Operations Area Deputy Director – Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly – Ref: 5525

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

Leading an Area Team

Area teams are at the forefront of NE’s mission in building partnerships for nature’s recovery. This reflects the need for us to work with and through a wide range of people and the need for rapid action to protect and restore habitats, species, and landscapes in line with Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. This work includes building a greater understanding and connection with communities locally, so they value, and can benefit from, the natural environment.

Supported by the best possible Science and Evidence, our Area Deputy Directors are responsible for delivering progress against NE’s priorities in a place by combining and co-ordinating these levers to maximise the delivery of environmental outcomes.

Natural England wants to move increasingly away from focussing on the protection of nature to recovering large areas of the England. This is a vital component of the Governments stated ambition to manage 30% of England for nature by 2030, as well as cleaning up our rivers and recover key species.

From 2023, area teams will increasingly focus their delivery on a portfolio of priority places, with the view to accelerating our impact to achieve gains for nature and for the benefits of nature to people. We will be positioning our own place-based delivery working with a range of local partners, from within the environmental sector and beyond. Working to an agreed business plan, Deputy Directors will lead the delivery of the organisational performance objectives through these places.

Job description   

The Area Deputy Director role is for the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly team. 

The Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly team has offices in Exeter and Truro and approximately 100 staff. It includes a Local Leadership Team comprised of 3-4 managers, a principal adviser, 7 team leaders and several senior advisers to lead the team and help build local partnerships. The team is at the forefront of innovation and pioneering our new tools for nature recovery including the first Nature Recovery Project, the development of super National Nature Reserves, landscape recovery pilots with our proactive work focussed around priority places for nature recovery across the area. There are also very challenging and high-profile cases such as Dartmoor and West Penwith, where we will need to work with partners in developing innovative shared ambitions that secure the best outcome for nature by bringing people with us.

Area teams must also carry out our statutory duties and services, with a strong focus on customer service and risk-based decision making. This service will ensure that Government priorities such as economic recovery and job creation are not unnecessarily hindered, while always seeking the best outcome for the natural environment.

Area Deputy Directors provide inspirational and inclusive leadership both in their geography and across the organisation. They will prioritise places where we are likely to make most progress ourselves alongside securing nature recovery commitments from partners. They are accountable for delivery against national key performance indicators and the effective management of resources to ensure budgets are balanced and area team staff wellbeing is protected.

To achieve this successfully they will need to lead vital reforms in their team to build capacity to work more proactively with partners. They will also need to build new skills and diversity in our teams to meet this evolving challenge and engage with a broader range of communities and organisations.

Area Deputy Directors are an active member of the relevant local leadership community, the group of senior Natural England staff in each of the localities across England who we ask to provide support and co-ordination for the local group of staff.

Key Accountabilities

Works closely with their Regional Director to develop strategic relationships for nature recovery, balance budgets and manage risks.

Work across Natural England as a corporate leader – working to achieve the organisations objectives and reflecting our values.

They will be asked to lead and advise on a portfolio of work areas at a national level to support strategy development and deal with issues with national teams.

Will take personal ownership of high risk and high-profile issues at a senior level to manage risk and leverage opportunities.

Take decisions in line with specific Area Deputy Director accountabilities in the NE schemes of delegation including:

• Team budgets and spending
• Major casework
• Health and Safety of their team and on their NNRs

Lead large, dispersed teams across their respective geographies and directly line manage their Area Leadership Team

Creates a confident, diverse, and proactive Area Team workforce, taking measured risks to gets things done effectively, working collaboratively with other teams within NE.

Show leadership in focussing our delivery on those priority places where we can make most impact for nature recovery, keeping a view on the future development of new areas whilst being flexible and alive to opportunities as they arise.

Work to strengthen our delivery – ensure reforms deliver benefits and enable us to focus more effort on nature recovery.

Diligent in ensuring compliance with corporate responsibilities and our responsibilities to our people.

Manage performance – prioritising agreed contributions to corporate measures of success.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Excellent visible leadership skills with a track record of inspiring, developing and engaging high performing, diverse and inclusive teams.
• A strategic leader with the vision, interpersonal skills, and networking ability to build highly effective relationships and support collaborative partnerships, with a wide range of senior stakeholders.
• An ability to lead complex local delivery across several counties. A strong focus on performance and financial management to deliver national objectives through place-based delivery.
• Experience of leading significant step change in delivery capability and partnership working, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• The judgement to effectively manage major risks to both delivery and reputation, with an ability to quickly secure the confidence of local customers and stakeholders.
• Experience of delivery at senior levels on the environmental agenda would be desirable but not essential.
• Being a visible leader across Natural England, proactively sharing and learning from others, and informing national strategy.

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.

You will become an active member of the relevant local leadership community, the group of senior Natural England staff in each of the localities across England who we ask to provide support and co-ordination for the local group of staff.

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

This role is available as a level transfer or promotion.

The preference is for the successful applicant to be based in or around the area, providing a visible presence to NE colleagues and external partners within the respective region.

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities and backgrounds. 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:

• Personal Effectiveness
• Leading & Managing People
• Work Delivery
• Putting People at the Heart of the Environment
• Technical Skills & Knowledge

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.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all five 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   

Personal Effectiveness

Description   

• Develop your personal impact skills in influencing, thought leadership, assertiveness by applying expertise in a proportionate and appropriate way and communicating to have impact. (Expert)
  • Act with integrity, addressing challenging issues and managing conflict through being open and objective. (Expert)
  • Proactively communicate and present your data, evidence and analyses in ways that meet people’s needs so they can understand its implications and use it effectively to deliver positive outcomes for the environment. (Expert)

Competence 2   

Professional competency

Detail   

Leading and Managing People

Description   

• Set clear plans and expectations for your team, explain reasons behind decisions, be clear on the outcomes to be achieved, and make things happen by sharing and delegating work to the right people. (Expert)
  • Encourage, inspire, and support people to be ambitious, creative and innovative, and to reflect, celebrate and learn lessons from their work. (Expert)
  • Lead by example, engage and support your team through change. (Expert)

Competence 3   

Professional competency

Detail   

Work Delivery

Description   

• 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. (Expert)
  • Understand and apply relevant policy, legislation, governance frameworks and strategies to your work. (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 Natural England’s vision, mission and aims. (Expert)
  • Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and the organisation you represent. (Expert)

Competence 5   

Professional competency

Detail   

Technical Skills & Knowledge

Description  

• Excellent visible leadership skills with a track record of inspiring, developing and engaging high performing, diverse and inclusive teams. (Essential)
  • A strategic leader with the vision, interpersonal skills, and networking ability to build highly effective relationships and support collaborative partnerships, with a wide range of senior stakeholders. (Essential)
  • An ability to lead complex local delivery across several counties. A strong focus on performance and financial management to deliver national objectives through place-based delivery. (Essential)
  • Experience of leading significant step change in delivery capability and partnership working, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. (Essential)
  • The judgement to effectively manage major risks to both delivery and reputation, with an ability to quickly secure the confidence of local customers and stakeholders. (Essential)

• 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 : Dave Slater
• Email : david.slater@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 0208 026 7563

Recruitment team

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