Environmental Project Assistant - 13 month Fixed Term Contract

Affinity Water; Hatfield; On-site; GBP 25,000; Full time

Job description

Affinity Water is the UK's largest Water Only Business, with over 1500 employees across several sites. We are looking to recruit an Environmental Project Assistant on a 13 month Fixed Term Contract.

Location: Hatfield - Hertfordshire

Salary: £25,000

Working Pattern: 37 hours per week

Purpose: We have taken a placement student to cover the placement position for some 28 years. Placements run from late July of one year to the end of August the following year, allowing a handover from one student to another. It is a paid position within the Water Resources & Environment department, based at our head office in Hatfield.

Key Responsibilities:

• Environmental monitoring of river flows, lake levels, rainfall, and groundwater levels within the Affinity Water supply area.
• Collation and analysis of environmental data from both internal and external sources e.g. Met Office and Environment Agency.
• The screening of planning applications for potential impact on the Company.
• Water quality sampling from various sites in our supply area, including lakes, boreholes, rivers, and in-situ analysis.
• The taking of river photos at set locations around our supply area.
• Support to other team members on data collection where required.
• Data analysis and interpretation, including use of GIS.
• A placement project report is completed by the end of placement, on a subject of the placement student’s and Company interest.

Key Capabilities:

• A full driving licence valid in the UK.
• Awareness of health and safety procedures.
• Awareness of environmental standards and how changing water levels may affect the company and the environment.
• Competent computer literacy in the use of word processing and spreadsheet software (MS Office and preferentially GIS).
• Willingness to work outside in the field.
• Accurate updating of databases, analysis of river flows, groundwater, and rainfall to produce monthly reports.
• Ability to produce concise, clear, and accurate interpretations and report on them.
• Effective communication with colleagues.
• The willingness to see jobs through to completion.
• Patience when jobs take a long time, or when data is not retrievable for certain periods.
• The ability to work both as part of a team and independently, to meet deadlines.

Benefits of doing a placement at Affinity Water:

• Opportunities for networking with a possible future employer.
• Gain experience of working in an office environment.
• Gain experience of environmental data collection in the field.
• Finish university with a year’s relevant work experience.

Interviews: April 2025

Start Date: July 2025

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary.
• Learning and development opportunities, including mentoring and a range of formal courses and open learning resources.
• Entry into the company annual bonus scheme.
• Annual leave from 23 days rising with length of service, and the option to purchase up to 5 extra days.
• A ‘Celebration Day’ in addition to public holidays that people can use to celebrate a religious festival or other occasion that is important to them.
• A generous 'double match pension scheme' that doubles the contributions you make (company contribution capped at 12%).
• We offer a range of family benefits including enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support Leave, and up to 5 full or 10 half days of paid Carers Leave.
• Menopause policy and Reasonable Adjustment policy to help everyone perform at their best.
• Access to our Wellbeing Centre with support for looking after your physical and mental health.
• Discounts at a range of retail outlets and on Dental and Medical Insurance through our Tap4Perks scheme.
• Disability confident (if you need to apply through a different format, please contact the Talent Acquisition Partner for this role).

Affinity Water recognises the benefits of greater diversity in our workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We are committed to building a more inclusive culture where every member of our workforce can thrive.