Farm Adviser – Nature Recovery and Greener Farming Adviser (Ref: 5573)

The team 

Summary

This role is to provide a range of technical advice to land managers and is based in the Northumbria Area Team, covering the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Tyne and Wear and Teesside. It is based at Lancaster House, Newcastle upon Tyne, and requires outdoor working and farm and site visits.

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.

The role

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

At Natural England, we love what we do. We’re here to make sure people and nature can thrive. A healthy natural environment is fundamental to our wellbeing, prosperity and happiness – that’s why we collaborate with scientists, lawyers, project managers and experts to implement environmental policy and shape decisions.

We work with a wide range of partners, stakeholders and customers on a huge range of projects, from influencing construction, advising farmers and landowners how they can manage their land in a sustainable way for the benefit of the environment, gathering and analysing environmental data, and carrying out vital statutory duties. Across the country, we’re helping nature to support people and our planet.

We are focusing our efforts on six key programmes:-

Greener Farming and Fisheries – supporting those who manage land and sea to operate in harmony with the environment
Sustainable Development – creating great places for people to live and work
Connecting People with Nature – promoting health and wellbeing through the great outdoors
Resilient Landscapes and Seas – protecting and restoring wildlife and natural beauty for future generations
Specialist Science and Evidence – an evidence-led organisation that is driven by science
Managing the Organisation – gathering business data to enable decision making.

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. 

Natural England staff are inclusive, motivated, and ambitious to achieve results for our environment, for everyone. We welcome and encourage applications from all communities and we operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role.
See more about the work of Natural England at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england

Our area teams lead our place-based delivery of the six programmes. The Area Teams have an ambitious plan to build a resilient natural environment. We want to create flourishing landscapes that are a source of pride, employment, access, and enjoyment. The habitats across the landscapes will provide benefits to biodiversity, water quality, flood management, climate change and the wider farmed environment.

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.

Map of area teams and offices – Natural England Offices and Area Teams July 2020 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Job description 

We are looking for a motivated individual to work with farmers, landowners, land managers and organisations in partnerships, with an aim to safeguard, restore and enhance the natural environment by providing technical advice on habitat and species management.

We are seeking an individual with a range of knowledge, skills and experience, ideally covering some of the following: habitat management, species management, agricultural practices, land management, and negotiation to provide technical advice on conservation and nature recovery.

You need to be a team player, able to work with a range of staff in local and national teams and have the ability to operate as an individual; You may lead projects, and cultivate effective working relationships that can make a real difference in the natural environment.

We are looking for individuals who have a broad combination of skills set out below:

• Applicants should have a relevant degree in an environmental discipline/ conservation, or agriculture, or geography, or ecology, or equivalent degree, and/or practical experience of working in the environmental and/or agricultural sectors. We also welcome those who have recently graduated.
• A broad understanding of England’s biodiversity commitments including the legislation relating to Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
• An understanding of agricultural practices and managing land for environmental outcomes, coupled with some knowledge of farming systems.
• Experience of agri-environmental schemes such as Environmental Stewardship or Countryside Stewardship is desirable, but not essential initially..
• Experience of field surveys, including botanical species identification and data interpretation, is desirable but not essential initially.
• Knowledge of ecological principles and the ecology of one or more habitats or species groups is desirable.
• Good communication skills including the ability to progress, with training, to explaining technical information to a range of audiences; negotiating and engaging with local stakeholders.
• Competence in the use of IT, including ability to work with spreadsheets, databases & presentation packages. Experience of Geographic Information Systems is desirable but not essential.

The role will require travel to meetings on farms with land managers, and to protected sites, sometimes working in inclement weather.

A driving licence is essential for the role. The role will include a mixture of working in offices and on sites/farms, and home and office working.  Some travel outside the region may be necessary.

Key Tasks

As an Adviser working in Natural England your role would include:

• Working with landowners/land managers and stakeholders to deliver improvements to the condition of habitats and species on protected sites (Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation)
• Using Agri-Environment schemes (Countryside Stewardship and Higher-Level Stewardship extension) to help maintain/deliver improvement in the condition of protected sites and deliver nature recovery in the wider landscape.
• Delivery of protected sites casework such as assessing proposals for activities which require our permission.
• Working in our hub and responding to incoming external queries from the public and others.
• Monitoring of a range of habitat, species, and geological features.
• Facilitate and support others to help deliver nature recovery outside protected sites.
• Relevant training will be provided.

How to Apply

We’ll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process. When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. STAR stands for:

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency. Please ensure you read the Candidate Information Pack before you begin completing the application form.

Competencies

Competence 1 

Professional competency

Detail 

Personal Effectiveness

Description 

• 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 2 

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)
• Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver the organisation’s vision, mission and aims. (Practitioner)

Competence 3 

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)

Competence 4 

Professional competency

Detail 

Technical Skills and Knowledge (STAR format is optional for this competency)

Description 

• Applicants should have a relevant degree in an environmental discipline/ conservation, or equivalent; and/or have practical experience of working in the environmental sector.
• Knowledge of ecological principles and the ecology of habitats or species groups and an understanding of protected sites legislation and/or understanding of agricultural and land management practices.
• Experience of analysing data/evidence to inform decision making.

• 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%

Job contact :

• Name : Gina Davies
• Email : gina.davies@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07803 228397

Recruitment team

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