Catchment Land Use Specialist

Catchment Land Use Specialist

Location – Suffolk
Permanent, Full Time – 37 hours per week
Salary – £34,595 to £40,700 depending on experience

In this varied and rewarding role, you’ll be a trusted point of contact for farmers, land managers, partner organisations, and internal teams. Your work will help identify land‑based risks to water quality and environmental resilience — and support land users to take meaningful, practical action.

You’ll undertake on‑farm assessments to identify potential sources of land‑based pollution, developing tailored recommendations that improve river water quality, reduce risks, and support sustainable land management. With a strong background in the agricultural sector, you’ll build working relationships with land managers, agronomists, Farm Clusters and environmental partners to ensure high‑impact solutions are delivered on the ground.

A key part of your role involves delivering engagement programmes, hosting workshops and farmer events, and supporting the effective management of grants under our Field to Tap scheme.

You’ll also collaborate with our Catchment Data & Evidence Team to interpret catchment monitoring results and identify priority areas for action, translating technical insights into clear, practical advice for land managers.

No two days will be the same: you might be analysing land use data or preparing reports one day, then meeting farmers, supporting partners or advising on land management solutions the next.

This is a great opportunity for someone with strong communication skills who thrives on building partnerships and working collaboratively. You’ll engage with agronomists, regulators, local authorities and NGOs, representing Essex & Suffolk Water at meetings and events while leading initiatives that make a real difference to the environment.

We’re looking for someone who is engaging, proactive, and passionate about landscape‑scale environmental improvement.

• Technical experience in agriculture, land management, catchment management, nature‑based solutions or similar fields.
• Practical experience delivering farm advice or working directly with land managers, with a strong understanding of the environmental and agricultural challenges facing catchments.
• Excellent communication skills, with confidence facilitating workshops, delivering presentations and engaging effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and project‑management skills, with the ability to prioritise a varied workload and coordinate engagement activities.
• Competence in Microsoft Office and ideally experience working with GIS tools.

You’ll be self‑motivated and able to work independently while being a proactive and supportive team member.

As you’ll be travelling across Essex & Suffolk Water’s operating area, a full driving licence is essential.

You’ll ideally hold an HNC/D, BTEC Higher National Diploma, or degree in agricultural science, agronomy, environmental science or a related subject — or have equivalent relevant experience. FACTS and BASIS qualifications are beneficial, or you may be working towards them.

Here at Essex & Suffolk Water, we embrace and value Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, and encourage all colleagues to bring their most authentic self to work. Our colleague network groups include our Rainbow Support Network (LGBTQIA+), REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), WiSTEM (Women in STEM) and Thisability (disability and neurodiversity) networks. They provide a safe space for colleagues from diverse backgrounds, welcoming all colleagues regardless of their personal characteristics to participate in valuable conversation that improves our organisational awareness, understanding and inclusivity.

We encourage and welcome all applications, as we strive to be an equal‑opportunity employer, committed to having diverse communities represented within all our teams, structures and organisation. Essex & Suffolk Water / NWG are an inclusive employer who support the rehabilitation of offenders; we will not consider candidates who have certain unspent convictions to ensure our commitment to fostering a safe…