Water and International Development – Environmental Scientist/Engineer

We have an exciting opening for a scientist to help develop and deliver our work in the international development sector.

Current projects include:

• Developing master plans for water resources and water supply in Saint Lucia


• Coastal and risk flood modelling and risk assessment in Saint Lucia


• Developing assessments of water resource availability in Yemen


• Flood forecasting in Ethiopia


• Assessing food security in changing climate in Jamaica


• Storm surge modelling in Saint Kitts and Nevis

Our small Water and International Development team work closely with technical specialists from across the company, external stakeholders and partners to deliver interdisciplinary projects. These cover a range of topic areas including flooding, water resources and climate change adaptation. Our work ranges from stakeholder engagement such as organising and delivering workshops through to data analysis, modelling and mapping.

The team sits within the Flood and Water Management Group. Across this Group we have a wide variety of experts including in water resources, flood risk systems analyses, flood forecasting, international climate adaptation and resilience, statistical modelling, data visualisation and management, and the use of earth observation data.  Our work cuts across regulatory, government and private sector consultancy and research sectors – both in the UK and internationally, and we are continuously generating new knowledge, skills and tools through our ongoing programme of internally-funded research. Within your role, you would be interacting and developing solutions with staff in all of these fields, in order to win and deliver projects and support clients across the Group. 

The Group are recognised for our innovation.  We won the ‘Digital Excellence’ category at the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coast Excellence Awards 2024 with our Resilience and Innovation Northants (RAIN) integrated catchment modelling project. Our Intelligent Dam Safety Monitoring (DAMSAT) project won two awards at the New Civil Engineer Techfest Awards and our Dengue forecasting MOdel Satellite-based System (D-MOSS) has won 9 different industry awards. We have recently been successful in securing Ofwat Innovation Funding (with Southern Water) for a national Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) platform and are one of ten finalists for the Manchester Prize – for which we are being funded to develop an AI sewer spill water quality impact tool.

About the role

We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual with experience in either water resources, flood risk and / or climate change adaptation to help us deliver our broad and growing range of water and international development projects.

The role is diverse and will include technical delivery of tasks on projects including data analysis, modelling and mapping, project management tasks, supporting with authoring technical and non-technical reports as well as stakeholder engagement and working with partners. Technical support and advice will be provided by our wide range of technical experts. The role is likely to include overseas travel for short periods (typically around one week per trip) to conduct project delivery activities such as workshops and meetings.

About you

You will have at least 2 years of experience in environmental research or consultancy – preferably related to water resources, flooding, drainage or climate change, with an interest in overseas working and travel. Experience in GIS and coding (e.g.  R, Python) would be a distinct advantage. Experience in working on international projects would be an advantage. Importantly, you will be a problem solver and a team player.

You will have a minimum professional qualification of a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in a relevant discipline.

Further information

• Salary range:  £30,000 to £42,000 (dependant on experience)


• Download a full job description.


• Read the person specification.


• Check our exceptional benefits at hrwallingford.com/careers. 

The closing date for this role is 1^st November 2024

Why choose us?

• Exceptional benefits: Enjoy a defined contribution pension scheme with a minimum 10% employer contribution (matched up to an additional 5%), 25 days of holiday plus bank holidays, life insurance, and health insurance providing dental/optical cash back.


• Inclusive culture: Our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion is embedded in our core values.


• Inspiring the next generation: We are passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists through outreach with our STEM Ambassadors.


• Reach your full potential: We invest in our people, offering a chance to make a real impact from day one.


• Work-life balance: We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer both hybrid working and flexi time. We are also open to exploring other flexible working arrangements, including part-time.

HR Wallingford is a non-profit-distributing organisation allowing us to reinvest into strategic research and innovation. This ensures that our staff have the opportunity to work on exciting research and development projects to create the next-generation tools and technology and to apply them to solve water related problems around the world in novel ways. Collaboration and teamworking is at our core, both internally and with industry and academic partners. Consequently, we actively encourage ongoing training and development opportunities and pride ourselves on our open, inclusive and supportive work environment.