment Agency, and other relevant regulatory bodies.
• The ability to use technical knowledge to present clear and reasoned justification for decisions.
• Excellent written, verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate with a variety of customers.
• The ability to work as part of a team to achieve common goals.
Kent has a variety of geological, groundwater interests and pressures. Groundwater is vital for maintaining the health of rivers, wetlands being essential for industrial and agricultural sectors.
Groundwater also serves over 70% 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 management of Kent’s Groundwater Quality networks and assessing the resulting data.
• Providing groundwater quality specific advice to various internal, 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, ensuring improvements are achieved.
Other key requirements for this role include good IT skills, data handling, analysis, time management. Membership of a relevant professional body/chartered status, is desirable.
Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role making yourself available to respond to incidents/provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment, full training, and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.
The team
The Team covers the whole of Kent, South London and East Sussex (KSLES). Its members are dispersed across our offices in KSLES. We work with a variety of other teams across the Environment Agency and external customers/partners through written communication, in person and virtual meetings, and site visits.
The team has a supportive culture despite being dispersed. We prioritise the personal and professional development of team members, including supporting membership to two relevant professional bodies.
Experience/skills required
Holding a degree in fields i.e. Hydrogeology, Geology, Earth Science/Environmental Science, and/or relevant work experience in the environmental/geotechnical sector, being able to demonstrate experience and/or awareness of:
• Groundwater quality, land contamination issues, including source-pathway-receptor principles.
• The ability to create, review, communicate 3D hydrogeological concepts based upon written information and maps/plans.
• The ability to solve problems making risk-based decisions based on complex/incomplete information.
• Understanding of key environmental legislation and guidance (i.e. Environmental Permitting Regulations/Environmental Protection Act/Water Framework Directive, Land Contamination Risk Management).
• Understanding of the planning regime, including the role of local authorities, the Environment Agency, and other relevant regulatory bodies.
• The ability to use technical knowledge to present clear and reasoned justification for decisions.
• Excellent written, verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate with a variety of customers.
• The ability to work as part of a team to achieve common goals.