Senior environmental consultant — Helena Du-Roe

Helena studied both BSc Geography and Natural Hazard Management and MSc Flood Risk Assessment, Modelling and Engineering at the University of Chester. She now works at environmental planning consultancy, Enzygo Ltd

Why did you  become an environmental consultant?

I always had an interest in the physical environment and, I did not have a clear idea of what career I wanted to pursue. By undertaking a placement during my BSc degree I was able to figure out the career path for me.

I guess that my time growing up going kayaking on weekends and competing in canoe slaloms  steered my career into the hydrology (flood risk) sector of environmental consulting.

How did you get your job?

I did a six-week placement with Enzygo as part of my degree, working in all disciplines in the company. I then joined the organisation as a graduate as part of the hydrology team and worked my way to where I am now - a senior environmental hydrologist working on a range of complex projects with different disciplines and specialising in flood risk consulting, hydrology and hydraulic modelling.

What tasks do you complete on a typical day?

A working day can revolve around completing any of the following:

• flood risk scoping reports and flood risk assessments
• hydrology environmental statements
• sequential/exception tests
• water quality assessments
• designing drainage
• coastal erosion vulnerability assessments
• geographical information systems databases,
• derivation of hydraulic model inflows.

What do you enjoy about your job?

The work varies from looking at commercial and residential developments, to site suitability for essential energy infrastructure as well as building, running, calibrating and validating hydraulic models to looking at flood risk or checking flood defence schemes.

What are the challenges?

Every client and associated project is different. Having the ability to adapt to the needs of the situation is a core skill, but also the most challenging part of the job.

What three qualities are most important for environmental consultants?

• Time keeping - Every project has a deadline. You have to be able to keep to these deadlines and understand when a potential problem may delay this.
• Communication - Having the ability to talk to a client face-to-face or over the phone is key. Being able to put technical information into easy to understand formats is also important.
• Problem solving - Sometimes you have to think outside the box. The solution you need may not be the most common one.

Can you debunk a myth about working in the field?

It is not all desk work. With every project you work on you go out visiting the site to check its conditions and you try to interpret how flooding would affect a site.

What are your career ambitions?

I want to complete my application to become a chartered member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) as a first step.

Ideally, with my passion for flood modelling, I would like to lead a sub-team that deals with the projection of hydraulic models within our wider hydrology team and progress to principal level and onwards over time.

Are you a member of a professional body?

I am currently a non-chartered member of the CIWEM and part of their early careers steering group. The Early Careers Network (ECN) is a community of early-career professionals and students in the water and environment sector. While CIWEMs overall aim is to work towards a safer, more sustainable world, their mission is to build a global community of water and environmental professionals dedicated to working for the public benefit.

They provide a number of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events to enhance your skillset throughout the year. The ECN group also allows for like minded early careers development and collaboration.

What advice can you give to other aspiring environmental consultants?

Be willing to engage with employers from the offset, the more you understand the industry the better. If an employer takes your interest, an email asking for a short chat can get you a long way. You may not have all the skills required to hit the ground running from the onset, but with a willingness to listen and learn you'll go far.

Find out more

• Learn more about the role of an environmental consultant.
• Gain an insight into the environment and agriculture sector.
• Discover more about the CIWEM.