Environmental Lead

Circa £50k - £55k, salary depending on skills and experience

Permanent

37 hours per week

Location: Peterborough - Hybrid Working 1-3 days in office weekly

Anglian Water offers a flexible approach, this role provides you with hybrid working. Your base location will either be in our Peterborough office with the expectation of being in the office 1-3 days a week.

Help lead the future of sustainable water supply in the East of England.

As part of Anglian Water’s ambitious draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, we’re facing into a stark reality — by 2050, we could have 38% less water to meet customer demand. In response, we’re developing a transformative programme of desalination and advanced water recycling, with projects set to go live as early as 2034.

These cutting-edge technologies are new to Anglian Water, and we’re looking for passionate, forward-thinking environmental professionals to help shape them from the ground up.

Reporting to the Senior Consents and Environment Manager, the Environmental Lead will drive the environmental strategy for these future supply options — developing robust scopes, reviewing and challenging technical proposals, and ensuring programmes stay on track and deliver genuine impact. You’ll lead international collaboration, chair steering groups, and engage with global experts to ensure we apply the best ideas and innovation to deliver world-class outcomes.

If you’re ready to influence some of the most critical environmental projects of our time — we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

• Environmental Leadership:

Act as the Environmental Subject Matter Expert for the desalination and/or advanced water recycling programme, collaborating with international suppliers and consultants to apply best practices.

Develop and drive the Environmental Strategy for desalination and/or water recycling, ensuring early prioritization of environmental assessments (SEA, HRA, WFD, Natural Capital, and Net Gain).

Work with the Technical Lead to minimize environmental impact and align with the Water Resources Environmental Lead for consistent planning.

• Project Delivery :

Ensure environmental outputs are on time, within budget, and meet required quality standards.

Identify risks and opportunities, driving mitigation actions and delivering necessary reports and presentations to regulators and stakeholders.

• Stakeholder Management:

Represent Anglian Water in external stakeholder meetings, presenting environmental aspects of the programme and addressing challenges.

Lead steering groups, communicate environmental strategies, and ensure cross-company collaboration for informed decision-making.

As a valued employee, you’ll be entitled to:

• Full private healthcare with no excess

• 26 days leave, rising with service + Bank Holidays, with the option to swap Christmas and Easter holidays for those celebrated by your religion

• A flexible and friendly working culture

• Competitive pension scheme – we double-match your contributions up to 7%

• Life Assurance at eight times your salary

• Personal Accident cover – up to 5x your salary

• Bonus Scheme

• Lots of great discounts

About you:

The Environmental Lead role demands a proactive, self-starter with the ability to work independently and drive progress without constant oversight. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership and coaching skills, enabling them to effectively mentor and empower team members while also fostering collaboration across both internal and external stakeholders.

With a keen sense of decision-making, they will exhibit sound judgment in navigating complex challenges and ensuring optimal outcomes. They will be well-versed in prioritisation and planning, demonstrating the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously while keeping projects on track. As an integrator, they will bring together various elements of the project, ensuring all aspects work harmoniously towards a common goal.

Clear, concise, and effective communication will be central to their approach, as they will be expected to present complex technical information to a wide range of audiences. The Environmental Lead will take ownership and accountability, ensuring that all tasks and responsibilities are executed to the highest standard. They will not shy away from challenging the status quo when necessary, driving improvement through innovation and new ideas. Additionally, their strong project management skills will enable them to effectively oversee and guide projects from start to finish, ensuring successful delivery within scope, timeline, and budget.

Key Skills and Experience:

• Educational Background: Post-graduate qualification in an environmental discipline.

• Professional Membership: Membership of an appropriate professional body (working towards Chartership).

• Environmental Assessments: Strong experience with EIA HRA & WFD assessments.

• Environmental Strategy Leadership: Proven experience in developing and leading environmental strategies for large-scale infrastructure projects.

• Stakeholder Management: Experience in managing multiple stakeholder groups, both internal and external, with a focus on regulatory engagement (desirable).

• Technical Experience: Previous experience with desalination and/or Advanced Water Recycling projects (desirable).

• Water Resources Planning Knowledge: Familiarity with water resources planning (desirable).

• Industry Experience: Experience in the UK water industry (desirable).

Why Apply?

This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of water resource management in the East of England. By joining Anglian Water’s forward-thinking team, you will be at the forefront of innovative solutions like desalination and water reuse, addressing one of the most significant challenges of our time: ensuring a sustainable water supply for the future.

As the Environmental Lead, you will have the chance to influence and drive the environmental strategy for major infrastructure projects that will shape the region's water resources for decades to come. Working as part of a dynamic team, you will collaborate with international experts, and help develop cutting-edge solutions that balance environmental sustainability with the demands of growing populations.

In addition to technical expertise, you will work closely with stakeholders, creating opportunities to build strong relationships while influencing decisions at the highest levels. This role offers the chance to make a lasting impact, working in an environment that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. If you are passionate about environmental leadership, project management, and creating sustainable solutions, this is the role for you.

By joining us, you will be part of a forward-thinking company that is dedicated to growth, development, and positive change in an industry that matters.

Closing date: 14th July 2026

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