Job summary

Our Water sector client is seeking an Environment Manager to join their Havant Thicket Reservoir build project.

Key skills required for this role

Environment, Management, Construction, Reservoir, Biodiversity, Water

Important

Previous management experience an advantage

Job description

Our Water sector client is seeking an Environment Manager to join their Havant Thicket Reservoir build project.

Our Water company client has embarked on a £123m project to build a reservoir at Havant Thicket. This environmentally led project will safeguard future water supplies and provide a place of natural beauty for the community to enjoy. The reservoir will provide wetland habitats, paths for walking, cycling, running and horse-riding, and a visitors' centre providing a café and educational resources for schools. The project will be mainly delivered through a main reservoir contract and two pipeline contracts, with some additional related contracts.

The environment is at the heart of the reservoir project, with mitigation and compensation plans which include the creation of over 200 hectares of new and improved woodland and wood pasture. Environmental mitigation works started in 2019, with the creation of wildlife corridors and the planting of 6,000 trees. Our client are currently looking for an enthusiastic Environment Manager to take these plans forward, to further develop environmental management plans, engage with stakeholders and ensure the best possible outcomes from an environmental perspective for the project. The successful candidate will need to work at all times in line with our clients' values of Excellence, Integrity and Respect.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and monitor the Havant Thicket Reservoir Biodiversity Mitigation and Compensation Strategy and European Protected Species Licence for Bats and Dormice.
• Work with contractors to develop environmental management plans and establish KPIs against which their performance will be monitored
• Develop and manage the environmental team, including environmental professional services contracts, to assure and maintain high quality environmental works and advise authoritatively throughout the project
• Lead and manage environmental stakeholder engagement, including public consultations.
• Lead, develop and manage environmental input into reports, presentations and briefings, to initiate informed decisions and update stakeholders.
• Lead and manage the process of assessing the environmental impact
• Ensure project development is in accordance with the standards, specifications, requirements and policies established by our client and Havant Thicket Project. Ensure compliance with UK Environmental law, legislation, environmental planning conditions and Town and Country Planning Section 106 obligations.
• Seek opportunities to provide a learning legacy from the project

Skills

• Strong communication and effective stakeholder engagement skills
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic and able to foster collaborative working
• Proven ability to engage with environmental stakeholders at local, regional and national levels
• Excellent knowledge of relevant environmental legislation, policy and best practice
• Proven project management capability
• Experience of managing teams and professional service consultants, including management of budgets
• Good analytical skills, with the ability to review and write environmental management plans, progress reports and decision support papers
• Excel/Powerpoint/Word/Teams

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in environmental management, natural resource management, environmental engineering or a related field of study
• Chartered Environmentalist or related professional membership
• A track record of leading environmental assessment and management on major infrastructure projects or within a large organisation
• Experience of managing third party consultations
• Full driving licence (all applicants will be required to undertake our driver assessment)

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience (£50-60k + car allowance)
• This position is a fixed term but salaried role to run the duration of the Havant Thicket Reservoir Project (2028/29)
• Company pension
• 27 days holiday plus bank holiday - rising by 1 day for each year of service
• This is the first reservoir of its kind to be built in the UK in 40 years - many water companies have draft proposals for future reservoir builds so this is a fantastic opportunity to join an area of the water industry with future prospects/employment
• This is a site based role