Fertiliser Policy HEO

In the Defra group, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people’s lives. We are responsible for England’s environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards.

As a Policy Advisor, you will be part of a team who work with a range of both internal and external stakeholders. You will contribute towards the drafting of policy and strategy.

You will play an active role in shaping and delivering the Defra group’s priorities, working creatively and collaboratively with others to deliver excellent outcomes.

Defra’s profile has never been higher; our remit provides the opportunity for real influence. You will be building relationships with a variety of key stakeholders. Internally, these could include Directors and Ministers, as well as your counterparts in other teams. Externally, this could include industry bodies, non-governmental organisations and UK citizens.

Fertiliser Role

Fertiliser use directly supports an estimated 50% of globally produced edible protein. Fertilisers provide essential nutrients for crops. However, one of the biggest challenges of our time is reliance on energy intensive mineral fertiliser and over-use of all fertilisers which causes significant water, air and soil pollution, and impacts negatively on biodiversity and climate change. Rising gas prices and the Ukraine invasion have pushed up the price of mineral fertilisers and caused production to reduce, creating supply issues and increased financial pressure on farmers.

Defra’s Fertiliser Policy Team plays a key role in driving forward fertilisers policy to reduce these pressures as we seek to leave the environment in a better state than we found it within a generation.

The fertilisers team offers an exciting to opportunity to get involved in many different aspects of policy work, from stakeholder engagement to legislation drafting, and economic analysis leading to the delivery of effective and sustainable policy solutions.

Central to our work is a radical reform of UK fertiliser regulation. We are preparing to launch a major public consultation on proposals to update and streamline regulations for manufacturers and bring a wider range of new materials into scope, such as fertilisers from waste and products created from organic materials. The new proposals are designed to foster innovation in the sector, better support the circular economy and promote the recycling of nutrients whilst embedding new standards for contaminants in legislation.

The role involves supporting the team in keeping up with and developing policy solutions for the continual wider real world, legislative and policy changes happening in the UK and beyond. You will play a key role ensuring the internal and external fertiliser markets work effectively and ensure that product innovation is championed in line with delivering Defra’s environmental commitments. The role looks inwards at internal UK policy and regulation, and outwards at policy and regulation in Europe and beyond.

You will play a role in Defra’s work monitoring the ongoing volatile fertiliser supply and price issues that have arisen over the last few years. You will assist with driving forward cross-government initiatives to bolster resilience and support farmers. This is a high interest area with many moving parts.

Responsibilities include:

• Helping to ensure Defra has sufficient data (including assisting with the commissioning of new research and analysis) and interpreting the evidence to ensure there is a clear and consistent narrative around fertiliser supply and price
• Working with a range of internal and external stakeholders to build a shared understanding of the policy issues
• Helping to clarify policy issues as they arise, and with the identification and filling gaps in our knowledge around these through research
• Identifying possible options for government action and developing policy accordingly
• Helping to ensure there is effective evaluation of legislative and policy proposals, and that reporting is undertaken to ensure continuous improvement and better regulation
• Assisting with the development of regulation proposals, instructing lawyers, and the steering the legislative process through parliament for the policy team

Your work will include:

• Understanding a range of different policies and leading on selected policy areas
• Using evidence and expertise from within and outside Government, to help guide decisions about how policies are developed and delivered
• Supporting policy teams to brief Ministers and senior officials
• Planning and prioritising effectively to deliver high quality results to time
• The Defra group is dedicated to having a diverse workforce which represents people in our communities and an inclusive culture where everyone feels they can be their authentic self at work, belong in the organisation and can speak up to challenge others when needed. We want everyone to be able to contribute to the success of our organisation, regardless of your background

Essential Criteria

The following experience is essential to this post:

• You will have the ability to interpret complex data and understand how it relates to policy decisions
• You will have the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues at every level
• You will have experience of working across complex policy areas, identifying the key issues and risks
• You will be able to demonstrate evidence of communicating confidently and concisely with a range of audiences, both verbally and in written form
• You will have evidence of strong influencing skills and the ability to manage effective relationships with a range of groups, those within organisations you have worked with and also outside and with an interest
• You will have evidence of leadership with the ability to drive forward your own work area, demonstrate resilience in adapting to challenge, build relationships, influence and persuade others
• You will be able to show creative problem-solving skills and able to propose new solutions or different ways to approach challenges
• You will have evidence of planning and prioritising effectively to meet deadlines, able to remain effective to deliver results even when moving at pace
• You will have the ability to quickly respond to changing demands and priorities, with the confidence to take quick decisions often without comprising the quality of work

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

• 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%

Office attendance

Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed in this advert in order to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. Defra’s current policy is that no more than 40% of the working week should be spent at home, averaged over a month unless exceptional circumstances apply and/or the post-holder is a contractual home worker.

Job contact :

• Name : William Brown – Fertiliser Team Leader
• Email : william.brown@defra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk