City/Town
National
Region
National
Vacancies
1
Salary Minimum
£34,320
Post Type
Permanent
Job ID
35106
Closing date
05 Jul 2026
Published date
21 Jun 2026
Grade
Staff Grade 4
Role type
Other
Security check
Basic Check
Job description
We are seeking an Enforcement Officer to join our national Reservoir Regulation Team, helping deliver the Environment Agency’s statutory functions under the Reservoirs Act 1975. The successful candidate will manage a varied caseload under the guidance of Enforcement Advisers and the Senior Team Leader.
This is a nationally focused role requiring regular travel across England, including site visits, inspections, meetings, training, and occasional overnight stays. Candidates must be willing and able to travel nationally as part of their role. This role requires regular travel across England, including site visits and occasional overnight stays. A full UK driving licence (or ability to travel independently) is essential.
As an Enforcement Officer, you will play a key role in safeguarding public safety by ensuring reservoir undertakers comply with their statutory responsibilities. You will monitor compliance, investigate potential breaches, support enforcement action, and contribute to incident response activities.
The role requires sound judgement, resilience, and confidence in managing challenging conversations and conflict professionally. You will gather evidence, maintain accurate records, prepare enforcement documentation, and support enforcement proceedings where necessary. You will assess risks, analyse complex information, and make proportionate, risk-based recommendations.
You will regularly engage with undertakers, engineers, legal representatives, and internal teams, often in situations where opinions differ or where enforcement action may be contested. Strong communication, influencing, and problem-solving skills are therefore essential.
Everyone who joins the Environment Agency is required to undertake training and participate in incident response duties when required. Having an incident role is an essential part of working for the Environment Agency and supports our commitment to protecting communities and the environment.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and support flexible working patterns, including job share arrangements.
Essential:
- Experience in a regulatory, compliance, enforcement, investigation, or customer-facing environment involving difficult conversations or conflict management.
- Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain difficult decisions clearly and professionally.
- Ability to remain calm and objective when handling challenging or confrontational situations.
- Good problem-solving and decision-making skills, including analysing complex or incomplete information and recommending proportionate actions.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and maintain accurate, auditable records.
- Willingness and ability to travel nationally across England, including occasional overnight stays.
- Full UK driving license.
Desirable:
- Experience working within a regulatory or enforcement framework.
- Knowledge of the Reservoirs Act 1975, public safety regulation, or infrastructure management.
- Experience gathering evidence or supporting enforcement or legal processes.
- Experience working collaboratively with partners, customers, or technical specialists.
- Ability to travel independently to sites and meetings.
Zoe Wilson – Senior Team Leader
[email protected]
Interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams week commencing 20 July 2026.
Everyone joining the Environment Agency is required to undertake an incident response role. This includes training and being available to respond when incidents occur. Incident response is an essential and rewarding part of protecting communities and the environment.
We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or gender identity.
We support flexible working hours and practices.
Please note: we do not accept CVs. Your answers to the competency questions below will be used to select candidates for interview.
Tell us about a time when you had to communicate a difficult or unpopular decision to a customer, regulated business, or stakeholder. How did you manage the conversation, deal with resistance or conflict, and ensure the message was understood?
PLEASE NOTE: Your answers will be used for interview selection. Please provide clear examples that demonstrate your skills and experience. You may find the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful when structuring your responses.
Describe a situation where you successfully influenced someone to change their approach, comply with requirements, or take corrective action. What techniques did you use and what was the outcome?
PLEASE NOTE: Your answers will be used for interview selection. Please provide clear examples that demonstrate your skills and experience. You may find the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful when structuring your responses.
Tell us about a time when you have to assess complex, conflicting, or incomplete information and make a difficult decision. How did you approach the problem and what was the result?
PLEASE NOTE: Your answers will be used for interview selection. Please provide clear examples that demonstrate your skills and experience. You may find the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful when structuring your responses.
Please give us an example of a time when you worked collaboratively with a customer, partner, or stakeholder to resolve a difficult issue or achieve a positive outcome. How did you build the relationship, manage any challenges, and ensure a successful result?
PLEASE NOTE: Your answers will be used for interview selection. Please provide clear examples that demonstrate your skills and experience. You may find the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful when structuring your responses.
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.
We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.
We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.