Senior Sustainable Drainage Officer

This role has a starting salary of £38,746 per annum, based on a 36-hour working 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?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Sustainable 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.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days’ holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years’ service and 30 days after 5 years’ service
• Annual leave allowance (for bank) or remove for term time
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer’s leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

The Flood Risk Planning and Consenting Team act as statutory planning consultees for surface water drainage on all major planning applications and carry out our role as regulatory authority for works affecting ordinary watercourses. The team provides advice on over 1200 proposed major 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 planning applications against requirements for sustainable drainage within the National Planning Policy Framework and Technical Standards
• Provide advice to Local Planning Authorities on planning consultations and local policy
• Provide pre-application advice to developers on drainage schemes
• Promote SuDS across Surrey County Council and Partners
• Carry out assessments of Ordinary Watercourse consent applications
• Investigate and answer customer flood risk enquiries

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 influencing positive change.
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. In addition, you will be confident using IT systems with experience of using spreadsheets and GIS.

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.

At Surrey we work together openly and honestly to provide our residents with an excellent service that is inclusive and respectful of all. We offer a wide range of benefits that allow you to develop within your career without having to sacrifice your work/life balance.
You can read more about our benefits, vision and values on our website by clicking apply.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 07/01/2024.

Interviews will take place in the week commencing 08/01/2024.

Contact Details

For an informal discussion please contact Amy Rodwell on

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

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.