Catchment Specialist – Partnerships

Job Title: Catchment Specialist – Partnerships
Location: Falmer, East Sussex (Hybrid/Flexible)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37, Monday to Friday
Salary: circa £45,000 depending on skills and experience

As part of Southern Water’s drive to enhance and protect the environment, the Environment & Innovation team are deploying the latest innovative solutions and working in partnership with our customers and stakeholders. The team takes a holistic approach to managing water quality and flow across the region, with a portfolio that has rapidly expanded from £50 million to over £2 billion in the next 10-year period. This is a fast-paced team that is now expanding to continue to deliver a larger programme of new and sustainable solutions.

A brand-new position has been created to join our Environment & Innovation team as a Catchment Specialist, Partnerships.

About the role

You will work as part of the Catchment Strategy Team to support the delivery of our Integrated Catchment Management Strategy, working closely with Catchment Partnerships and internal teams to implement innovative, nature-based solutions to protect water quality and the environment. You’ll help us deliver our environmental ambition and to meet regulatory commitments under programmes such as DWI Undertakings, WINEP, and statutory plans like the Water Resource Management Plan and the Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans.

What you will be responsible for:

• Collaborate with stakeholders, regulators, and community groups to promote catchment-scale solutions.
• Cover technical areas of catchment management including the links between water & wastewater programmes, soil, land and water conservation, data reporting systems, catchment risk assessments and surface water and groundwater quality and quantity assessments.
• Support technical evaluations and recommend environmental measures to tackle future challenges.
• Assist in planning for successive AMP periods, aligning work with partnership opportunities.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects and industry forums to champion the catchment approach.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in environmental science or related field.
• You will have an environmental background with an MSc or equivalent experience in technical water quality, catchment management planning and delivery (senior).
• Demonstrable experience of environmental, water quality investigations, catchment management planning and delivery.
• Experience in project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and technical report writing.
• Skills in data analysis, GIS mapping, and dashboard reporting systems.
• Strong technical expertise in hydroecology, catchment water planning, and GIS systems.