Strategy & Government Relations Officer - 32590
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This high‑profile role requires organisational skills, political awareness, and the ability to influence and collaborate effectively to deliver outcomes that matter. This is an excellent opportunity to deepen your understanding of how arm’s‑length bodies work with government departments and ministers on policy and parliamentary matters and think ahead to devise strategies that meet tomorrow’s environmental challenges.
* Managing shared inboxes, tracking actions, and improving information flow.
* Supporting responses to parliamentary questions, ministerial or senior briefings.
* Delivering impactful engagement with external stakeholders.
* Monitoring trends, government and political activity, helping to share good intelligence across the organisation.
* Building and maintaining effective relationships across the Defra Group, including senior leadership.
* Supporting incident management activities.
* Strong attention to detail and ability to present information clearly and accurately.
* A flexible approach with the ability to deliver high‑quality work to tight deadlines.
* Resilience under pressure and confidence in knowing when to seek guidance and support.
* Experience in a customer‑facing or stakeholder engagement role, with a focus on building relationships and maintaining a positive reputation.
* Strong organisational skills, including effective management of knowledge and information.
* An understanding of parliamentary and government processes, or experience in stakeholder engagement (desirable but not essential).
Job Description
We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We don’t just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it, and live it — for the benefit of our staff, our communities, and our environment.
We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to join the Environment Agency’s Strategy Directorate. In this role, you will support the Agency’s strategic thinking and strengthen its reputation with Government, Parliament and key stakeholders. You will collaborate on issues including flood risk, climate adaptation, environmental protection, circular economy and water resources. The role demands strong delivery, quality assurance and customer service. You will also support the Agency’s emergency response, particularly during major flood incidents.
Key responsibilities may include:
* Coordinating and quality‑assuring responses to high‑profile requests, such as for ministerial correspondence.
* Managing shared inboxes, tracking actions, and improving information flow.
* Supporting responses to parliamentary questions, ministerial or senior briefings.
* Delivering impactful engagement with external stakeholders.
* Monitoring trends, government and political activity, sharing good intelligence across the organisation.
* Building and maintaining effective relationships across the Defra Group, including senior leadership.
* Supporting incident management activities.
Experience/skills Required
We are looking for a self‑motivated individual who is highly organised, adaptable and able to maintain high standards under pressure. You’ll have:
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Strong attention to detail and ability to present information clearly and accurately.
* A flexible approach with the ability to deliver high‑quality work to tight deadlines.
* Resilience under pressure and confidence in knowing when to seek guidance and support.
* Experience in a customer‑facing or stakeholder engagement role, with a focus on building relationships and maintaining a positive reputation.
* Strong organisational skills, including effective management of knowledge and information.
* An understanding of parliamentary and government processes, or experience in stakeholder engagement (desirable but not essential).
Contact and additional information
You’ll have an EA Office base location; as a national role the working location is flexible / hybrid, however some travel and overnight stays may be required.
For queries, contact eatalent@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Applications are “blind” assessed using competency question responses.
Interviews will be held via MS Teams from mid January.
This role includes incident response duties; please see the Candidate Information Pack for details.
Competence 1: Manages Self
Definition: Has full awareness of own strengths, weaknesses, impact and approach. Effectively organises self and takes personal responsibility for own role in the Environment Agency.
Question: Tell us about a time you personally organised a high‑volume workflow (e.g., tracking work, a shared inbox and high‑profile correspondence) to meet tight deadlines while maintaining quality. How did you prioritise, track actions, share intelligence with others, and improve the flow of information? What was the outcome?
Competence 2: Communicates Effectively
Definition: Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.
Question: Provide an example of where you had to communicate a complex message to a wide range of people in an innovative and engaging form.
Competence 3: Focuses on Customers and Partners
Definition: Addresses the needs of internal and external customers, provides rapid and effective responses.
Question: Describe a time when you had to manage multiple internal and external customers with competing priorities. How did you assess and prioritise their needs and manage expectations quickly and decide whether to involve senior colleagues? What was the outcome and what did you learn?
Application Guidelines
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant if appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants currently working in local government or other bodies covered by the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. Contact your own HR Team if unsure.
We welcome flexible working patterns for all vacancies, including job share. Please include any preferred working arrangements on your application.
We have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment.
Senior business and legal context
We are a Non‑Departmental Public Body, committed to providing value for money and utilising Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment. Direct engagement with the market via post, email or phone is not possible. For suppliers, see the Crown Commercial Service page for more information.
Artificial Intelligence Note
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however all examples and statements must be truthful, factually accurate and drawn directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism is identified (presenting ideas or experiences of others as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may face disciplinary action. Please review the Civil Service guidance on AI use for more information.
Seniority level
Associate
Employment type
Full‑time
Job function
Legal
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