South West Water
Project Officer – South West Peatland Partnership
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Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose
South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes.
We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.
Whether you’re starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.
Ready to make a splash? Join our team today.
Location: Okehampton / Peninsula House with flexible home working
Salary: £34,000 – £38,000
Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week)
We’re looking for a passionate and driven Project Officer to join the South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP)—a collaborative programme delivering large-scale peatland restoration across Cornwall, Dartmoor and Exmoor.
Hosted by South West Water, this role puts you at the heart of environmental recovery, working alongside National Park Authorities, Natural England, the Environment Agency, and leading conservation organisations.
In particular, the role will be closely collaborating with Dartmoor Headwaters Natural Flood Management colleagues hosted by the National Park Authority; delivering closely aligned goals for the upland environment on Dartmoor.
This is a unique opportunity to play a hands-on role in tackling climate change, improving biodiversity, and restoring some of the UK’s most important habitats.
What You’ll Be Doing
- You’ll take the lead on peatland restoration projects at site level, managing works from planning through to delivery:
- Leading on design, planning and delivery of ecologically ambitious restoration works at remote peatland sites across the region.
- Acting as Project Manager for restoration construction sites
- Managing contractors and applying Construction Design & Management (CDM) Regulations 2015
- Developing restoration plans using field survey data and GIS tools (QGIS/QField)
- Managing budgets (up to £1m annually) and overseeing contractor payments
- Leading stakeholder engagement, including landowners, farmers, and public bodies
- Ensuring high-quality delivery, compliance, and health & safety standards
- Supporting monitoring, research projects, and training activities
- Collaborating across a wide partnership of environmental organisations
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What We Are Looking For
We’re seeking someone with a strong blend of ecological expertise, project management capability and stakeholder engagement skills.
Essential
- A strong foundation of ecological expertise and field skills.
- Understanding of peatland, wetland or upland ecology
- Experience delivering nature conservation or land management projects
- Strong contract and contractor management experience
- Competence in GIS for site assessment and survey
- Experience engaging and negotiating with land managers and stakeholders
Desirable
- Degree in a Natural Science (or equivalent experience)
- Knowledge of health & safety and construction compliance
- Experience applying CDM regulations
- SMSTS / SSSTS certification
- Ability to manage budgets and project delivery
What's In It For You
We know our people drive our success — so we’re committed to offering an excellent range of benefits, including:
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- Generous holiday allowance + bank holidays
- Discretionary bonus
- Competitive contributory pension
- Share-save scheme
- Health benefits & wellbeing support programmes
- Group discounts
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Financial support services
- Development and training opportunities
- … and much more!
Closing Date: 23rd August 2026, with interviews week commencing 1st September.
Interviews will be held at DNPA offices at Parke, Bovey Tracey.
We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.
Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.
Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:
- Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
- Be You - We want you to bring your best everyday. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
- Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.
We look after the water and wastewater services for 1.8 million customers across Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Dorset and Somerset.
From treatment and maintenance, to innovation and improvements, we're busy every day finding and fixing leaks, unblocking sewers and going bigger and further in our environmental work to be a company you can be proud of.
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