Who are we?

We are United Utilities, the North West’s Water and Wastewater provider. It’s our job to manage and maintain 42,000 km of water mains across the region and bring 7 million customers an incredible 2,000 million litres of clean water each day.  We take it all away too, via a 72,000 km sewer network, treating it so it’s safe to go back into the rivers.  United Utilities is also one of the largest landowners in the region with a rural estate totaling 57,000 ha of catchment land.

This is where you come in…

We have an exciting permanent opportunity for an Assistant Surveyor to join the Access & Acquisitions Team within Property Services based at our Head Office in Warrington or Kent House in Kendal.  The geographical area will include either the Northern or Southern region of the North West. 

The Access & Acquisitions Team are specialists in gaining entry to private land for pipe laying work activities, acquiring land for the construction of strategic assets and negotiating 3^rd party compensation claims.  The Team of surveyors provides support to the Company’s Capital Delivery and Construction programme together with its Network Operation Teams, to ensure we are able to lay, repair, maintain and improve our clean and waste water network across the northwest.

What will you focus on?

• Your role will be to provide access, valuation and property related advice to the business to enable the timely completion of projects whilst complying with our statutory obligations and budgetary constraints.
• You will input into pipeline route planning and site selection, land referencing and preparing pre entry records of condition.
• You will prepare and issue statutory notices to facilitate access to private land and liaise with contractors, landowners, occupiers and their surveyors.
• You will identify and agree the requirements for accommodation and reinstatement works.
• You will deal with all elements of compensation claims arising as a result of our presence on private property in both rural and urban locations. 
• You will negotiate and acquire sites, easements and other interests in land to protect our existing assets and facilitate the provision of new infrastructure.
• You will advise on the legislation governing compulsory purchase and compensation and the powers vested in us as a statutory undertaker.

What do you need?

• You will have a Property Related Degree accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
• You will be a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Commercial or Rural pathways) working towards your Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). 
• You will have a basic understanding of the valuation principles and the compulsory purchase and statutory compensation code.
• You will have an awareness of the Water Industry Act 1991 and the relevant sections relating to statutory notices, access to private land and compensation.
• You will have a basic understanding of a typical pipeline claim together with an awareness of the Company’s Code of Practice for Pipe laying in private land.
• You will require excellent communication, planning and negotiation skills to liaise effectively with a wide range of people.  Confidence and self-motivation are also essential.
• This is a challenging role which demands the initiative to manage a large and varied workload, working as a team and individually at times.  Full support and an appropriately structured training programme will be provided.
• A full driving licence is required as well as access to your own transport to facilitate mobility across the region

If you are excited about joining a leading FTSE100 organisation at an exciting and challenging period of change then we want to hear from you!

Our employees can take advantage of our excellent flexible benefits programme.