Senior Associate Water Resources Planning - Environment

Mott MacDonald

Location/s: Brighton, UK / Birmingham, UK / Bristol, UK / Cambridge, UK / Croydon, UK / London, UK / Reading, UK / Southampton, UK
Relocation supported: Not supported, but internal applications are welcome
Recruiter contact: Emma Cantley
Hiring manager contact: Nicola Levy and Melanie Reid

We’re a global engineering, management, and development consultancy. 
Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities. 

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs. 

We are proud to be a one of Glassdoor’s top employers to work for in the UK, as well as being recognised as a Top Inclusive Company in the UK.

Our values: Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive, Excellence. 

About the division 

Environmental and social considerations are central to Mott MacDonald’s Purpose and its offerings across all sectors and territories. Our environment and social business provides essential services and innovative solutions which anticipate our clients' needs across all sectors. 

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs. 

Overview of role:

The water sector is at the core of Mott MacDonald's heritage, and we collaborate closely with most of the UK water and sewerage companies. We are at the forefront of water resource planning and development across the sector, providing innovative solutions to meet our clients’ challenges. We successfully led a large amount of environmental assessment work across water resources planning in AMP7 and we are gearing up for a busy AMP8 period with lots of exciting opportunities. We also have an industry-leading role across the current strategic water resource options (SROs).   

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Associate to provide technical leadership in Water Resource Planning – Environment, working as part of our Environment and Sustainability Team on water resource management projects. There are lots of opportunities and projects that the successful candidate will help to drive and deliver.

The position can be based at any of our UK offices but a location in the South would be beneficial (Cambridge, London, Croydon, Reading, Southampton). You will join as a technical lead within our Environmental & Sustainability Services (ESS) team that consists of an expanding team of over 100 environmental and sustainability professionals located across 18 offices throughout the UK. This role has been created to lead our growing environmental assessment capabilities in water sector projects across the UK.  

Our team works with several key clients, supporting them with development of their Water Resource Management Plans (WRMP), Drought Management Plans (DMP) and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMP). We are passionate about providing our clients with sustainable solutions by constantly looking at challenges from a fresh angle, and we are looking for like-minded, forward-thinking individuals to join our growing team in one of our environment hubs around the UK. We are also at the forefront of developing best practice and pragmatic approaches to the delivery of environmental assessments and have extensive capability in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA), Natural Capital Assessment and Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment (BNG). Your role will be central to delivering this service. 

You will be responsible for leading on a range of predominantly water sector planning projects. Working with our sectoral and client account leaders to provide technical leadership and advice, you will also work alongside the full range of technical disciplines we offer to deliver these high-profile water resource projects to our key clients. 

It is a very exciting time for us, and we would welcome your application for this role to lead the environmental technical delivery of some of our major water resource projects. 

Your key responsibilities will include: 

• Providing technical leadership to environmental and sustainability teams to deliver SEA, HRA, Natural capital and BNG assessments for WRMPs. 
• Being responsible for driving innovation and sustainable outcomes and influencing design solutions at a project and programme level. 
• Technical approver of environmental and sustainability deliverables in line with our business and environmental management systems. 
• Strategic client engagement with a diverse range of clients and stakeholders from both the public and private sector. This could be via public consultation events, stakeholder workshops, public inquiries or industry events. 
• You will also be involved in reviewing fee estimates and proposals, and general business development activities and will have a key role in delivering our ESS services and growing the business.
   

Essential -

• Experience of strategic water planning, such as Water Resource Management Plans, Regional Water Resource Plans, Drought Plans and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (essential) 
• Experience of leading environmental assessments for the water sector or other sectors (desirable) 
• Significant experience in one or more of the following: Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA), Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA), Natural Capital Assessment (NCA).  
• Qualified in a related technical subject (Minimum of a Bachelor's degree essential). 
• Qualified to Master's degree level in a relevant subject (desirable). 
• Chartered with a professional institution (e.g., CIWEM, IEMA) or equivalent level (desirable). 
• Experience working in diverse multi-disciplined teams and leading teams to produce environmental and sustainability deliverables to a high standard. 
• Experience of working in a client facing environment and ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders to deliver positive outcomes. 
• Well organised with strong planning and management skills, with ability to produce high quality deliverables and manage budgets and programmes. 
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal. 
• Ability to problem solve, think creatively, and seek continual improvement.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Agile working 

Happy to talk Flexible Working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

 Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.