Team Leader (Water Industry) - Thames - 34295
CompanyEnvironment Agency
Location
Farnham, England, United Kingdom
Employment TypeFull-time
Posted At5/4/2026
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Occupation Code Skill LevelIneligible
Sponsorship EligibilityIneligible for Sponsorship
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Description
- A track record of working collaboratively across teams or organisations.
- Working knowledge of health, safety and wellbeing best practices.
- Experience in identifying, addressing and resolving performance challenges constructively, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
- A full UK driving licence.
- It would be advantageous if you bring a coaching and mentoring approach to developing people, along with the ability to prioritise effectively and balance team needs with wider organisational goals.
- Excellent communication and engagement skills, combined with a flexible, problem-solving mindset and evidence-based decision-making capability.
- An understanding of the water industry, including our regulatory powers and how they can be applied effectively.
Are you ready to take on a leadership role that delivers real environmental impact? Join the Environment Agency’s Water Industry Enforcement teams and play a key role in tackling increasingly complex environmental crime.
We are transforming how we regulate water companies to drive improved performance, accountability and compliance with environmental law. While water companies play a vital role in managing the water cycle, they must do so without causing harm to people or the environment. Our teams work to hold underperforming operators to account and raise standards across the industry.
As a Team Leader, you will lead a team of officers dedicated to regulating water company activities, working closely with national and local colleagues. Your team will have a critical operational role in protecting the environment and helping to create a cleaner, safer and healthier environment for people and wildlife.
You will manage a diverse, multi-skilled team dealing with incidents and compliance issues, including those posing significant environmental and reputational risk. You will motivate and support both experienced officers and those new to the organisation, ensuring effective performance, delivery and professional development.
Working with compliance, enforcement and legal teams, you will help establish and embed new ways of working. You will prioritise and balance workloads to focus effort where it delivers the greatest environmental benefit, while maintaining high standards of health, safety and wellbeing.
The role is primarily office-based, with occasional site visits. You will be based from either our Farnham, Wallingford or Abbey Wood offices, but flexibility is essential to respond to changing priorities and support teams across the area.
The team
Our water industry enforcement team focuses on improving regulation and environmental performance across the water sector. Based in Farnham, Wallingford or Abbey Wood, the team works closely with water companies and Environment Agency colleagues to ensure enforcement requirements are met and environmental risks are effectively managed.
The role offers hybrid working, combining office-based days with travel for site visits, meetings and training to support effective collaboration and consistent regulatory outcomes.
Experience/skills Required
We’re looking for an experienced and motivated leader who can inspire and develop others, manage operational demands and support regulatory outcomes.
Essential:
If you have any questions, please contact regulationresourcing@environment-agency.gov.uk
Interviews are expected to take place across the fortnight commencing Monday 1st June.
You’ll be required to undertake an incident role to support effective incident response or business continuity. These roles may attract additional pay, with full training and flexible working arrangements provided. We offer a range of incident roles and will work with you to identify the most suitable option.
A reserve list will be held for six months and may be used to offer similar roles, including fixed-term opportunities.
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.
Competence 1
Leads People
Description
Essential:
- Strong leadership experience, with a proven ability to lead and motivate teams to deliver shared goals.
- A track record of working collaboratively across teams or organisations.
- Working knowledge of health, safety and wellbeing best practices.
- Experience in identifying, addressing and resolving performance challenges constructively, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
- A full UK driving licence.
- It would be advantageous if you bring a coaching and mentoring approach to developing people, along with the ability to prioritise effectively and balance team needs with wider organisational goals.
- Excellent communication and engagement skills, combined with a flexible, problem-solving mindset and evidence-based decision-making capability.
- An understanding of the water industry, including our regulatory powers and how they can be applied effectively.
If you have any questions, please contact regulationresourcing@environment-agency.gov.uk
Interviews are expected to take place across the fortnight commencing Monday 1st June.
You’ll be required to undertake an incident role to support effective incident response or business continuity. These roles may attract additional pay, with full training and flexible working arrangements provided. We offer a range of incident roles and will work with you to identify the most suitable option.
A reserve list will be held for six months and may be used to offer similar roles, including fixed-term opportunities.
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.
Competence 1
Leads People
Description
Description: provides leadership that inspires and motivates others to achieve their personal goals and the goals of the organisation
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.
You will be leading a team that will respond to incidents and issues within the water industry, including those that carry significant reputational and environmental risks. Please describe a time when you have led a team under pressure - this may be to deliver a key piece of work or a project under close scrutiny.
Competence 2
Develops People
Description
Description: Makes sure team members have the skills, knowledge, and experience to successfully carry out their current role and to develop into future roles.
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.
You will be leading a team dedicated to regulating water company activities. The team will contain experienced officers as well as those new to the business. Please describe a time when you have identified a skills gap within a team that you have led, and how you supported them to grow or develop as a result.
Competence 3
Focuses on Customers and Partners
Description
Description: Addresses the needs of internal and external customers, provides rapid and effective responses
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.
In this role you will have to engage with a wide range of customers both internally and externally. Please describe a time when the work you or your team were involved in resulted in a complaint or issue, and what steps you took to ensure this was dealt with effectively?
Role specific license requirements
Full UK driving licence
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, yo
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.
You will be leading a team that will respond to incidents and issues within the water industry, including those that carry significant reputational and environmental risks. Please describe a time when you have led a team under pressure - this may be to deliver a key piece of work or a project under close scrutiny.
Competence 2
Develops People
Description
Description: Makes sure team members have the skills, knowledge, and experience to successfully carry out their current role and to develop into future roles.
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.
You will be leading a team dedicated to regulating water company activities. The team will contain experienced officers as well as those new to the business. Please describe a time when you have identified a skills gap within a team that you have led, and how you supported them to grow or develop as a result.
Competence 3
Focuses on Customers and Partners
Description
Description: Addresses the needs of internal and external customers, provides rapid and effective responses
When answering the following question, you may find using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helpful in structuring your answer.
In this role you will have to engage with a wide range of customers both internally and externally. Please describe a time when the work you or your team were involved in resulted in a complaint or issue, and what steps you took to ensure this was dealt with effectively?
Role specific license requirements
Full UK driving licence
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, yo
u 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.
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.