Senior Advisor - Future Agriculture - Environmental Land Management - 31666
The Environment Agency is committed to an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We seek diversity, embrace it, and live it for the benefit of staff, communities and the environment.
England is reforming agricultural policy and spending, moving from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. ELM schemes support farmers to provide public goods in return for public money, incentivising delivery of water, soil and biodiversity outcomes alongside food production. Working with Defra and delivery partners, you will help radically improve services to farmers. These reforms support a resilient, productive agriculture sector and align with the EA2030 strategy and government targets for water, the environment and climate. This role includes influencing the design and delivery of incentives within the broader response to government reviews focused on water quality, regulation and nature recovery.
The Environment Agency ELM team is seeking dynamic, strategic thinkers to inform and shape the future of ELM, particularly the delivery of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You will contribute to the delivery and continuous improvement of CSHT products for the Farming and Countryside Programme, through design and delivery enhancements.
You will provide advice in meetings, manage commissions, oversee programme milestones, identify risks and resource needs, and work across teams and organisations with senior leaders to articulate a scheme that delivers our outcomes.
The Team
The team sits within the Nature & Place Directorate, part of the National Agriculture and Land Team, working with government, statutory bodies and industry. We operate in an agile, fast-paced, flexible and collaborative environment, managing uncertainty to deliver clarity. We foster a welcoming, safe, supportive environment where everyone feels valued. We are a dispersed team and use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel.
Experience/Skills Required
The role represents our expertise to Defra, delivery bodies and the agriculture sector to achieve consistency and improved collaboration between organisations. Essential experience includes:
* Experience of Agriculture and working with Defra and other statutory bodies.
* Political awareness with excellent communication and networking skills.
* Understanding environmental sensitivities related to significant agricultural sector reform.
* Experience interpreting/evaluating evidence to propose risk-based solutions for challenging problems.
* Ability to prioritise and deliver complex work.
* Self-starter who actively develops and advances ideas.
Ideal Candidate Capabilities
* Get things done, including through others
* Embodies organisational culture
* Ensures information is trusted
* Cascades key information
* Builds relationships quickly
* Addresses challenging situations effectively
Capabilities
Shapes Organisational Approach & Delivery; Achieves Results; Seeing the Bigger Picture (Business of the EA); Focuses on Customers and Partners; Delivers Results Through Others.
Contact and Additional Information
You will have an incident management objective in your development plan; appropriate training will be provided. Your EA Office base location is noted, but as a national role the working location is flexible/hybrid in England. Some travel and overnight stays may be required. Please read the Candidate/Additional Information Pack for details. For more information contact:
* Kate Bayley: kate.bayley@environment-agency.gov.uk
* D-J Gent: dj.gent@environment-agency.gov.uk
Applications are assessed blind using your competency answers. Interviews are expected to be held via MS Teams two weeks after the closing date. If you consent to being held on a reserve list, we may keep your details for 6 months and offer an alternative post.
Competencies and Descriptions
Competence 1 — Shapes organisational approach & delivery: Informing and influencing Government Policy and agricultural scheme design and implementation. Provide examples of strategic work and alignment of priorities, targets and resources.
Competence 2 — Achieves Results: Prioritising and organising tasks and resources under uncertainty. Provide examples of prioritisation and timely delivery despite uncertainty.
Competence 3 — Focuses on Customers and Partners: Addressing internal and external customer needs. Provide examples of rapid, effective responses and managing expectations.
Competence 4 — Delivers Results Through Others: Harnessing a team to deliver on time and to required standards, following organisational processes.
Competence 5 — Seeing the Big Picture: Understanding and reacting to changing direction, goals and business needs of the Environment Agency. Explain implications of recent government reviews on water sector and regulatory reform.
Note: The Environment Agency is not part of HM Civil Service. Flexible working patterns are welcome, including job shares. We guarantee an interview to disabled applicants whose minimum criteria are met. For more information on government frameworks, see Crown Commercial Service guidance.
We are an employer committed to diversity and inclusion. If you are applying from Civil Service, local government or other bodies listed in relevant orders, please check your continuous service status with your HR team.
Senior/Principal roles in other locations may be listed for reference purposes only. The current posting refers to Wallingford, Oxfordshire/Reading, England, with hybrid options in England.
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