Water Resources Partnership Manager (South East Rivers Trust)

About the role

Catchment partnerships hold a wealth of local knowledge about their rivers and their catchments, yet this is not always reflected in the regional decisions that shape investment in water resources. Two exciting new roles are being created to change this, working across the South East and Thames River Basin Districts. One role advertised here is for South East Rivers Trust, the other for Thames Rivers Trust, is advertised separately.

The roles are fixed term for two years funded by WRSE and hosted and supported by South East Rivers Trust (SERT) and Thames Rivers Trust (TRT). The roles are also supported by the WRSE team and their technical consultants, their Environmental Stakeholder Advisory Board and members of Catchment Based Approach Working Groups.

In this South East Rivers Trust role, you will be the primary point of contact between Water Resources South East (WRSE) and catchment hosts, helping Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) partnerships engage with regional planning. This will include supporting the creation of regional plans including Environmental Destination scenarios, Regional Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) and the wider WRSE Regional Plan. You will support catchment hosts and their partnerships in their understanding of water resources data and modelled outputs and ensure their local knowledge and ideas inform regional water resource planning. This will provide the catchment partnerships with a real influence over the water company water resource options delivered on the ground.

What you’ll be doing

• Act as the main liaison between WRSE and catchment hosts, working mainly through hosts to reach CaBA partnerships.

• Support partnerships to engage with Environmental Destination, Regional WINEP, catchment solutions and wider regional water resources planning processes.

• Coordinate and make sense of existing catchment evidence to support the identification of catchment options, including nature-based solutions.

• Help join up this work with other planning processes catchment partnerships are engaged in, including Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans, River Basin Management Plans and Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

• Translate technical water resources and modelling outputs into clear, accessible briefings and materials.

• Identify and help resolve barriers to progressing catchment options, working with WRSE and partners.

About you

You will be a natural communicator able to convey complex concepts in an engaging and easy to understand manner.

You will have:

• A good understanding of catchment-based approaches and water resource issues.

• Experience facilitating engagement with multi-partner programmes and a variety of environmental stakeholders.

• The ability to interpret technical information and translate it into practical, accessible messages for different audiences.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to work independently across multiple workstreams.

Why work with us?

You’ll be joining a supportive, values‑led organisation where your work really matters. We offer flexible hybrid working, opportunities to build experience, and the chance to be part of a team making a positive impact for the environment.

Site locations

The SERT region, covers the south east of England, extending from Hampshire in the west to Kent in the east, with the northern border being south of the Thames, extending down to the English Channel.

Our office is based in Leatherhead which you will be required to attend up to 4 times a month.

The amount of travel required depends on the role, and can be extensive. Most travel for an individual will be to work on project sites, which can be remote, or attending external meetings within the SERT region. The geographical range and frequency of travel is role dependent.

To support travel costs, SERT pays mileage at the current HMRC amount for travel within the SERT region. We do not pay mileage, time or any other costs for travel outside the SERT region, nor for any commutes to the office. Toll charges cannot be claimed.

For further information about working at SERT please see our FAQ's

Interested?

Apply now, for this 2 year fixed term contract; see the full job description for more information. Job Description - Water Resources Partnership Manager

Application process:

• Closing date for applications: Sunday 13th September 11.59pm

• Interviews in-person in central London - Wednesday 23rd September

• We reserve the right to close this job advert early

For further information on the application process see our FAQ's