Hydrologist- Flood Hydrology Improvements Programme

Reducing the impacts of a changing climate on people and wildlife is at the heart of everything we do at the Environment Agency. We run a national flood forecasting service and a £5.2bn programme to reduce flood risk. We have invested over £7 million in flood hydrology through the Flood Hydrology Improvements Programme. This is an exciting opportunity for a senior specialist in hydrology to shape the future of operational flood hydrology through that programme.
As one of the EA's most senior flood hydrologists you will provide technical leadership nationally and champion improvements to flood hydrology.
You will use your specialist hydrological expertise to design, deliver and advise on improvements projects such as: the creation of a framework for benchmarking hydrological approaches and; scoping the next generation of UK operational flood estimation approaches.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing hydrological expertise for national strategic projects


• Advising on technical priorities and delivering improvements


• Collaborating with others from across the EA and hydrological community to ensure improvements are well-designed for end users


• Leading the development of scopes for improvements projects working with others internally and externally


• Guiding and working with suppliers to ensure work is appropriate, proportionate and of sufficient quality


• Review and sign-off of in-house and commissioned flood hydrology projects


You will constructively challenge the status quo to influence peers and management within the EA.
You will be committed to diversity in hydrology and have a passion for developing the next generation of hydrologists.
As a senior technical specialist, you will represent the EA externally. You will keep up with developments in hydrological science and communicate these internally.

We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share.

The team

The Flood Hydrology Improvements Programme team is a thriving team of hydrologists, project and programme managers dedicated flood hydrology improvements within the Environment Agency. We are a dispersed team of 10 people and form part of Evidence and Risk (E&R), a national team of 140 that provides expert analysis and advice to manage flood risk and improve resilience across England., Please tell us how you have used or developed models for practical use to estimate flood risk, whether long-term flood risk or immediate flood forecasts. What were the main benefits and limitations of basing decisions on model outputs?, As a senior hydrologist you will be leading change, both technically and in how we work. Please tell us about a time that you have developed and implemented improvements. How did you go about it?, As a technical leader, you will be required to raise the profile of hydrology within management teams and also develop skills and interest in hydrology in technical staff.
Please tell us about how have you used your communication skills to date to further hydrology?, As part of this job, you will be required to review and appraise novel or non-standard methods in flood hydrology. We're interested in finding out about your ability to do that.
Please tell us about how you have used your scientific understanding of flood hydrology to produce sound, science-based evidence to date.

If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

You will be an expert in flood hydrology with a relevant degree or equivalent (preferably masters or higher)
with:

• In-depth understanding of hydrological processes, how models simulate them and model limitations


• Extensive experience building and calibrating hydrological models for floods


• Good understanding of the ways flood hydrology is used in practice in England with an understanding of the Flood Estimation Handbook methods and extreme value theory


• Ability to foster partnership between diverse groups and create change


• Experience with hydrometric data and an understanding of data limitations


• High standards and a commitment to quality


• Sound scientific reasoning and ability to make practical compromises


• Good mathematical ability with capability to appraise novel hydrological methods


• Ability to build relationships and communicate hydrological concepts to non-technical audiences


• A passion for self-development and coaching others
  
  We value a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all sections of society who wish to join an organisation which values everyone.

Everyone that joins us is required to undertake training and participate in incident response duties when the need to respond arises in a way that fits around your work/life balance.

This is a permanent role.

Interviews will take place during October 2024.

Competence 1

Numerical Modelling and Forecasting