Environmental Monitoring Officer - Chichester, United Kingdom - Environment Agency

Environment Agency

Verified Company

Chichester, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Number of jobs available- - Region- South East

City/Town
Chichester, Romsey, Rye, Worthing, Pevensey

Building/Site

Various

Grade

Staff Grade
Post Type
Permanent

Working Pattern

Full Time, Part Time

Role Type

Operational Delivery

Salary Minimum £37,46

Job description
We are enhancing our efforts to restore chalk streams by creating a range of new posts across England. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to an innovative national programme focussed on achieving sustainable abstraction and healthy rivers across chalk catchments. Fundamental to this will be extending the monitoring and assessment of the impacts of water abstraction on chalk streams.

You will work to undertake local monitoring and assessment in chalk catchments, complementing our national monitoring work. This will include monitoring across a range of levels of impact for both abstraction and other pressures.

This work will boost our understanding of the ecological impacts of abstraction and provide an underlying evidence base at both local and national scale.

This evidence will be fundamental to delivery of the local chalk action plan.

You will support chalk stream environmental monitoring and assessment by:
undertaking macro-invertebrate identification of chalk stream samples

- undertaking macrophyte, river habitat surveys and support fish surveys if required
- undertaking data management, data analysis and interpretation focussing on the local scale
- liaising with other teams and external partners
- occasional attendance at pollution incidents

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do.

You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents, or provide business continuity support during an incident.

This may attract an additional payment and full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.

The team
The posts will be based in Area Analysis & Reporting teams which collect and provide freshwater ecological and water quality data and reporting evidence. The teams support and feed into all monitoring obligations tailored for delivery of our local and national environmental outcome plans.
Experience/skills required

- qualified to at least degree level (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline (e.g. ecology or environmental sciences/biology), with relevant practical experience specialised in freshwater ecology
- practical experience with freshwater ecological survey and laboratory work
- ability to analyse macroinvertebrate samples to mixed taxonomic level, and / or undertake lowland river macrophyte surveys and River Habitat Surveys (accreditation would be desirable)
- experience analysing, interpreting and reporting ecology data (using relevant software packages), specifically with respect to anthropogenic pressures
- communication and influencing skills, adaptable, self-motivating and able to take decisions to manage workload to tight deadlines
- the post-holder will be required to undertake fieldwork and must hold a full driving licence and be a confident swimmer

Contact and additional information
The Environment Agency are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share.

Everyone starting in a new role will be welcomed into the team and given all the training and support needed.

As part of your comprehensive induction, you will be provided with all the equipment required for your role.

We offer an extensive range of employee benefits and the opportunity to progress your career with us via professional training routes such as apprenticeships and degree programmes.

Interviews are due to be held in March 2023.