Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Co-ordinator - ( Ref : 6916 )

This position can be based at Crewe or Manchester

Our Role

Natural England is the Government’s adviser for the natural environment and the Nature regulator with a wide range of statutory duties and powers. We provide the evidence, expertise and advice to recover Nature and shape better places for people to live. We do this working through and with others.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

Our strategy is framed through four strategic outcomes. Each of these outcomes reinforces and amplifies the others, and together they address environmental, social and economic actions critical to thriving nature.

• Recovering Nature– Increased scale and quality of places where nature thrives.
• Building Better Places– Greener homes and infrastructure create healthier, more investable places, recognising we live better where nature thrives around us.
• Improving Health and Wellbeing– Build nature into everyday life so people can support, access and benefit from nature, wherever they live.
• Delivering Security through Nature– Nature helps us adapt to the threats of a changing climate and improves our national security, supporting more resilient food production, healthy soils, clean and plentiful water and clean air.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at:

Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK.

The Team

Catchment Sensitise Farming is a part of NE’s farm advice service and a partnership with DEFRA, the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission. CSF operates through a network of locally based farm advisers and partner organisations to deliver DEFRA’s EIP ambitious for Water Quality, air quality (ammonia) and sustainable water management through nature – based solutions. In additional, CSF works with farmers to help them make decision through the Agricultural Transition. We make a significant contribution to nature recovery through helping farmers to take environmental action.

The need for advice to help farmers and land managers has never been greater or more urgent. As a Delivery Co-ordinator (DCO) for CSF, you will have a key role in helping the team deliver support and advice to farmers, including advising on Agri-Environment schemes and supporting agreement holders to deliver more for nature recovery. The role is based in the Cheshire to Lancs area team

Job description

The purpose of this role is to support the delivery of Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) objectives by providing advice, coordination and project management support to help farmers and land managers deliver environmental improvements. The role contributes to nature recovery, water and air quality improvements, flood risk mitigation, net zero ambitions and wider carbon management. The role supports the delivery of advice programmes, Agri-environment schemes and capital grants, ensuring customers receive effective guidance and support.

As a Delivery Co-ordinator within Natural England, the role plays an important part in enabling the successful delivery of CSF and Natural England priorities. It works closely with national CSF Delivery Co-ordinators, local CSF advisers and partner organisations. The role provides key support through project coordination, customer engagement, grant administration and the application of relevant processes and regulations, helping agreement holders maximise environmental outcomes and contribute to local nature recovery.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

As a Natural England DCO, you will have an important project management role in enabling NE and CSF to deliver its core objectives around advice and capital grant approvals. You will develop knowledge and project management skills including scheme knowledge, customer service skills, the regulations and processes that underpin them, and how they come together to help farmers and land managers deliver public goods:

• Act as the first point of contact for CSF teams, potential Countryside Stewardship (CS) applicants, agents and other stakeholders.
• Manage the North West CSF Mailbox.
• Triage and assess technical requests for Capital Grants from farmers and agents across Cheshire to Lancs, recommending appropriate actions with support from CSF RBCs, Senior CSFOs and CSFOs, including requests for CSF approvals against relevant criteria.
• Explain the role of CSF within Countryside Stewardship, including farm prioritisation, the CSF scoring system and the application process managed by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
• Manage CSF Hub requests for advice and support.
• Functionally manage Assistant Delivery Co-ordinators (ADCOs) if required.
• Maintain, monitor and update the shared CSF spreadsheet for each RBC area.
• Provide applicants and agents with updates on progress, decisions and the reasons for those decisions.
• Assess and countersign, where appropriate, approvals completed on behalf of CSF by external suppliers appointed through ETAFF (Farm Advice Contracts), and forward outcomes to applicants and agents.
• Provide progress updates and reports as required for national Delivery Co-ordinator meetings.
• Support other CSF Delivery Co-ordinators as required and participate in national networks and workshops to ensure consistency of delivery across CSF areas.
• Contribute ideas and recommendations to improve customer service, efficiency and future ways of working.
• Attend relevant meetings and training to remain up to date with Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund (CSF) technical requirements, delivery issues and policy developments.
• Support wider CSF work as required, including occasional farm visits and site meetings.
• Support farmers and landowners to improve water quality, promote sustainable food production and agricultural transition, and deliver natural flood management outcomes.
• Take responsibility for personal health, safety and wellbeing in accordance with corporate guidance.
• Participate in a structured training programme to develop knowledge and skills within the role.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Excellent records management skills including use of computer databases and Excel.
• Good IT Skills including, Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams and SharePoint.
• Good communication skills (verbal and written) with the ability to use clear and appropriate language adapted to the audience.
• Good customer service.
• Awareness of Data Protection (GDPR) and its application.
• Basic knowledge of countryside stewardship schemes. Training can be given.
• Basic knowledge of ArcGIS or of using similar GIS software. Training can be given. An understanding of the role and remit of CSF and CS.
• A basic understanding of agriculture and the farming industry.

Benefits

At Natural England, we support a healthy work-life balance by offering full-time, part-time, and flexible working arrangements.

We provide excellent opportunities for career progression, training, and development tailored to your role. This includes ten days annually for personal learning and development, plus three additional days for volunteering.

You’ll receive a generous leave allowance of 25 days per year (pro rata), increasing by one day for each year of service up to 30 days (pro-rata), access to the Civil Service Pension scheme with a 28.97% employer contribution, and a range of benefits such as shopping discounts and a cycle-to-work scheme. Staff can also join the Civil Service Sport club for discounts on sports, leisure activities, and social events.

We are committed to fairness, equality, and inclusivity. Our employee-led diversity networks help foster a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

Locations

Natural England has adopted hybrid working – which means our staff work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England, and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographical area. Staff are expected to attend their associated office for 20% of their contractual hours.

Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work-related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office.

National team roles can be linked with any Natural England office while Area Team roles will be linked with an office in the relevant geographic area.

View a map of our office locations here: online map of Natural England office locations.

Pay

It is Natural England policy to employ at the entry point of the salary range.

Please note: Licensed visa sponsoring organisations are employers authorised by the government to recruit and sponsor overseas workers, enabling them to obtain the appropriate visa to work legally in the country. Natural England is NOT a licensed sponsorship employer.

As part of the Natural England’s application process, candidates are asked to confirm their right to work and remain in the UK. If a candidate says that they meet these requirements, ID is checked, a provisional offer of permanent employment is made and pre-employment eligibility checks commence. Only after these checks are candidates given firm offers of employment.

Natural England is unable to employ individuals who cannot provide the required evidence of their right to work.

How to Apply

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview. We now provide primary interview questions in advance for all formal recruitments.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process. Please be aware that we reserve the right for roles that receive a high volume of applications to initially sift applications for one competence only.

• Technical Skills and Knowledge
• Work Delivery
• Personal Effectiveness
• Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your Action.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency.

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all competencies as set out in the Job Description.

As with all roles in NE, these roles require office attendance of a minimum of 20% of the working time – one day per week for those who work full time, subject to any reasonable adjustments and/or existing contractual homeworking

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Description

• Good clerical and administrative skills, especially use of Microsoft Office. (Essential)
• Good communication skills both written and verbal. (Essential)
• Confidence in engaging with colleagues and external customers via the phone and e-mail. (Essential)
• An understanding of agriculture and the farming industry. (Essential)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description

• Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies and procedures. (Practitioner)
• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Practitioner)

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Personal Effectiveness Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience. (Basic)
• Respect the diverse needs and experience of other people, be inclusive in everything you do. (Basic)

Competence 4

Professional competency

Detail

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description

• Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and Natural England. (Practitioner)

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Please refer to Job Description

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.