EIR Lead

Southern Water•Worthington, MN

3d•£0 - £62,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for an Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) Lead to provide strategic and operational leadership for Southern Water's EIR service and act as our senior specialist for complex and high-risk environmental information matters. You'll oversee the triage, prioritisation, allocation and quality assurance of requests, using your professional judgement to guide the most complex, sensitive or high-profile cases. As the principal point of escalation, you'll provide expert advice to Legal Services, senior leaders and teams across the business, helping us meet our statutory obligations while managing legal, regulatory, reputational and operational risk. This is a senior individual contributor role rather than a people management position. You'll provide day-to-day direction, technical guidance and oversight for the EIR function, helping the team organise priorities, maintain quality and surface issues quickly. You'll also lead cross-functional improvements that strengthen information ownership, accessibility, transparency and response efficiency. This is a great opportunity for an experienced EIR or Freedom of Information professional who combines strong technical expertise with strategic thinking, sound judgement and the ability to influence at senior level. Water-sector experience would be valued, but we also welcome relevant experience from other complex, regulated or public-interest organisations.

Requirements

Significant experience managing Environmental Information Regulations or Freedom of Information requests within a complex organisation
Advanced knowledge of EIR legislation and/or Freedom of Information, including ICO guidance, decision notices and relevant case law
Demonstrable experience interpreting legislation and applying legal and regulatory requirements to complex situations
Exceptional judgement, analytical thinking and decision-making in ambiguous, contentious or high-profile cases
Experience providing specialist advice and influencing senior stakeholders
Experience leading organisational improvement initiatives, projects or programmes
Excellent written communication, with the ability to prepare clear, legally robust and defensible responses and recommendations
Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience

Nice To Haves

Experience within a regulated utility, infrastructure or public-interest environment
Experience working closely with legal functions on complex disclosure issues
Significant experience within the water sector

Responsibilities

Leading the triage, prioritisation, allocation and quality assurance of EIR requests
Acting as the senior point of escalation for complex, sensitive, novel and high-risk cases
Interpreting EIR legislation, ICO guidance, legal precedent and disclosure obligations to provide clear, defensible recommendations
Advising on disclosure, exceptions, public interest tests and regulatory risk
Building effective relationships with Heads of Function, information owners, Legal Services, Corporate Affairs and operational teams
Leading cross-functional improvement projects covering information governance, transparency, process design and self-service access to information
Overseeing internal reviews, ICO complaints, investigations and regulatory challenges, ensuring evidence and legal rationale are robust
Providing guidance, coaching and training that strengthens EIR understanding and ownership across the business
Analysing demand, requestor behaviour, regulatory developments and performance information to identify trends and improvement opportunities