Job Description
Pay
Natural England are yet to finalise the details of the 2025 Pay Review. This will be backdated to July 2025, and this could involve a review of our current terms and conditions alongside increases to the advertised pay ranges. If there are any changes to what has been advertised the vacancy manager will be able to provide further details ahead of any offers being accepted.
Join us in shaping a future where nature and people thrive.
The Role
This is an exciting opportunity to lead on the oversight of casework risk management in operational delivery, providing the leadership and technical expertise needed to support the effective handling of our highest priority cases.
The role will be based in the Major Planning Casework Team (MPCT) in National Delivery. This multi-disciplinary team works on significant, large-scale, complex casework and strategic programmes, providing expert support and technical leadership to Area Teams and coordinating major infrastructure programmes. Its current portfolio of projects includes High Speed 2 (HS2), Sizewell C, East West Rail and RAPID and other HR/HO casework across England.
In this role, you will play a critical part in leading a consistent and strategic approach to risk management on major casework. You will have a clear understanding of the strategic and political context within which Natural England is operating and provide a focal point for organisational understanding of our highest priority cases. Your oversight of risk will enable you to support and challenge where the risk bar is set and how it is interpreted, promoting consistency and positive environmental outcomes.
You will provide the Operations input to the Defra Infrastructure Board, engaging with DEFRA and our Strategy and Area Teams. This includes identification of cases to bring to the Board, providing effective briefings for the Chief Officer in Operations. You will work with other statutory bodies, Natural England Area Teams and Defra to unlock progress on priority infrastructure projects, working flexibly to support different priority projects as they arise.
You will bring expertise across a range of disciplines and provide thought and functional leadership to the team members working with you. Working closely with MPCT's Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects Manager This will include overseeing the team's role in producing the monthly high risk casework report to Natural England's Executive Committee (NExCo) and Board, and the secretariat for the High Risk Casework Panel (HRCP).
You Will Take Periodic Reviews To Consider:
* Consistency of risk evaluation.
* Common threads (thematic and/or geographic).
* Prioritisation of risk, recognising that categories are broad.
* Gauging confidence that the right actions are in place.
You will work closely with multiple teams to track and actively support complex cases across the organisation. This will include supporting engagement with case team leads to assess and manage risk; identifying and bringing together the right people from across the organisation to coordinate their input at key decision stages such as legal challenges and examinations.
You will support the team in facilitating case conferences, convening cross-organisational working groups, securing timely legal and technical advice on priority casework, and developing effective stakeholder engagement/handling and communication plans.
Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities
* Provide a focal point for organisational understanding of our highest priority cases to support reporting to NEXCo, inform further prioritisation of the HR/HO pipeline, and ensure read across to Defra Infrastructure Board and other priority cases.
* Oversee the process of escalating risks of High Risk/High Opportunity (HR/HO), wildlife licensing and protected sites cases to NEXCo. Understand the risks and mitigation proposed and clearly communicate this. Deliver the monthly NEXCo report on these highest risk cases, commissioning requests for information, and writing and presenting the report.
* Ensure coordination with Defra Infrastructure Board, working with the NSIPs Manager and Strategy colleagues to secure the effective flow of cases through HRCP, and supporting Project Teams in implementing actions required by the Board.
* Build and maintain effective links with Legal, External Affairs, Regional and National Directors and Operations Deputy Directors to ensure the most complex cases are referred to NEXCo and Board.
* Provide summaries of risks and themes for senior leadership in Operations to support understanding of how NE's risk appetite is applied and the contribution complex cases make to delivering NE's Strategy.
* Take the lead, coordinating and driving forward delivery of the recommendations on improvements to risk identification, tracking, management and reporting of high-risk planning and species licensing casework.
* Oversight of the weekly High Risk Casework Panel (HRCP), providing advice to casework teams and reviewing Panel requests, draft papers and problem-solving issues as needed.
* Provide functional management to the Lead Advisers who manage the High-Risk Casework Panel (HRCP), supporting them in an annual review of HRCP tools and processes and the dissemination of casework lessons that can be shared across the organisation.
* Provide oversight and functional management of the Senior and Higher Officers project managing a number of complex protected sites and planning casework.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
* Strong understanding of casework management, risk and escalation, ideally including protected sites, protected species and planning (essential).
* Highly organised, with strong analytical skills with a proven track record of delivering complex work projects and/ or programmes to deadlines managing risks and dependencies, benefits realisation, resources & budget (essential).
* Strong people leadership skills, with the ability to functionally lead a multi-disciplinary & dispersed project team to deliver programme outcomes (essential).
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills - able to communicate complex concepts and analysis in a simple, straightforward, and honest way (essential).
* Excellent track record of partnership working, especially with other Government departments (essential).
Competencies
Technical Skills & Knowledge
* Relevant degree e.g. marine/planning/environmental assessment or equivalent level of applied experience (Essential).
* Understanding of Natural England's statutory remit and our role in planning, licensing and protected and landscapes (Essential).
* Experience of risk identification and management and working with senior leaders to achieve natural environment outcomes (Essential).
* Good working knowledge of planning system, and Environment Act requirements and policy and their application to major casework (Desirable).
* Experience of managing relationships with external partners and internal multi-disciplinary teams (Essential).
* Functional management experience (Desirable).
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).
* Identify appropriate solutions for avoidance, mitigation, compensation of environmental impacts and meeting shared outcomes; and identify opportunities for enhancing the natural environment (Expert).
Personal Effectiveness
* Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience (Expert).
* Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence (Expert).
* Share expertise and knowledge with people and networks so that you can develop together (Expert).
Putting People at the Heart of the Environment
* 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 Natural England (Expert).
Work Delivery
* Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (Expert).
Pay
Natural England are yet to finalise the details of the 2025 Pay Review. This will be backdated to July 2025, and this could involve a review of our current terms and conditions alongside increases to the advertised pay ranges. If there are any changes to what has been advertised the vacancy manager will be able to provide further details ahead of any offers being accepted.
Join us in shaping a future where nature and people thrive. Whether you're drawn to hands-on conservation or playing a vital part behind the scenes, your work at Natural England will support lasting benefits for the environment and society.