Job Description
This is an exciting opportunity to lead, shape and deliver evidence and tools to embed a natural capital approach in the Environment Agency, helping to reverse the decline in nature and tackle the climate emergency. The role will focus on developing evidence and tools that enhance our understanding of natural assets and ecosystem services, enabling planning and decisions that support better environmental and socio-economic outcomes. This work will be undertaken as part of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme – Defra’s largest research and development programme; surveying England’s land, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems to produce a baseline assessment of our natural assets. As part of the Chief Scientist’s Group, you will also work across the organisation and with external partners, to develop, advocate for and translate natural capital evidence for operational delivery.
Responsibilities
* Use your knowledge of environmental science to work with technical specialists across many disciplines to develop evidence for the condition of natural assets, so that we can reliably understand their capacity to provide ecosystem services.
* Shape and lead projects that enable visualisation of, and access to, our natural capital evidence base.
* Implement robust and consistent data management to ensure natural capital evidence and indicators can be maintained, updated and communicated clearly across multiple policy and planning contexts.
* Use your excellent interpersonal skills to support colleagues and external partners to trial and embed natural capital evidence and tools into business processes that support a source-to-sea natural capital approach and share learning for continuous improvement.
Team
The Natural Capital and Evidence Synthesis team is friendly, collaborative and supportive. We lead the Environment Agency's work on natural capital – developing evidence and tools and helping embed their use in operational delivery. Our team is based in the Chief Scientist’s Group, which forms part of the national office. We help achieve our organisation’s vision to create better ways of delivering environmental outcomes through our evidence, expertise and innovation.
Experience and Skills Required
* Understanding of natural capital and its application to environmental management, or willingness to develop this from a background in a related discipline (e.g. freshwater, terrestrial or marine ecosystems, environmental economics, water management).
* Applied data and analysis skills including leading projects which develop evidence to shape operational practice.
* Knowledge of Environment Agency business and our partners.
* Strong relationship building and influencing skills with experience of shaping and delivering ideas collaboratively.
* Organised and flexible, with strong planning and project management skills.
* Problem solving, comfortable working with uncertainty, and experience of implementing innovative solutions.
* Excellent written and oral communication skills.
* Being inclusive and valuing diversity in its broadest sense.
Contact and additional information
We are fully committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications seeking flexible‑working patterns, but candidates must be available to attend our team meetings on Wednesdays. As a dispersed team we use hybrid‑working, meaning you will have an EA office base location, with flexibility to work elsewhere. We use digital platforms to engage customers and stay in contact with each other. Occasional travel to office hubs, such as Bristol and Birmingham, will be required. Short‑listing will be undertaken within 2 weeks of the closing date, with interviews to follow shortly after. A reserve list of unsuccessful candidates will be held for up to 6 months. To discuss the role further, please contact Stuart Rickards, Team Leader at stuart.rickards@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Length of contract
Up to 23 months
Competence 1: Scientific Knowledge
Please provide an example when you have gathered, critically assessed and interpreted evidence from a range of sources and across disciplines to inform a decision, policy, plan or recommendation.
Competence 2: Achieves Results
Please provide an example of how you have set and delivered high working standards, prioritising your tasks and resources to ensure a timely outcome.
Competence 3: Builds and Sustains Relationships
Please describe how you have built and maintained an effective and inclusive working relationship to deliver a specific outcome.
Competence 4: Takes Decisions and Solves Problems
Please describe how you have developed and implemented a piece of work that resulted in an improved policy or operational approach.
Legal and procedural statements
For applicants who are applying from the Civil Service or local government, please note the specific eligibility and continuous service provisions as described. We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. The Environment Agency, as a Non‑Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. We are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls. For support supplier information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know. Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Plagiarism may result in withdrawal of applications.
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