Recruiter Profile: Environment Agency

Careers in the National Environmental Assessment Service

"Helping deliver projects in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, achieving substantial enhancements for people and wildlife." This is the aim of the National Environmental Assessment Service (NEAS), whose teams are located across England and Wales and provide a service to all Environment Agency regions.

NEAS is responsible for managing the environmental assessment of the Environment Agency's multi-million pound capital and revenue works programmes. We manage various levels of assessment from Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Environment Agency plans and programmes, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Environment Agency projects as well as Landscape Assessments and other assessments to ensure compliance with environmental domestic and international legislation and to demonstrate good environmental practice.

Environmental assessment is the process of compiling, evaluating and presenting all the significant environmental effects of a proposal and NEAS manage the delivery of SEA's and EIA's in a way which allows a full understanding of the project's environmental, social and economic impact, informs the strategy or scheme design, encourages informed dialogue with all interested parties and realises potential opportunities to enhance the environment

The Environment Agency is required to do this under various Environmental Impact Assessment regulations and are also required to carry out non-statutory EIAs and SEAs as a matter of policy and best practice. NEAS Officers are experts in EIA, SEA, Archaeology or Landscape Assessment and they ensure that the EIA/SEA, landscape and archaeological aspects of Environment Agency projects are carried out to the right standard and demonstrate that the Environment Agency is a leader in the field of environmental assessment and design.

The NEAS officer provides a service to project managers by advising on the appropriate level of assessment required for each project, providing an environmental brief for the consultant, checking consultant proposals and liaising closely with the environmental consultant and facilitating communication with key internal and external stakeholders. NEAS will quality assure all environmental reports and ensure that environmental risk is managed throughout the project. Finally we will ensure that adverse environmental impacts are adequately mitigated and that opportunities to enhance the local environment are realised.

With flood risk management programmes growing substantially over future years, NEAS are always keen to recruit new people into the service. If you feel you have technical know how and some experience in the area of environmental assessment or landscape architecture, please do not hesitate to contact Ross Marshall on 01522 785885 or Phil Griffiths on 01903 832267 to discuss exciting career opportunities. Alternatively, e-mail your CV to donna.carstairs@environment-agency.gov.uk