West Northamptonshire Council has created a new team focused on developing and delivering innovative flood and water drainage solutions. The team is led by the Flood and Water Team Manager, reporting to the Head of Works within the PLACE directorate of the Council. The team is constructed of two areas, flood management and drainage management.

The team will act as the Council’s lead flood authority providing professional support and advice on flood and water management and be instrumental in developing its approach to the forthcoming changes to the Flood and Water Act.

If you would like to have an informal chat about the role, please feel free to contact Colin Barrett, Head of Works (Assets and Environment): colin.barrett@westnorthants.gov.uk

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme. 
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme
• Professional subscriptions / registration - if your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

The purpose of this post is to assist in the delivery of the council’s duties as Lead Local Flood Authority, under the Flood and Water Management Act, with a particular focus on the duty to investigate flood incidents.

The role will require undertaking detailed investigations into significant incidents, as well as providing bespoke advice to those affected by minor incidents. This will include working with affected communities to promote personal and community resilience. Where investigations identify the need for further work, the post-holder will work with partners and colleagues to bring forward the required improvements in order to reduce the risk and impact of flooding in West Northamptonshire. This may involve undertaking enforcement action, where flood risk is increased by unauthorised activity.

We are looking for individuals that want to test boundaries and develop, and deliver, innovative approaches to reducing flood risk to our communities. Acting as the Council’s local lead flood authority the team will provide professional technical responses to development applications ensuring that drainage systems are sustainable and sufficiently effective in protecting communities from flooding.   

The team will be supported to think outside of the box and be provided with modern resources which they can use to create innovative solutions.

We're a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we're embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.

Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from Anna Earnshaw, our Chief Executive, about working for West Northants Council: https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.

Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.