Catchment Hydrogeology Specialist (Senior/Principal)

Job Title: Catchment Hydrogeology Specialist (Senior/Principal)

Location: Ideally within our region (Hybrid/Flexible)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37, Monday to Friday

Salary: £45,000 - £70,000 depending on skills and experience

As part of Southern Water's drive to enhance and protect the environment, the Environment & Innovation team are deploying the latest innovative solutions and working in partnership with our customers and stakeholders. The team takes a holistic approach to managing water quality and flow across the region, with a portfolio that has rapidly expanded from £50 million to over £2 billion in the next 10-year period. This is a fast-paced team that is now expanding to continue to deliver a larger programme of new and sustainable solutions.

A brand-new position has been created to join our Environment & Innovation team as a Catchment Hydrogeology Specialist at Senior or Principal level.

About the role

Working within the Environment & Innovation department, this is a critical role underpinning the implementation of our Catchment Management strategies, which influence our 5-to-50-year strategic plans. The catchment management programme is driving environmental benefit via the delivery of our regulatory commitments such as the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) and statutory plans such as the Water Resource Management Plan, Drought Plan and Water Resources South East.

What you will be responsible for:

• Support the Catchment Hydrogeology team to actively promote and effectively collaborate on catchment solutions with our regulators (Environment Agency, Natural England and DWI), catchment stakeholders (Rivers Trusts, Wildlife Trusts etc) and community groups, driving the principals of the Catchment First approach.
• Responsible for undertaking technical evaluation / recommendations on environmental nature-based measures that will likely be needed to mitigate predicted environmental challenges from our operations.
• The role will involve strong cross-functional working within and outside the business. Covering technical areas of water resource hydrogeology, hydroecology, biodiversity enhancement, river restoration, catchment management (including soil and water conservation), hydrogeological risk assessment and surface water and groundwater quality and quantity assessments.

What you'll bring to the role:

• Demonstrable expertise in water resource hydrogeology, groundwater modelling, hydroecology, restoring sustainable abstraction, river / wetland restoration, low flow investigation, WFD, groundwater resource development.
• Experience of designing complex water quality, hydroecology and hydrometric investigations and monitoring programmes, data analysis and assimilation.
• Proven expertise of technical report writing and review of water resource and water quality investigations, catchment risk assessments.
• Extensive experience of water resource and water quality investigations, catchment risk assessments, and translating regulatory environmental requirements into manageable work streams.
• Masters degree in relevant discipline such as Hydrogeology is desirable. Chartership or working towards is highly desirable.

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain's water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation.