Based in the Farming and Countryside Programme, you will coordinate across many teams to lead the delivery of high quality multi-disciplinary evidence and analysis to support the content development of the programme’s exciting Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. The role will involve leading the coordination and delivery of the evidence-base for decisions, and providing expert advice on how best to design, analyse and communicate impacts and risks to policy customers. This is a technical role that is both internally and externally facing. As part of this role, the post holder will work closely with other natural scientists, social scientists, data scientists, modellers, economists, and evaluators within the programme, as well as experts across Defra, our delivery partners, and our external stakeholders. The role will involve strong analytical leadership, co-ordination and influencing skills, to support with content development and delivery of our ELM schemes, ensuring decisions are informed by current scientific evidence. It will involve managing and delivering analytical projects at pace on a broad range of policy-relevant topics. Including, but is not limited to, appraising scheme offers by drawing upon analysis conducted by colleagues in ELM evidence and analysis teams e.g. value for money assessments; developing an understanding of evidence for relevant issues being considered by policy (e.g. compiling the evidence base around organic offers); developing an understanding of the implications of scheme content decisions; how land management actions need to be done to effectively deliver environmental outcomes. The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities: Lead and manage a portfolio of science content development projects aimed at enhancing the evidence-base for ELM schemes. Build strong working relationships with policy customers and be able to react quickly to customer needs. Lead analysis that is policy relevant by keeping up with and reacting to the latest policy thinking and emerging issues. Liaise effectively and collaboratively with other analysts to ensure the analytic products are inter-disciplinary and aligned with relevant work. Ensure that the analysis is interpreted and applied appropriately and accompanied with assurance statements. Ensure that analysis is appropriately engaged with and disseminated (within the team, directorate, across the Defra group and to external stakeholders, as required). Lead the scoping and commissioning of future content development projects and appropriate assessment and appraisal. Lead in undertaking evidence projects where natural science expertise is required to support specific elements of content development. This may include more substantive pieces as well as working at pace to deliver commissions to tight deadlines. Promote evidence-based policy across ELM through building positive and effective relationships with both internal colleagues within the division, across Defra, its arm’s length bodies, and external with stakeholders. Contribute to accessing the scientific research base and the best available data, as well as considering the impact of emerging issues and innovative technologies on scheme content development. Line manage natural scientists in a small team and work closely with a team of scientists in an adjacent Natural Science Strategy team and the supporting Economist team. Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme Disability Confident About Disability Confident A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .