Environmental Permitting Manager

As the Environmental Permitting Manager, you will lead a team of technical specialists to ensure the company secures and maintains all required Environmental Permits and Water Industry Act Consents to operate legally. You will oversee compliance with permit conditions, ensure their interpretation is understood across the business, and provide expert guidance.

A key part of the role involves engaging with the Environment Agency at local and national levels, representing the company on all matters related to Environmental Permitting.

What you’ll be doing as an Environmental Permitting Manager

• Management of a small team of experienced Environmental Permitting Specialists.
• Act as the subject matter expert on issues relating to the interpretation of, and compliance with, Water Discharge Activity Environmental Permits and discharges made under the Water Industry Act 1991; advising on provisions of the Act & dealing with the Environment Agency regarding consents, when needed.
• Led the team in the Negotiation with the Environment Agency regarding new Permits and changes to existing Permits whilst ensuring the interests of the company are protected, cost implications are minimised, and regulatory requirements are appropriate by the different permitting activities and site operation.
• Responsible for ensuring information relating to Water Discharge Environmental Permits and their conditions is accessible, up to date and communicated across the business effectively.
• Ownership of the storm overflow master database, ensuring it is kept up to date and available to the business where it is used for external regulatory reporting, internal reporting and EIR responses.
• Responsible for the delivery of the WINEP Environment Agency permit review programme and any associated requests for information, via Regulation 61 Notices, to agreed deadlines.
• Led the team on the continued development of the Environmental Permitting & Regulation SharePoint Area.
• Advise our engineering partners on regulatory outputs to facilitate the roll-out of the agreed business plan.

Base location: Reading, Clearwater Court.

The role follows a hybrid working format, currently requiring a minimum of one day per week in the office. However, the number of days in the office may increase in the future based on business needs.

What you should bring to the role

• Recognised subject matter expert in Environmental Permitting and related legislation, with extensive hands-on experience in Water Discharge Activity Permitting.
• Degree (or equivalent) in a scientific or environmental discipline preferred.
• Proven ability to successfully negotiate and influence complex Environmental Permits with the Environment Agency.
• Strong understanding of Sections 165 and 166 of the Water Industry Act 1991, with experience negotiating consents with the Environment Agency.
• Experience in people management and financial management is beneficial.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary up to £61,000 per annum depending on skills and experience.
• Annual Leave - 24 days holiday per year increasing to 28 with the length of service.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of your and your family’s health and well-being, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values.

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

The real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. We aim to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support you.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.