Principal Water Resource Modeller in Reading, United Kingdom

Find your focus, grow with us, and be a part of the solution to the water challenges we face in the future. How will you make a difference?

Do you recognise water’s vital role in human health, the environment and the economy? Are you aware of the significant challenges we face providing water in a world of changing climate , improving standards of sustainability and population growth? If you are looking to be part of a team that is at the forefront of building a resilient and sustainable water supply for both the UK and our international clients, then we would be interested to hear from you!

Stantec is a top-tier global consultancy that was named the ‘Best Place to Work’ at the 2024 New Civil Engineer (NCE) Awards. We have a reputation for providing innovative water supply solutions, as well as environmental and regulatory services, for a range of public and private sector clients in the UK. We have ambitious growth targets in the water resources planning market and are seeking enthusiastic people with plenty of experience in the water industry to play central roles in delivering our workload.

We have opportunities to join our water resources planning team at numerous locations across the UK (including Birmingham, Redditch, High Wycombe, Reading, and Shrewsbury – other office locations could be considered), along with opportunities to join collaborative projects with global Stantec teams.

About this opportunity

It’s an exciting time to be involved in water resources in the UK. In recognition of the considerable future challenges, the industry regulator Ofwat has set out the biggest investment in infrastructure since privatisation, with £4 billion to boost water supply and £2 billion for nature-based solutions in the recently published draft determination for the period 2025-30. This includes funding for significant solutions to ensure long-term national resilience, security of supply for the future and lowering demand through unprecedented leakage reduction and smart meter installation programmes.

Stantec’s engagement with water resources planning initiatives across the UK and Ireland has grown significantly since 2020. This has included working across several Strategic Resource Option (SRO) investigations in England and Wales, Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs), Drought Plans and WINEP investigations. This continues to be a growing focus for Stantec in 2024 and beyond, helping water companies deliver their AMP8 schemes and plan for the future.

Our water resources planning team works with water companies, regulators (such as the Environment Agency and Ofwat), design engineers, contractors, planners, and other stakeholders to help achieve positive outcomes for projects.

As a senior member of our multidisciplinary and collaborative team, you will:

• Be responsible for the full lifecycle of projects from inception to handover, ensuring they adhere to scope, budget, timescale, quality and regulatory requirements. You will lead by example, advising less senior team members and reviewing their work.

• Be expected to bring significant experience to the team in hydraulic modelling, water resource modelling or optimisation modelling.Withexperienceof applying advanced modelling concepts to real world problems in recent relevant projects for WRMP24, regional planning or as part of the SRO gated process.

• Be willing to support the wider water resources team when required, complement the other specialisms within the team and work flexibly on a variety of projects.

• Grow and leverage your internal and external networks to achieve positive outcomes for your projects.

• Run commercial projects, bids and proposals on time within budget and quality constraints with limited supervision. Provide strategic insight in bid selection and the direction of work in the team for AMP8.

About you

We welcome people from varied backgrounds (regulatory, water company or consultancy) who have recent experience applying their knowledge of water resources in policy and technical areas. We are looking for people who are used to working in fast-paced multidisciplinary teams and working closely with their clients, statutory authorities, and other stakeholders. Ideally you will have had previous involvement in the assessment and development of WRMPs, regional plans, SROs orDrought Plans.

We are looking for:

• Extensive experience in water resources focussed projects undertaking: WR modelling, development of components of the supply-demand balance, abstraction impact assessments, hydrological, hydrogeological and/or water resources assessment, drought trigger development, demand forecasting, options appraisal, investment modelling or development of risk and uncertainty.

• Extensive experience in modelling software, such as Pywr, Miser and Aquator, to inform decisions on water resources availability and operation of sources. Your experience will involve examples of complex or high-profile projects commensurateto the career level of this role.

• A good understanding of the latest regulatory requirements of UK Water resources Management, including the Water Resource Planning guidelines

• Project management experience, including management of project teams and be comfortable managing challenging projects.

• A track record of good client relationships and proposal writing.

• Strong experience ofanalysis of water resources and hydrological data.

• A degree in a relevant subject, such as geography, geological sciences, environmental science, civil or environmental engineering and preferably hold a postgraduate degree in hydrology, hydrogeology and/or water resources management.

• Actively involved with relevant institutions such as CIWEM or the Institute of Water with a professional chartership.

Feel free to get in touch even if you only fulfill part of the requirements. We have a very versatile workload within the team that requires diverse backgrounds and skillsets.

#UKWater

About Stantec

The Stantec community unites over 31,000 employees working in over 450 locations across 6 continents. We have worked with our clients and communities in the UK for over 150 years. We plan, design, deliver and manage the development and infrastructure needed to support the creation of sustainable, healthy and prosperous communities.

Our teams provide effective and relevant solutions, translating our clients’ vision into valued consents, deliverable plans for projects and programmes, and efficient designs for delivery, based on technical excellence and deep market insights. We deal with today’s challenges but also keep a fairer, better tomorrow in sight, looking at how we deliver clean growth, support radical changes in our economy and meet the needs of future communities.

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