Planning Principal Advisor (Ref: 5252)

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 is a National Role

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, and
• 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

Strategy & Government Advice (S&GA) comprises a number of Programme-facing and cross-cutting teams. The role is based within Natural England’s Planning and Infrastructure Team in S&GA. It offers an opportunity to deliver ambitious conservation outcomes and be at the heart of Natural England’s-response to a changing planning system.

The Strategy & Government Advice Team supports Natural England’s aims by:

• providing advice, support and delivery of work for the four programmes
• advising Government on the development of its environmental policy relevant to our remit
• developing and delivering new programmes and pilots for the government to support major strategies such as the 25-Year Plan
• leading stakeholder relationships with key national-level partners
• developing internal standards and guidance on novel issues

Job description  

The Planning and Infrastructure Team provides advice to government on the environmental implications and opportunities of planning and infrastructure policy and practice, as well as guidance and support to operations teams delivering planning advice.

It develops and delivers new approaches to support key 25-Year Environment Plan initiatives and Environmental Improvement Plan targets; leads stakeholder relationships with key national-level partners and develops internal standards and guidance on novel or complex casework issues and; ensures join up across marine and terrestrial planning work.

Fundamental reforms are proposed to the planning and environmental assessment systems under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, Project Speed and related reforms.  The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping Natural England’s response to the proposals at a critical time, helping to secure opportunities for the natural environment alongside sustainable development and to understand and prepare for the implications of system changes on Natural England as a statutory consultee.

The postholder will work closely with other Planning and Infrastructure Principal Advisers and staff in the SGA Planning and Infrastructure Team, the Sustainable Development Programme team, Operations teams and planning networks as well with Defra, Department of Levelling Up and Housing and communities (DLUHC), Department for Transport (DfT) Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and other national stakeholders.  

The post holder will provide technical leadership and expertise on specified areas of work, including responses to consultations and the provision of planning, infrastructure, and Environmental Assessment Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) advice and guidance, internally and externally. The exact responsibilities will depend on the number of hours worked by the successful candidates.

Key tasks/principal accountabilities

The planning, infrastructure planning and environmental assessment systems are in a period of substantial change and specific responsibilities will develop and change over time. The post holder will need to maintain a flexible and adaptable attitude and approach. Initial broad work areas are likely to comprise those described below:

• Lead Natural England’s ongoing inputs to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and related secondary legislation, policy. Guidance on proposals for reform of the Environment Assessment process (Environmental Outcomes Reports) and other planning or infrastructure planning proposals. Working with Strategy and Government Advice (SGA) Principal Advisers for Planning and Infrastructure
• Lead Natural England engagement with Government and stakeholders on Environmental Outcomes Reports (EOR), including advice on outcomes, indicators, monitoring, mitigation and reporting. Co-ordinate work by other NE teams on EOR (including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) agriculture, forestry, marine) and join up with HRA and protected sites reforms
• Provide technical advice, internally and externally, on environmental assessment processes (SEA, HRA and EIA) and proposed reforms via guidance, training, technical networks and advice on complex casework including join up between marine and terrestrial casework (where required)
• Provide advice to Defra/DLUHC/DESNZ/DfT on emerging reforms to the planning and infrastructure planning systems and respond/have oversight of consultations as appropriate
• Lead/provide oversight and QA of technical planning/infrastructure guidance, briefings and, training and input to business improvement and business readiness work
• Build effective relationships with Defra and DLUHC, Other Government Departments (OGD) and other stakeholders working on environmental assessment and planning and infrastructure reform.
• Act as the relationship manager for key planning and infrastructure stakeholders (as required)

 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 knowledge 
• Leading and managing people 
• Creating resilient Landscapes and seas 
• Personal effectiveness 

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

Technical skills and knowledge

• Possess a town planning, environmental assessment or other relevant degree or have equivalent level of applied experience. Applicants that do not hold a relevant degree should specify experience and outputs that they have produced that demonstrate that they have an equivalent level of knowledge. (Essential).

Substantial technical expertise and applied experience of:

• The Town and Country Planning system (Essential)
• Environmental assessment processes (Habitats Regulation Assessment, Strategic
• Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment) (Essential)
• Relevant legislation, national policy and guidance (Essential)
• Infrastructure planning system (Desirable)
• Working with key national external partners and stakeholders (Desirable)
• Environmental planning, including the principles and policies for biodiversity net gain, nature recovery networks and green infrastructure and their application to development (Desirable).
• Membership of an appropriate professional body, e.g. Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management , Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (Desirable).

Competence 2  

Professional competency

Leadership

• Encourage, inspire and support people to be ambitious, creative and innovative, and to reflect, celebrate and learn lessons from their work (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 (Expert).

Competence 3  

Professional competency

Creating resilient landscapes and seas

• Identify and apply relevant planning and environmental legislation, policies and processes to deliver effective and proportionate evidence-based solutions and advice (Expert).
• Understand the environmental value of designated sites and explain that to partners, stakeholders, and customers (practitioner)
• Use and contribute to the evidence base on environmental and landscape change to support resilient landscapes and seascapes (practitioner)

Competence 4  

Professional competency

Personal effectiveness

• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence (Expert).
• Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience (Expert).
• Share expertise and knowledge with people and networks so that you can develop together (Expert)

Please refer to Job Description

• 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 : Alexandra Southcott
• Email : alex.southcott@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07788185648

Recruitment team

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