Drought Planner

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.

Scottish Water has an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to join us as a Drought Planner in the Water Resources Hydrology team within the Strategic Customer Service Planning Directorate and play a key role in delivering a consistently excellent water supply.

The position is available as a permanent contract, based in the Central Belt (although other locations may be considered) through a hybrid working arrangement.

About the Role

Through Scottish Water’s Strategic Plan, managing our water resources is vital to ensure we adapt to climate change challenges, safeguard the resilience of water supplies and protect the environment. Our water sources are located widely across Scotland and range from large reservoir sources in the central belt to small lochs and river sources in the highlands and islands.

In order to maintain supplies during a drought, we have developed Drought Plans which detail the management of these sources during periods of prolonged dry weather.

In this key role you will be responsible for the continuous development and improvement of the drought plans, drought planning processes and procedures and drought plan databases, providing specialist and professional advice on drought planning.

You will also provide a key supporting role during the management of drought incidents, liaising with stakeholders and ensuring that the drought plans are deployed on the ground in time.

You will be a member of the Water Resources Hydrology team which comprises 8 staff with technical specialities in hydrology and hydrogeology, working closely with team members, Water Strategy & Resources and Operational colleagues.

Specifically, the role will include:
- Maintenance and development of drought plans.- Liaison with hydrology team and CSD (Customer Service Delivery) operations colleagues in the maintenance of the plans to ensure that the drought options are deliverable each year.- Management of Habitat Regulation Assessments required for drought plans, engaging with Specialist Services and external stakeholders to ensure appropriate environmental evidence is in place for drought options and plans.- Maintenance and development of the Drought Plan Database.- Maintenance and development of the Strategic Drought Management Plan which provides overarching principles and policy of drought management.- Development of expertise in Water Shortage Orders and their implementation, liaising with the Scottish Government as required.- Maintenance and development of Water Resource Tankering Plan.- Advising on priorities for investment needs to support drought resilience improvement.- Key drought planning support to CSD operations during drought incidents - supporting implementation of the drought plans, including obtaining required licence authorisations from SEPA and liaising with stakeholders on environmental concerns.

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Behaviours- Experience in water resources/supply management or drought planning- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to plan and prioritise their work, whilst maintaining flexibility to accommodate changing priorities.- Excellent communication skills with an ability to communicate complex water resource issues to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.- Excellent IT and analytical skills.- Experience of collaborating with internal and external peers and stakeholders- Ability to display initiative and demonstrate drive, enthusiasm and where appropriate, innovation, in meeting objectives.- Knowledge of environmental regulatory frameworks underpinning water company management of water resources and drought planning.

Salary Range - £35,384- £47,924 (dependent on skills and knowledge)

You can also expect:
- 38 days of holiday per year (pro rata) with the option to buy 5 more- Eligibility to join the defined benefit, contributory pension scheme- Annual company bonus- Life assurance scheme- Paid time off for community volunteering- Opportunities to be involved in sports, social and fundraising activities- Access to "SW Splash", saving you money on holidays, bills and shopping- Excellent family friendly policies around Adoption, Maternity, Parental Leave, and Flexible Working

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Working at Scottish Water

Scottish Water is one of the UK's leading water companies, the quality of drinking water and satisfaction with the service we provide our customers has never been higher - but we want to be even better - and you could help play an important part

We take employee engagement very seriously and have an inclusive and collaborative work environment where we respect people’s differences. We are committed to creating an engaging environment and a positive experience for our employees.

We were recently recognised as a Top 10 Flexible Employer in Scotland at the Flexibility Works Awards 2021 and by The Times as a Top 50 Employer for Women