Senior Advisor - Future Agriculture - Environmental Land Management - 31666
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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 our staff, our communities and our 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 water, soil and biodiversity outcomes alongside food production. Working with Defra and delivery partner colleagues, you will aim to improve our services to farmers. These reforms are essential to grow and maintain a resilient, productive agriculture sector, and to realise our EA2030 strategy and government targets for water, the environment and climate. This role will influence the design and delivery of incentives within the wider context of organisational responses to government reviews, which seek clean and plentiful water, greater economic growth and nature recovery through regulation.
The Environment Agency ELM team seeks dynamic, strategic thinkers to join us at the forefront of informing and shaping the future of ELM, particularly the delivery of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). Delivering key CSHT products for the Farming and Countryside Programme, your expertise will contribute to continuous improvement of the scheme through its design and delivery. You will provide advice in meetings, manage commissions, deliver and oversee Programme milestones, and identify future risks and resource requirements. You will work across a variety of teams and organisations, with senior leaders, to articulate a scheme that supports and delivers our outcomes.
The team The team sits within the Nature & Place Directorate, part of the National Agriculture and Land Team, working alongside colleagues in government, statutory bodies and industry. We work in an agile, fast-paced, flexible and collaborative environment, managing uncertainty to deliver clarity. We are passionate about our people and 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 will represent our expertise to Defra, delivery bodies and the agriculture sector to achieve consistency and to make our organisations work better together. Experience of Agriculture and working with Defra and other statutory bodies is essential. You are politically aware with excellent communication and networking skills. You understand the environmental sensitivities associated with significant agricultural sector reform. You have experience interpreting/evaluating evidence to propose effective risk-based solutions for challenging problems. You prioritise and deliver complex work. You are a self-starter who actively develops and takes ideas forward. Ideal candidates will show they can:
* get stuff done, including through others
* embody our culture
* make sure our information is trusted
* cascade key information
* build relationships quickly
* soothe troubled waters.
Relevant 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’ll have an incident management objective in your development plan. Appropriate training will be given. You’ll have an EA Office base location; however, as a national role, the working location is flexible/hybrid in England. We use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel; some travel/overnights will be required. Please read the Candidate/Additional Information Pack for information. For more information please contact:
* Kate Bayley: kate.bayley@environment-agency.gov.uk
* D-J Gent: dj.gent@environment-agency.gov.uk
Applications are blind assessed using competency questions. 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’ll hold your details for 6 months and may offer you an alternative post.
Competencies
1. Shapes organisational approach & delivery — Informing and influencing Government Policy and Agricultural scheme design and implementation. Provide an example of when you supported strategic work and aligned priorities, targets and resources.
2. Achieves Results — Prioritising and organising tasks and resources while working with uncertainty. Tell us about a time you prioritised and delivered results despite uncertainty.
3. Focuses on Customers and Partners — Addressing the needs of internal and external customers. Describe a rapid and effective response to a group of customers and how you engaged and managed expectations.
4. Delivers Results Through Others — Harnessing the team to deliver on time and to required standards.
5. Seeing the Big Picture — Understanding and reacting to changing direction, goals and business of the Environment Agency. Explain implications of recent government reviews on water sector and regulatory reform.
If you are applying from the Civil Service, note that the Environment Agency is not part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of appointment. We welcome flexible working patterns and include information on working arrangements on your application. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria. For more information on recruitment frameworks and how to become a supplier, please refer to Crown Commercial Service guidance.
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