Planning and Environment Adviser (Ref: 5450)

East Midlands (England), East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, South East England, South West England, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber

This position is based at Lancaster House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

 

 

The team 

Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment?

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature. 

The priority work Natural England is delivering includes: 

• Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive 
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change 
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods 
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing 

We are the Government’s advisor for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment. 

Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england 

Northumbria Area Team is recruiting a planning and Environment Lead advisor to help support our work on statutory planning advice and case work. This role will be based in Northumbria Area Team, covering the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Tyne and Wear and Teesside, and will be based at Lancaster House, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Benefits 

Wherever possible Natural England accommodates requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their health and wellbeing. 

Natural England provides excellent opportunities for career progression, training and development tailored to your role. From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. Everyone has 10 days to devote to personal learning and development, as well as an additional 3 days to volunteer. 

You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us. 

You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. You can also join the Civil Service Sport club which offer discounts on a range of sports and leisure opportunities as well as social events. 

Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated. 

We’re committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our Diversity Action Plan. 

Locations

Natural England is adopting hybrid working – which means that our staff will work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites.

All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographic area.

Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office.

Area Team roles will be linked with an office in the relevant geographic area.

View a map of our office locations here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-england-office-locations 

This role will be based at Lancaster House, Hampshire Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7YH 

Our Area

Northumbria has a rich natural heritage that includes stretches of rugged coastline, extensive upland tracts, varied lowland landscapes and impressive marine biodiversity.

It incorporates hugely contrasting areas, from the upland areas of the North Pennines and Cheviots to the riverine valleys of the Tweed, Tyne, Wear and Tees, and the industrial powerhouses of Tyneside, Wearside, and Teesside.

Diverse landscapes include maritime cliffs and extensive moorlands that contain rare species of flora and fauna.  Of particular importance are the saltmarshes and mudflats of Lindisfarne and the Tees Estuary; the heaths, bogs and traditional hay meadows of the North Pennines and Cheviot Hills; the seabird colonies of the Farnes and Coquet Island and the Magnesian Limestone grasslands of East Durham.

Northumbria is also home to Kielder Forest, Europe’s largest man-made forest – an important habitat for the endangered red squirrel; the largest and most important softwood resource in England; and a valuable resource to the local tourist economy.

Job description 

As a Planning and Environment Adviser, you will work alongside regulators and stakeholders to integrate the needs of biodiversity and landscape within local planning. You will provide early, effective advice and evidence to our customers e.g. Local Planning Authorities, Environment Agency, Marine Management Organisation, developers and their consultants, enabling plans to be developed that deliver sustainable economic growth, recovering our costs wherever possible through chargeable services.

This is a rewarding role that provides great opportunities to develop the full range of key capabilities in support of your personal development:

• The core function of the role will be responding, within statutory deadlines, to consultations on planning applications, local plans, neighbourhood plans and associated documents according to Natural England’s professional and customer service standards, adding value to achieve the best possible outcomes for the environment. This may include responses to statutory consultations affecting the marine environment, as well as those affecting terrestrial sites and habitats.
• Provide clear, pragmatic, evidence-based advice to partners, customers and colleagues on a wide range of sustainable development issues and achieve solutions that comply with policy and legislation and result in positive environmental outcomes.
• Participate in relevant internal networks to ensure personal development and the timely exchange of information and best practice and identifying more effective ways of working through collating lessons learned.
• Using knowledge and skills consistently and flexibly to support the team’s work. Supporting managers by showing leadership, initiative and sharing expertise with others
• Working with a range of partners, customers and colleagues to ensure excellent customer service at all times, and to increase efficiency, effectiveness and consistency
• You don’t have to currently be in a planning role, but it would be helpful to have knowledge and experience of environmental legislation and the planning system and/or a working knowledge of habitats and species.
• The role will require travel to sites and meetings. A driving licence is essential for the role. The role will include a mixture of working in offices and sites, and home and office working.

How to Apply 

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview. 

If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview.  

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We’ll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process: 

• Technical Skills and Knowledge.
• Personal Effectiveness.
• Putting People at the Heart of the Environment.
• Work Delivery.

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your doing so.  

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency. 

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.  

Competencies

Competence 1 

Professional competency

Detail 1 

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Description 

Knowledge of the application of the Town and Country Planning Act to shape environmental solutions for designated sites, protected landscapes and species Knowledge of Habitats Regulations Assessments, Sustainability Appraisals and Environmental Impact Assessments and the
Development Plan process (Desirable)

Understanding of ecology and habitats in relation to the planning system, including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) developments. (Desirable)

A relevant degree (e.g., geography, environmental studies, planning, ecology etc.) or alternative qualification or suitable relevant experience (desirable)

Competence 2 

Professional competency

Detail 

Personal Effectiveness

Description 

Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Practitioner)

Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience (Basic)

Act with integrity, addressing challenging issues and managing conflict through being open and objective (Practitioner)

Competence 3 

Professional competency

Detail 

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description 

Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and the organisation you represent (Practitioner)

Work proactively and collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to identify and secure opportunities to deliver gains for people and nature. (Practitioner)

Competence 4 

Professional competency

Detail 

Work Delivery

Description 

Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (Practitioner)

Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies, and procedures (Practitioner)

Please refer to Job Description

Driving Licence

Alongside your salary of £23,315, Natural England contributes
£6,318 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

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Job contact :

• Name : Michael Miller
• Email : Michael.miller@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07584 509346

Recruitment team

• Email : defra-recruitment-enquiries@gov.sscl.com