Southern Water
Environmental Compliance Manager
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Closing Date
2026-08-16
Job Title: Environmental Compliance Manager
Location: We can be flexible on base location within our region. We have offices in Worthing, Falmer, Otterbourne and Chatham. We have a hybrid approach with a typical week including 2 days on site.
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37, Monday to Friday
Salary: Circa £72,000 commensurate to skills and experience
There has never been a more important time to join Southern Water. As we move into AMP8, we are delivering one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes in the industry, focused on improving environmental performance, service resilience and long-term affordability for customers.
About The Role
Lead Southern Water's Environmental Compliance Team and shape the company's approach to environmental regulatory assurance.
Working across the organisation and with external regulators, you will provide independent second-line assurance, identify and escalate strategic compliance risks, drive improvements in environmental performance and ensure confidence in Southern Water's management of environmental obligations.
Reporting into senior leadership, you will influence business-wide decision making, strengthen governance arrangements and provide clear visibility of compliance risks up to Executive level, helping protect our EPA, ODI and wider business objectives
The scope of environmental regulatory compliance will include all aspects of environmental permit compliance, including reporting, regulatory data requests and enforcement notifications.
What You Will Be Responsible For
- Lead and develop the Environmental Compliance team ensuring appropriate resources, clear objectives and high performance.
- Provide sound judgment in identifying and characterising environmental permit compliance risks within the business.
- Provide business wide visibility on the overall environmental permit compliance risk landscape; feeding into existing governance risk forums and internal reporting mechanisms, developing routes of communication where gaps are identified.
- Set the standard for environmental regulatory compliance assurance within the business.
- Take ownership for leading engagement with internal stakeholders and senior leadership to drive resolution of systemic compliance risk.
- Take ownership for Regulatory environmental compliance appeals, acting as business gatekeeper ensuring quality and appropriateness of appeals.
- Take ownership for the delivery of environmental regulatory data requests and enforcement information; co-ordinating collation of business wide information and responses to the regulator.
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What You’ll Bring To The Role
- In-depth understanding of UK Water Industry wastewater regulatory & compliance frameworks.
- Experience of compliance or assurance functions in a regulated environment.
- Practical experience of working in, or in collaboration with operational teams.
- Practical experience of performance management and root cause analysis.
- Clear understanding of risk management and escalation processes.
- Practical experience of delivering business process improvement.
Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.
You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation.
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"At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need."
If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: [Introduce Yourself](myworkdaysite.com- Introduce Yourself)
Our Commitment to Diversity
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Additional Information
In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.
Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all preemployment checks, including security vetting.
Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.
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