Sustainable Drainage Officer
Surrey County Council
Guildford, Surrey
Sustainable Drainage Officer
Reference:orbis/TP/1070/31043
Positions:1
Salary:£32,173 per annum
Category:Environmental & Regulatory Services
Contract type:Permanent
Working hours:36 hours per week
Posted on:3 March 2023
Closing date:26 March 2023
Directorate:Environment, Transport & Infrastructure
Location:Merrow Complex, Merrow Lane, Merrow, Guildford, GU4 7BQ
About the role
The starting salary for this role is £32,173 per annum for working 36 hours per week.
Help Make Surrey a Greener Place to Live.
Are you looking for an opportunity to shape local development, improve our environment and reduce flood risk?
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Flood Risk and Climate Resilience Officerto join our team at Surrey County Council. Surrey County Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) for the county of Surrey. As LLFA we have the responsibility of managing the risk of flooding from ordinary watercourses, surface water and groundwater. We do this in partnership with other Risk Management Authorities such as the Environment Agency, Water Companies, as well as Borough and District Councils.
The Flood Risk Planning and Consenting Team act as statutory planning consultees for surface water drainage on all major planning applications and carry out our role as regulatory authority for works affecting ordinary watercourses. The team provides advice on over 1200 proposed major developments per year, as well as providing pre-application advice and support on planning policy. It's a busy, friendly and active team; we can often be found out for a collective walk or volunteering to plant trees.
We are passionate advocates for Sustainable Drainage (SuDS), climate change action and green infrastructure, and seek to enhance development in the county so that it provides better water quality, amenity and biodiversity benefits, as well as reducing flood risk.
To help us achieve our goals we are looking for an officer to work within the team to:
- Assess planning applications against requirements for sustainable drainage within the National Planning Policy Framework and Technical Standards
- Provide advice to Local Planning Authority consultations and developers on drainage schemes
- Carry out assessments of Ordinary Watercourse consent applications
- Investigate and answer customer flood risk enquiries
As part of the application process, you will be asked to answer the following questions along with uploading your CV:
- What are your motivations for applying?
- What knowledge do you have of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and the Town and Country Planning processes?
- Please tell us about, and provide examples of, your experience creating, reviewing and influencing plans, designs and calculations relating to drainage or engineering.
- Please tell us about, and provide examples of, your experience analysing reports or data against set criteria and providing written feedback.
- Please provide examples from your work and/or home life that evidence your ability to communicate with different stakeholders and create positive change.
You will need to manage your own workload effectively to meet tight deadlines while being a part of a dynamic and busy team. As well as this, you must be a confident communicator and negotiator, capable of explaining technical information clearly and sensitively. In addition, you will be confident using IT systems with experience of using spreadsheets and GIS.
We welcome applicants with transferrable skills and there will be detailed on the job and formal training opportunities for the successful candidates. We also offer opportunities for hybrid working including days working from home if desirable.
At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.
For more information please find the full job description below and refer to this before submitting your application. We also invite you to read our Life at Surrey handbook to see insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.
Additional information
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 26/03/2023.
Interviews will take place week commencing 03/04/2023.
Contact details
For an informal discussion please contact Glen Westmore on 01737 737149 or by email at [email protected].
We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.
Benefits