Overview
The National Operations Manager (NOM) is a newly created, high-profile leadership role within the Environment Agency (EA). They will lead our National Operations Centre (NOC) and the nationwide incident response staff as they anticipate, assess, mitigate and respond to varied and complex incidents and risks, carrying out our statutory duties under the Civil Contingency Act 2004, adhering to Cabinet Office best practice.
Responsibilities
* Hold the responsibility for the Command, Control and Communications of our multi-disciplined incident response and the effective deployment of our mobile response assets. Translate strategic and tactical priorities into clear, outcome-focused objectives and provide briefings for senior leaders; including Government and partners to fulfil our public and environmental protective duties.
* Gather intelligence and develop situational awareness to provide the organisation with a deep understanding of threat, capability, strategy and political nuance. Direct investigative work, information analysis and intelligence development, and oversee the production of a suite of intelligence products, technical papers and risk assessments tailored for a variety of audiences (Executive Directors, partner organisations, Government/Ministers).
* Support the Executive Director of Operations with the management of operational risk, ensuring that the EA has a comprehensive understanding of the technical and political issues, and our cross-government coordination. The NOM will also be one of the EA’s single points of contact when there is a need to engage at high security classification levels, and will be required to be suitably vetted to represent the EA at Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR) meetings.
* Support the evolution of the National Operations Centre capabilities and embedding them in the business. They will also be responsible for delivering senior Incident Management & Resilience portfolios of work as directed.
Team and purpose
We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. You’ll be part of a team of six NOMs, reporting to an accountable Deputy Director within the Incident Management & Resilience Directorate alongside 400 colleagues.
Our purpose is to:
* Plan for changing risk: Make the biggest impact by being ready for the greatest risks
* Collaborate to inspire action through partnership: People take action to reduce the impact of incidents
* Respond to the climate emergency: Deal effectively with frequent and complex incidents.
Experience and skills
Essential Criteria
* Experience of incident management, leading/improving a fast paced operational delivery service, managing competing priorities, high user expectations, resource constraints.
* Analytical skills to evaluate data from various sources and to identify benefits/risks to make well considered judgements and decisions.
* Ability to communicate and influence effectively at all levels, translating strategic and tactical priorities into clear, outcome-focused objectives, and influencing culture and expectations of how teams will work.
* Represent the function in internal/external forums, including relevant meetings, committees, and panels.
* Practiced in inclusive leadership, actively and visibly role modelling values to drive a high-performing culture that delivers governance, assurance, risk management, productivity, and positive people outcomes.
* Experience of delivering successful change and achieving continuous improvements, working collaboratively with key stakeholders and building strong relationships.
Desirable Criteria
* Experience operating in confidential environments, handling sensitive intelligence.
Contact and additional information
Flexible hours are available through blended home/office working. Travel is required with occasional overnight stays, and attendance at our Bristol office. Shift working is required, including: earlies/lates/weekends/on-call.
How to apply
Please provide the following:
* An anonymised CV containing your job history and key achievements – maximum 3 pages.
* A Personal Statement concisely explaining your motivation for applying for this role and evidence how you meet the Essential Criteria and competencies: Leads People / Takes Decisions & Solves Problems / Influences & Persuades Others / Focuses on Efficiencies / Innovation & Quality – maximum 2 pages.
We will hold a briefing call on 15/09/2025. Interviews are in person in Bristol week commencing 13/10/2025. Further details are in the Additional NOM Information Pack. Any questions contact IMX@environment-agency.gov.uk
Role specific license requirements
* Recognised professional tactical or strategic incident management command trained, such as JESIP Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command Management (MAGIC) or equivalent
Role specific professional membership requirements
* Membership of a relevant professional institution, such as UK Resilience Academy, Emergency Planning College, CIWEM, ICE, Royal Geographical Society etc
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 in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.
We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.
We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls. Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
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