Technical Specialist - Hydrology

About this role

Salary - £43,198

Staff Grade - 5

Locations - Wallingford or Reading

Post Type / Working Pattern -  Permanent / Full Time – open to part-time working

  

About Us

The Environment Agency has a broad and varied remit to protect and enhance the environment, with a goal to create a cleaner, safer and healthier environment for people and wildlife. Water is at the heart of all we do, drinking, washing, recreation, industry and health, our environment and economy depends on this precious resource. Clean and available water is essential and as water becomes an increasingly scarce resource, we need to do more to ensure we protect it. As a water resources hydrologist, you'll have the opportunity to monitor and assess the water environment - playing a vital role in helping us achieve our goal working alongside other water resources specialists. To find out more then visit: Water Resources - Environment Agency

What's in it for you:

You'll benefit from a culture that embraces difference and is inclusive where you'll feel supported and trusted to do the right thing. We'll invest in you and allow you to grow and shape your career.

What's more, you'll have access to our great benefits package including:

• A salary up to £43,198 per annum.
• A generous pension scheme of 19%.
• Overtime opportunities through standby and incident pay.
• 27 days holiday + 8 bank holidays for full-time employees.
• Two additional days for paid environmental outcomes giving you the opportunity to take part in community activities.
• Great career opportunities.
• Maternity, paternity, and adoption leave scheme.

Options for flexible and / or part-time working may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Role location is flexible but occasional travel to the Reading and Wallingford Offices will be required.

What will you do:

Are you passionate about hydrology and ready to make a real impact in managing water resources in a changing climate? There is an exciting opportunity in one of our Groundwater Resources and Hydrology teams as a Hydrology Technical Specialist. Your technical leadership, knowledge and expertise will be key to supporting our vision for a sustainable and healthy water environment. 

In this role, you'll work closely with other water resources specialists, especially hydrogeologists, in your team and with a wide range of internal and external partners, including water companies. You'll provide expert hydrological input to key areas such as:

• Water company water resource investigation under AMP8, the regulatory investment cycle (2025 – 2030).
• Water Company water resource management and drought plans.
• Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies (CAMS).
• Abstraction licensing and strategy development.
• Drought incident response.

Responsibilities will include:

• Leading hydrological analysis with a focus on low flow assessments.
• Advising on complex water abstraction and permitting decisions.
• Contributing to the optimisation of the hydrometric data network.
• Championing hydrological innovation to achieve better outcomes.
• Co-leading the hydrology service locally and its delivery through work planning.
• Building technical resilience of the team through coaching and mentoring.

You'll collaborate across teams, including our area water resources community, national hydrology networks, and with other technical specialists to improve the way we do things, to develop and share innovation and build best practice.

This is a fantastic opportunity to grow your career and your professional development in a supportive team. Alongside this, you'll be joining a collaborative and forward-thinking team where working together to achieve results, alongside creativity and innovation thrive.

What you'll need:

Essential

• An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant environmental discipline - for example (but not limited to) geography, environmental science, engineering, earth sciences, data science.
• Applied experience in hydrology and water resource management.

Desirable

• Well-developed technical knowledge and experience in applying hydrological tools and techniques in more complex situations.
• Knowledge of Python, R, Power Apps, AI etc and its potential application to hydrological situations.
• Experience working with hydrometric data and awareness of challenges in data quality and collection.
• Experience of working through others and of using technical leadership to deliver results on time and to required standards.
• Ability to be self-motivated and pro-active and to adopt a collaborative working style in a dispersed team environment.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex technical issues to audiences of different abilities and backgrounds.
• Ability to influence outcomes by building and maintaining good relationships with networks and internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of developing or improving a process or system to develop best practice and continuous improvement.
• Experience of developing and sharing technical expertise (through coaching and mentoring) to improve team technical resilience.

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.

Additional Information

Please note that a reserve list will be held, and you may be offered other roles in other locations including temporary roles, which may be similarly aligned to this role.

As an organisation, we strive to reflect the communities we serve, to achieve this we welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of race, sexual orientation, and religion. If you have any questions regarding the vacancy or application process, please contact the recruitment team at earecruitment@peoplescout.co.uk.

To learn more about these roles from those already in them, gain insight into the recruitment process, and have the chance to ask your questions, join us for our candidate call on:

Wednesday 8^th October 2025 at 15.10 - 16.10

Click here to register for the session

This will be held on Microsoft Teams and is open to all applicants. You do not need to have submitted an application to join the call, just click the apply button for further information

Closing date for applications: 20^th October 2025

Interview Dates: Week commencing 10^th November and week commencing 17^th November 2025

Don't miss this opportunity to be part of the UK's biggest environmental organisation and one of the largest employers of hydrologists. Join us, and together, let's tackle the challenges of a changing climate and build a more sustainable future. Apply now and embark on a rewarding and fulfilling career journey with the Environment Agency.

This role must be undertaken from within the UK but may qualify for sponsorship. Visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration, to seek professional advice regarding options for obtaining the right to work in the UK.

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