Biodiversity Partnerships Lead

Company description: Water Utility Company based in Yorkshire region of England. Job description: Biodiversity Partnerships Lead We currently have an opportunity within our Environment Team, focused on working with external partners, particularly our regional CaBA partnerships, to deliver conservation focused habitat and river restoration projects. Could this be you? We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience £39,446 - £49,308 A company car through company car lease scheme Annual incentive related bonus (£1000 maximum bonus opportunity for the performance year) Attractive pension scheme (up to 10% company contribution) Development opportunities in line with the Lead Ecologist progression plan 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays - plus an extra wellness day! Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary A great benefits package - choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover. Retail savings scheme Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more! Location: Bradford with the option to work flexibility across the YW sites and home Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday. Where you fit in: The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) is a partnership based initiative, bringing together stakeholders from across a catchment, to maximise how we restore and enhance our rivers and connected environment. Yorkshire Water is already a member of the various Yorkshire based partnerships, and this role reflects the growing increase in our support and activity as well as the higher expectations and targets of what outcomes we can achieve. Over the past 5 years, our biodiversity programme has already delivered over 800 ha of priority habitat enhancement, restored around 250 km of river and helped facilitate over 30,000 hours of volunteer time focused on improving our catchments, in addition to leveraging significant funding for additional works. With the recent Yorkshire Wildlife Trust State of Nature Report, we know we need to do more, with this role helping us make a meaningful difference in the recovery of nature across Yorkshire. The role will focus on working with three of the Yorkshire partnerships (The Aire Catchment Network, the Calder Catchment Partnership and the Don, Dearne & Rother Network), helping bring together partners to deliver biodiversity projects enhancing priority habitat, develop projects that work with natural processes to restore the landscape, deliver river restoration and citizen science monitoring. You will work closely with the CaBA hosts to help the partnerships engage with our business planning and investment processes, identify opportunities for collaboration, share data, and develop opportunities to bring in additional funding to benefit the aims of the respective partnerships and their underlying Catchment Management Plans. The role will involve close collaboration with a range of stakeholders, and you will have strong communication skills and a passion and perseverance to drive change. You will have a good grounding in biodiversity and the water framework directive, but fundamentally have a desire to repair Yorkshire's rivers and catchments wilder and grow catchment resilience. Depending on your skills and passion, there is the opportunity to become involved with other environmental and conservation projects across the wider team. What skills & qualifications you will need: Self-motivated, independent and excellent organisational skills Strategic thinking around a multi organisational catchment based approach Able to effectively develop and maintain internal and external relationships Experience of partnership working, facilitating and influencing working groups/ stakeholder meetings Good understanding of River Basin Management Plans and the Water Framework Directive Good understanding of biodiversity policy, and the habitats and species relevant to West and South Yorkshire Experience working in partnership with the NGO sector and other statutory bodies Strong oral and written communication skills A UK driving licence You will also benefit from having: 5 years prior experience in a similar role or field Experience in successfully developing and winning external funding Experience of managing budgets and contracts Demonstrable ability to influence and/or develop policy and plans An understanding of the Catchment Based Approach and working with natural processes Knowledge of the water industry Experience in aquatic monitoring techniques and/or the interpretation of surveys Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it's important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn't always easy! What we do: Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it's so much more than this. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire's water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region's health, wellbeing, and prosperity. New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. The Environment team are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators. Do we sound like your cup of tea??? If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Closing Date - 11 November 2024 All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required. We are proud to serve the Yorkshire region and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We strongly encourage candidates of all different backgrounds to apply. Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible. TPBN1_UKTJ