Strategic Solutions & Sustainable Development Senior Advisors (South West) – Ref : 5618

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.

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

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 method
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature and
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing.

We have two roles on offer currently, one focussing on Devon and Cornwall and one focussing on our Wessex Area.

The Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Team stretches for 200 miles from Isles of Scilly to Minehead. Our area covers a spectacular array of managed and wilder landscapes and coastlines, from major upland areas like Dartmoor National Park and Bodmin Moor to the rich geology of the Jurassic Coast in East Devon. We own and manage some of these special places as NNRs on Dartmoor, Goss Moor and the Lizard Peninsula; have the first Nature Recovery Project in mid-Cornwall; and provide leadership for other landscape-scale partnerships, such as for the Lower Exe catchment.

Our Wessex Area Team comprises Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset and the Avon and Mendips. The Wessex Area incorporates stunning coastlines of international importance, chalk landscapes and their world-famous rivers and wilder areas brimming with wildlife such as the Somerset Levels and Salisbury Plain. Natural England in Wessex are at the forefront of decision-making in sustainable development which in turn is driving nature’s recovery.

These places provide the focus of our work, because they are where our programmes and projects come together to realise shared opportunities and address competing pressures. We understand the role that connecting people with nature plays to support happy and healthy people in thriving, natural settings. We are working hard to engage with a wide range of communities, including those that have may have traditionally faced barriers of access to nature, and to develop an inclusive working culture within our team.

Job description   

Our Senior Advisors play leading roles in the organisation. They oversee programmes, provide technical direction and develop strategic partnerships to deliver nature recovery. This role will work with local authorities and other key stakeholders in our Wessex and Devon and Cornwall Teams to develop large-scale strategic solutions to avoid or reduce pressures on protected sites, lead complex cases and identify high opportunity work for nature. It is anticipated that the Devon and Cornwall role will focus on issues relating to the rivers Camel and Axe along with other habitats that are highly sensitive to air pollution. In Wessex, the role will focus on Strategic Planning in and around Somerset and Avon.

Your key tasks and accountabilities will include the following:

• Build strong relationships with local authorities, developers, consultants, environmental organisations and other partners to collaboratively develop ambitious strategic solutions to the impact of air and water quality issues, including nutrient pollution, on protected sites
• Provide support for planning advisers and quality assurance for planning casework, including approval for in principle objections to planning applications.
• Ensure appropriate advice and support is secured for high risk or complex cases. This could include engaging with external consultants or our internal legal team.
• Use your strong knowledge of air and water quality issues to provide technical advice to local authorities and other external partners, as well as advising internal teams on implications for high-risk casework and monitoring as required
• Oversee the roll-out of NE’s nutrient neutrality scheme locally, as required
• Work closely with our Sustainable Development, Catchment Sensitive Farming and Freshwater Senior Advisors to develop programmes of work that deliver shared opportunities and address multiple pressures
• Lead the internal development and training for the local team on strategic pressures and their solutions, so they are confident considering these issues in their work
• Share best practice with the local and national teams, as well as internal networks, including supporting the national team in the development of their guidance
• Actively contribute to the local leadership team, who provide governance of the wider area team.

You will be working closely alongside Managers, Senior Advisors and our Team Leaders who all oversee different aspects of our ‘on the ground’ delivery, whilst ensuring their teams have the necessary resources and tools to carry out their roles.

A driving licence is highly desirable as travel will be required for site visits and partnership meetings that may not be accessible by public transport.

Pay 

£36,098 per annum. 

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 offers 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 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. The Devon and Cornwall role can be based at our offices in Exeter or Truro; the Wessex role can be based at our offices in Dorchester, Bridgwater or Bristol.

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. 

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.

Natural England welcomes applications from Civil Service employees. NE are a non-departmental public body and are therefore unable to accept transfers in from the Civil Service, although membership of the Civil Service pension scheme continues unaffected.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We’ll assess you against your technical skills and the three competencies below:

• Leading and Managing People
• Personal Effectiveness
• Work Delivery.

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples for each competency using the STAR format. Note you do not need to use a STAR example for the technical skills section if you do not wish. 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.

Next Steps

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview at our Exeter office. During the interview, will be asked to give examples for the competencies as set out in the Job Description.

Successful candidates will be allocated roles in merit order based on scores achieved at interview and in accordance with location preferences, taking into account the work area to which successful candidates are most suited, wherever possible.

Competencies

Competence 1   

Professional competency

Detail   

Technical skills and experience

Description   

• Relevant qualifications or experience showing the equivalent level of knowledge
  • Understanding of relevant legislative and policy context of strategic solutions work, including opportunities to enhance the natural environment through the planning system
  • Demonstration of a sound ecological understanding and familiarity with protected species and habitats. Experience of interpreting ecological reports and assessments essential.
  • Excellent communication skills, adjusting your communication style according to the knowledge, understanding and background of the audience
  • Experience of analysing complex models for air and water quality to identify key issues and opportunities

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 Natural England (practitioner)
  • Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural England’s vision, mission and aims (practitioner)
  • Understand and explain the outcomes that we seek in your local patch and how these fit in with local and national issues (practitioner)

Competence 3  

Professional competency

Detail   

Personal effectiveness

Description   

• Act with integrity, addressing challenging issues and managing conflict through being open and objective (practitioner)
  • Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and throughout the organisation you represent and inspire others to act (practitioner)
  • Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence (expert)

Competence 4   

Professional competency

Detail   

Work delivery

Description   

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (expert)
  • Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies and procedures (practitioner)
  • See the big picture so you can set your team’s work within the context of the organisation’s vision, mission and aims, and help them understand how their work relates to and supports this (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 : Joanna Clifford-Kitching
• Email : joanna.clifford-kitching@naturalengland.org.uk

Recruitment team

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