FWAG SW provides environmental advice to farmers on a wide range of agricultural, conservation and water management issues. Advice is provided in a whole-farm context considering natural flood management (NFM) / flood risk reduction, diffuse pollution mitigation, soil management, nutrient management, compliance to legislation and regulation, habitat and species conservation, protection of archaeological features and landscape value – all as part of a profitable farm business.
Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) was launched in January 2015 as a response to the floods of winter 2013-14, which caused misery and devastation to Somerset’s people and communities. The SRA’s purpose is to give Somerset an extra level of flood protection and resilience, as set out in Somerset’s 20 Year Flood Action Plan. The SRA is a partnership. Only in Somerset do so many different bodies work so closely together to tackle flooding problems.
The threat of local flooding posed by intense rainfall events in quick response, sub-catchments is increasing and set to worsen under climate change predictions. A growing number of local communities are seeking to mitigate against this by identifying possible interventions to reduce flood risk in their own areas. However, these local people often lack the technical expertise, experience and confidence to determine which intervention is best, where it should be located, how it should be designed and how it should be delivered. This new post will be dedicated to enabling local people to deliver the interventions in their own local area by providing the technical input and support.
The post would sit partially within the FWAG SW Hills to Levels team to draw from the expertise on design, location and delivery, as well as land management advice. The role would also sit partially within the SRA team to help link with other projects and SRA staff – especially the Community Engagement Officers and Technical Adviser.
Hills to Levels is a holistic catchment management approach across the Somerset catchments, aiming to ‘slow the flow’ to reduce flood risk, reduce erosion, improve water quality, deliver wider environmental benefits and increase resilience on the floodplain. Hills to Levels is part of the delivery of the land management workstream of the Somerset 20-Year Flood Action Plan. Advice to farmers, landowners and communities is delivered through 1:1 farm visits, management plans, events or workshops, farm demonstrations or walks and newsletter articles.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and abilities who meet the essential criteria for this role, as stated in the Person Specification. We are an open and inclusive organisation seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce.
Main Purpose of the Job and Key Responsibilities
Delivery of sub-catchment solutions by working with motivated local people and groups who are keen to solve their local flooding problems.
- Provide practical advice on NFM and other interventions to help reduce local flooding problems
- Design interventions already successfully employed under the Hills to Levels work such as small upstream attenuation, natural barriers to intercept run-off, in-channel mitigation, flow diversion, cross slope hedge planting, strategic tree planting, changing land management or land use
- Work with communities who are already engaged and motivated to help find solutions and interventions to their own local flooding problems
- Work in partnership with SRA Partners and local agencies (highways, Lead Local Flood Authority, Wessex Water and EA) where necessary to help deliver other community-led solutions
- The communities could comprise informal groups of householders, action groups or more formal flood groups and would be at different stages of identifying solutions
- Assist local communities to access and work with local contractors to deliver interventions
- Access SRA Capital Grant Scheme and other funding mechanisms (such as Countryside Stewardship, Sustainable Farming Incentive, other emerging E.L.M. schemes) to help deliver these interventions where appropriate
Project management responsibilities:
- Delivery of project milestones
- Project reporting
- Project development
- Liaising with project partner organisations and funders
- Monitoring project budgets
PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION
Your application form plays an important part in our selection process. Please ensure that your completed form correlates as closely as possible to the requirements of the job, as detailed in the Key Responsibilities and Person Specification, above. CVs will not be accepted without a fully completed application form.
Please go to www.fwagsw.org.uk/Pages/Category/work-for-us to find out more and access the link to our application form.
Once completed, please email the application form to HR@fwagsw.org.uk
Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by email only. Due to the large numbers of applications we usually receive, we aren’t able to let you know if you haven’t been shortlisted for interview.
Closing date for applications: 23rd May 2022
Interview date: w/c 6th June 2022
FWAG SW does not reimburse costs for attending interviews.
For an informal chat about the post, please email ben.thorne@fwagsw.org.uk