Overview
Do you have a good knowledge of agriculture in England and want to improve our natural environment? Would you like to be at the forefront of agricultural change? This is an exciting opportunity as we are recruiting officers to undertake regulatory inspections of farms focussing on priority catchments in Kent & South London Area.
Agricultural practices can cause significant and chronic pollution to our precious water environment. These can be caused by leaks of slurry and silage effluent, and other materials, stored and spread on farms.
We are looking for a dynamic individual, including new graduates, with experience and understanding of UK agriculture, to work with farmers to help increase their levels of compliance with existing environmental regulations. This will contribute to safeguarding and improving the future environment.
The Environment Agency values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community who wish to join a workforce which embraces difference and welcomes everyone.
Responsibilities
* carry out targeted farm inspections
* engage with farmers to influence them to change their practice, which may involve difficult conversations
* collect data and produce reports on findings
* be willing to undertake regulatory enforcement action when needed, including prosecutions and the serving of notices
* Many are transferrable skills and training will be provided.
Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract additional payment and full training and workplace adjustments will be available to support you with your incident role.
The team
As a member of the local agricultural regulation team, you will carry out targeted farm inspections in the catchments to help improve farmer behaviours with respect to their local environment. You will be part of a dispersed operational team that is integral to delivering real environmental improvements.
Experience/skills required
The following skills are desirable:
* experience of working with farmers on UK farms, the UK agriculture sector or regulation of a similar sector
* an understanding of the complexities and challenges of working UK farms
* excellent communication and influencing skills
* an ability to have challenging conversations
You must have:
* a full UK driving licence
* IT skills (e.g. Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel), be comfortable using an iPad and a laptop on a daily basis, and be capable of inputting inspection findings into databases
* a willingness to undertake enforcement action where necessary
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