Environmental Specialist

**Environmental Specialist (Inside IR35)**

**Contract Term: 3 months**

**Contracting Authority: Defra**

**Location: Hybrid based at any Defra hub.**

**In the Defra group, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people’s lives. We are responsible for England’s environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. We have developed a set of three strategic objectives covering our policy outcomes and corporate objectives. These objectives help us to deliver our ambitious vision to build our green and healthy future and provide a framework for all the important work we carry out.**

Our objectives are:

- To pass on to the next generation a natural environment protected and enhanced for the future.
- To lead the world in food, farming, and fisheries with a sustainable model of food production.
- To be an outstanding organisation focused on making a difference, with world class delivery capability.

**As a Environmental Specialist your main responsibilities will be**:

- The Water Infrastructure Planning & Delivery Team require experience of UK environmental legislation such as Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Habitat Regulation’s Assessment (HRA).
- The supplier will be assessing complex, technical and often conflicting environmental information to advise on the nature and level of environmental risk associated with consenting nationally significant water infrastructure projects (and nationally significant projects generally).
- For the project a draft HRA will be required at least three weeks before the statutory deadline to allow for a review by the project manager and a member of the legal team.
- A final draft of the report will be required by an agreed deadline to allow the statutory deadline to be met (which is three months/12 weeks after receiving the examiners report, unless an extension has been agreed.
- The report structure and terminology should be consistent with that of the report template.
- The conclusions of the report should make it clear whether the HRA tests have been met.
- The conclusions should be suitably clear to inform a recommendation to the Secretary of State as to whether the project should be consented.
- Key Tasks & Deliverables Identifying where additional environmental information is required (from the applicant, Special Nature conservation Body (SNCB) etc) to assist the Secretary of State with his decision making (noting the need for expediency because if consultation is required this needs to happen very soon after receiving the Examining Authorities report). Reviewing the relevant environmental information (publicly available on the PINS website and the Examining Authorities report once received) in relation to water related NSIPs. Advising the project team on relevant environmental matters, to assist with reaching a reasoned conclusion on the planning balance, for inclusion in the decision letter on behalf of the Secretary of State. Drafting the HRA (Stage 2 (Appropriate Assessment) and potentially Stage 3 Derogation's/Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Importance (IROPI) case), as the competent authority, on behalf of the Secretary of State.

**You’ll have relevant experience in**:

- A relevant environmental and/or planning degree/postgraduate
- Membership of a relevant professional body like IEMA, RTPI, IES, CIEEM, CIEWM
- Experience of undertaking EIAs and/or HRAs on projects
- In terms of project experience, I’d look for large scale infrastructure project examples, ideally NSIPs/DCOs (rather than smaller scale Town and Country Planning Act type projects) so road schemes, mass transit schemes, energy from waste, large scale solar, water/wastewater treatment works etc, strategic housing sites.
- This project experience could be from a variety of different angles, for example working for the applicant as the consultant, working for the local planning authority/other statutory body, working on behalf of objectors for legal challenges.

**Disability confident**

**We will be in touch to discuss your suitability and arrange your Guaranteed Interview.**

**Should you require reasonable adjustments at any point during the recruitment process or if there is a more accessible way for us to communicate, please do let me know.**- Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas._