Critical Drainage Officer

The starting salary for this role is £32,173 per annum for working 36 hours per week.

Help Make Surrey a Greener Place to Live.

Are you looking for an opportunity to shape local development, improve our environment and reduce flood risk?

Based at Merrow Complex in Guildford, the role will also involve working within partner organisations' offices. This is a fixed term/secondment opportunity for 24 months.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Critical Drainage Officer to join our team at Surrey County Council. Surrey County Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) for the county of Surrey. As LLFA we have the responsibility of managing the risk of flooding from ordinary watercourses, surface water and groundwater. We do this in partnership with other Risk Management Authorities such as the Environment Agency, Water Companies, as well as Borough and District Councils.

The Flood Risk Planning and Consenting Team act as statutory planning consultees for surface water drainage on all major planning applications and also provides a pre-application service and advice on minor developments to support Local Planning Authorities and decision makers. The team provides advice on over 1200 proposed developments per year, as well as providing pre-application advice and support on planning policy. It's a busy, friendly and active team; we can often be found out for a collective walk or volunteering to plant trees.

We are passionate advocates for Sustainable Drainage (SuDS), climate change action and green infrastructure, and seek to enhance development in the county so that it provides better water quality, amenity and biodiversity benefits, as well as reducing flood risk.

To help us achieve our goals we are looking for an officer to work within the team to:

• Assess minor planning applications against requirements for sustainable drainage within the National Planning Policy Framework and Technical Standards
• Provide advice to Local Planning Authority consultations and developers on drainage schemes
• Support guidance, training and development for elected members, council officers and developers

As part of the application process, you will be asked to answer the following questions along with uploading your CV:

1. What are your motivations for applying?
2. What knowledge do you have of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and the Town and Country Planning processes?
3. Please tell us about, and provide examples of, your experience creating, reviewing and influencing plans, designs and calculations relating to drainage or engineering.
4. Please tell us about, and provide examples of, your experience analysing reports or data against set criteria and providing written feedback.
5. Please provide examples from your work and/or home life that evidence your ability to communicate with different stakeholders and create positive change.

You will need to manage your own workload effectively to meet tight deadlines while being a part of a dynamic and busy team. As well as this, you must be a confident communicator and negotiator, capable of explaining technical information clearly and sensitively.

We welcome applicants with transferrable skills and there will be detailed on the job and formal training opportunities for the successful candidates. We also offer opportunities for hybrid working including days working from home if desirable.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 26/03/2023.

Interviews will take place week commencing 03/04/2023.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Benefits

From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 26 days' annual leave and a generous local government salary related pension. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit the advert on the employer site.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups