Team Leader – Sussex and Kent (Ref: 5238)

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 Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing We are the Government’s advisor 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.

Our Team Leaders are vital to the smooth running of Natural England, providing leadership and support for team members, translating the overall priorities and direction into day-to-day work programmes for teams. Team Leaders support our people and strive to ensure a fulfilling work life and a heathy work/ life balance for all. As a Team Leader in the Sussex and Kent Team you will play an essential role in coaching and developing your team, helping people to further their careers and interests. Your role will include:

• Ensuring that everyone has a safe working environment, and that both mental and physical health are protected;
• Leading your team through periods of change;
• Offering leadership, guidance and support to ensure effective delivery of your team’s work
• Managing staff performance to ensure targets are met;
• Helping staff to find solutions to problems, encouraging creative thinking and seeking continual improvement;
• Ensuring Natural England’s Ways of Working are embedded into your team, and leading by example

Job description  

The Sussex and Kent Area Team sits over a wide geographic area and our work covers a significant range encompassing Local Nature Recovery, Connecting People with Nature, Greener Farming and Fisheries, Resilient Landscapes and Seas, National Nature Reserves and Sustainable Development.

You will be working alongside six other 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.  Close collaboration with your fellow team leaders is a key component of the role as this provides a strong support base for the cohort.

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.

Pay 

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

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.  This role can be based at either our Ashford or Worthing 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 the competencies below during the selection process:

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

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.

Next Steps

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 three 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

Leading & Managing People

• Develop an inclusive and trusting team environment that positively safeguards team members’ physical and mental wellbeing (practitioner)
• 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 (practitioner)

Competence 2  

Professional competency

Personal Effectiveness

• 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)

Competence 3  

Professional competency

Work Delivery

• 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)

• 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 : Juliet Melvin-Sparks
• Email : juliet.melvin-sparks@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07554 114988

Recruitment team

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