Do you want to work for an organisation that values difference and includes everyone? Then the Environment Agency is the organisation for you! This is an exciting opportunity to shape and influence our approach to risk management.
In this influential role, you’ll work collaboratively with colleagues at all levels, providing expert advice and enabling teams to identify, assess, and manage risks with confidence and consistency.
Responsibilities
* Champion and maintain our Risk Management Framework, ensuring it aligns with HM Treasury’s Orange Book and meets organisational needs.
* Lead the rollout of consistent risk management processes across the organisation.
* Deliver an annual programme of activities to embed good risk practices and foster a proactive risk culture.
* Provide senior leaders with clear, insightful reporting to support strategic decision‑making.
* Build trusted relationships across teams, offering expert advice and constructive challenge.
* Collaborate with other functions (e.g. health & safety, programme management) to integrate risk management into everything we do.
* Coach and support team members, helping them grow and deliver with confidence.
Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be asked to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training will be available to support you with your incident role.
Team
Our Risk and Assurance Team sits in Strategy, Transformation and Assurance. We set the standards, shape the processes, and provide the tools that help teams make confident, informed decisions. From expert advice to engaging training and practical resources, we support colleagues at every level to manage risk in a way that’s consistent, effective and empowering.
Line Management
This is a technical leadership role and there may be an opportunity for line management in the future.
Essential Experience and Skills
* You will need to be an experienced technical leader who has an extensive understanding of risk management gained in a similar role.
* A comprehensive understanding of the Orange Book and risk management principles including risk governance and assurance.
* A proven track record of successfully implementing and embedding risk management initiatives through collaborative working and delivering through others across multiple teams.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience of providing expert risk advice and engaging with senior leaders on risk management matters.
* The ability to build strong, trusted relationships across all levels while challenging firmly and constructively.
* Experience working in a complex and fast‑paced environment, adapting quickly to changing circumstances and managing competing priorities.
Desirable Qualifications
* A risk management qualification or relevant professional membership (e.g. IRM Certified).
* Understanding of other risk‑based functions e.g. project/programme management, health and safety.
Contact & Additional Information
There is one permanent role available. This is a hybrid role; the successful candidate can be based at any Environment Agency office. Some travel will be required to attend national meetings, with some overnight stays. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share.
For questions relating to this role, contact Claire Sunshine (Claire.sunshine@environment-agency.gov.uk).
This vacancy closes on 7 November 2025. Interviews are expected to be held w/c 1 December using MS Teams. We will be holding a call for interested applicants on 23 October at 10:00 to provide more details – please contact riskandassurancepa@environment-agency.gov.uk for call details.
If you consent to be recruited onto a reserve list, we’ll hold your details for 6 months and we may offer you an alternative post.
Competence Assessment
Competence 1: Influences and Persuades Others
Influences and Persuades Others — presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.
Provide an example where you have won people over, encouraging them to willingly follow your plan. What were the challenges you faced, and how did you do this?
Competence 2: Focuses on Efficiency, Innovation and Quality
Focuses on Efficiency, Innovation and Quality — identifies and seizes the opportunity to create, introduce and implement new or improved methods, processes and without compromising quality or accuracy.
Describe a time where you identified, created and implemented a new, innovative way of working that improved efficiency.
Competence 3: Delivers Results Through Others
Delivers Results Through Others — harnesses the team to deliver results on time, to required standards and in line with organisational processes and procedures.
Describe a time when you have harnessed resources within and outside of your immediate team to deliver complex projects/pieces of work in the face of significant obstacles and challenges.
Competence 4: Communicates Effectively
Communicates Effectively — listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.
Describe an occasion where you have had to distil complex, technical information into clear messages for senior audiences so that they can make decisions.
Equal Opportunities & Diversity
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.
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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