Flood Forecasting Team Member 1
Brief Description
The role
This post offers you the opportunity to be involved in a range of activities
including:
·
performance testing and implementing our new EU funded flood
forecasting models;
·
reviewing existing forecasting models to identify areas for improvement;
·
configuring forecasting models and associated data feeds onto the
National Flood Forecasting System in Wales;
·
supporting work to develop the Regional Telemetry System in
delivering for flood detection and forecasting;
·
contributing to the maintenance and development of our Monitoring &
Forecasting Duty Officer procedures;
·
undertaking the out of hours role of Monitoring & Forecasting Duty
Officer;
We need…
You must be educated to degree level in a relevant discipline (civil
engineering, geography, environmental science). Possession of an A level in
Maths or Physics would be an advantage.
We are particularly looking for applicants with experience in one of the
following areas of work - hydrometry, hydrology, flood forecasting, flood
mapping/modelling or flood warning. Experience in more than one of these
would be a distinct advantage.
Equally important are your personal skills and capabilities. You need to be
personally well organised, methodical with an attention to detail, able to
assimilate facts, consider options and reach reasoned decisions on a
preferred approach. An ability to plan ahead and deliver is essential.
You need to demonstrate an ability to seek continual improvement, which in
part will depend on using your own initiative in your immediate work to
continually review where we can improve.
You also need to be able to communicate technical detail clearly to experts
and non-experts and be able to influence your immediate colleagues and
other Flood Risk Management staff in Region and Area. In particular, you will
be expected to build effective and sustained working relationships with the
rest of the team and with a network of contacts across Flood Risk
Management and other teams on whom we both depend and serve.
Further information
For an informal discussion on the role, please contact Andy Wall on 7 26
6426.
In the last three years we have:
·
implemented the new National Flood Forecasting System in Wales;
·
delivered the first phase of a new forecasting service for Wales,
including recruitment of a new duty officer rota, delivery of improvements to
existing forecasting models and roll-out of the first of our EU funded
forecasting models.
These successes have put in place a solid platform on which we now need to
build.
Over the next two years we will deliver a challenging programme to test and
roll-out our new EU funded fluvial forecasting models. These will improve the
timeliness and accuracy of our warnings in a number of high risk catchments.
These include rainfall-runoff, routing and hydrodynamic models.
We will also need to develop additional models to expand the scope of the
forecasting service to across Wales, as well as embracing new opportunities
for improving the information we provide to internal and external partners
relating to the flood risk outlook for Wales. A key part of this will be working
closely with the new National Flood Forecasting Centre in London.
With higher than average rainfall, steep river catchments and dense urban
populations in narrow river valleys, we need to deliver forecasting tools which
can deal with fast responding catchments to provide timely and accurate
warnings to the public. Along our coasts both tidal surges and wave action
present significant flood risks to local communities.
Our team
Besides the development and operation of the operational flood forecasting
service, our team is also responsible for Wales-wide media awareness
campaigns and Regional Incident Management procedures, including the
Regional Base Controller and Welsh Floodline translator duty rotas.
We also provide strategic direction for flood warning in Wales and maintain
close links with Welsh Assembly Government.