Lead Adviser Enforcement and Appeals Team(Ref: 5575)

The team 1 

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 Adviser 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 

The Team 

This is an exciting opportunity to work in the Enforcement and Appeals Team in Natural England’s Complex Case Unit (CCU). The purpose of CCU is to improve handling of complex and high-risk casework. CCU has a critical role in supporting and developing organisational delivery across Natural England for positive environmental outcomes. 

The Enforcement and Appeals team covers the investigation offences relating to species licensing, SSSIs, EIA (Agriculture) Regulations, Injurious Weeds, Heather & Grass Burning Regulations, and the Environmental Damage Regulations. We lead on the investigation of complex enforcement cases, delivery of enforcement sanctions and all regulatory and enforcement appeals, while also providing advice and support to NEWLS and Area Teams in relation to casework and reform. In addition, the Team leads on the delivery of Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme Investigations working closely with HSE and the Police. As a Team we contribute to achieving Natural England’s aims in terms of enforcement action including: 

• achieving the restoration of environmental harm
• changing the behaviour of offenders
• eliminating any financial gain or benefit from non-compliance
• being proportionate to the nature of the offence and the harm caused
• deterring future non-compliance
• applying the polluter pays principle
• building Natural England’s reputation as a firm but fair regulator 

The role will require national travel to locations to attend site visits, team meetings and training. This will sometimes require overnight stays.

There is therefore a requirement to hold a full driving licence

Flexible working patterns will generally be accommodated but please note that the suggested minimum working hours are 30 hours a week due to the nature of the role and workload.

Job description 1 

• Provide general advice and support to Area Teams /NEWLS Advisers dealing with enforcement cases.
• Take a lead role in medium/significant enforcement cases.
• Carry out site visits to collect evidence.
• Providing advice and support as required for liaison with witnesses and suspects, collection of evidence, classifying offences and drafting warning letters including specialist evidence collection in relation to pesticide offences.
• Assist/lead on with the negotiation of medium-high risk enforcement undertakings (technical advice from ATs/NEWLS).
• Co-ordinate formal investigations: prepare case files and take witness statements.
• Ensure the principle of cost recovery is applied in all cases.
• Assist in making recommendations on Enforcement response.
• Draw up and serve enforcement notices.
• Work with Appeals Senior Adviser where enforcement notices are appealed against.
• Ensure compliance with enforcement notices and provide completion certificates
• Record the offences on the national casework tracker.
• Lead on advice to other Enforcement bodies, including coordinating the production of technical witness statements where appropriate; and take a lead role in the investigation of WIIS cases. 

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 our staff 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 geographical area. Full time staff are expected to attend their associated office for a minimum of one day a week.  

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. 

National team roles can be linked with any Natural England office while 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 

Pay 

It is Natural England policy to employ at the entry point of the salary range.  

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 specialist knowledge
• Work Delivery
• Personal Effectiveness
• Putting People at the Heart of the Environment 

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.

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

Competencies

Competence   1

Professional competency

Detail  

Technical skills and knowledge

Description  

• Search out and understand all the relevant information when dealing with complex situations and show great judgement in reaching decisions. (Essential)
  • Understand Natural England’s statutory remit and tell a balanced and integrated story of our strategic direction. (Essential)
  • Identify appropriate solutions for avoidance, mitigation, compensation of environmental impacts and meeting shared outcomes; and identify opportunities for enhancing the natural environment. (Essential)
  • A sound knowledge of the legislation giving Natural England its regulatory and enforcement powers is desirable. This includes EIA (agriculture) Act, Wildlife & Countryside Act and Environmental Damage Regulations etc. (Desirable)
  • Experience of leading on enforcement and/or high-risk regulatory casework is desirable. (Desirable)

Competence 2  

Professional competency

Detail  

Personal effectiveness

Description  

• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Practitioner)
  • Train, coach and mentor others in your organisation in the use of Evidence. (Practitioner)

Competence 3  

Professional competency

Detail  

Work delivery

Description  

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (Practitioner)
  • Apply the relevant methodologies and tools for collecting and collating data / evidence including metadata. (Practitioner)

Competence 4  

Professional competency

Detail  

Putting people at the heart of the environment

Description  

• Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver your organisation’s vision, mission and aims. (Practitioner)
  • Collaborate businesses and communities to resolve human/wildlife conflicts. (Practitioner)

• 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 : Nick Stonehouse
• Email : nick.stonehouse@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07826956940

Recruitment team

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