ODA and International Biodiversity Funds Deputy Director

This role is about continuing to increase the global impact of Defra’s development portfolio, maximising the impact of the UK aid budget that is managed by Defra, integrating it with other programming and leveraging it to deepen partnerships globally that will both tackle the global biodiversity crisis, and also reduce poverty and tackle inequality.

The postholder will continue to mature Defra’s systems, processes and programming and steward and oversee Defra's ODA portfolio – of approximately £345m over the SR period. They will ensure that programmes align with government priorities and deliver environmental outcomes and that Defra maximises the learning and the technical partnerships between international and domestic teams. They will also ensure effective financial management, risk management, assurance, accountability and results reporting is in place, drawing on their previous fraud and safeguarding knowledge and understanding.

The Deputy Director will guide the teams that oversee flagship biodiversity programmes, including the Darwin Initiative, Legacy Landscapes Fund and the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, ensuring effective delivery and continuous improvement to support local communities and locally-led conservation.

The role will also require a strong communicator with the ability to build strong partnerships across government and lead on ODA Spending Review negotiations. The Deputy Director will be confident to represent Defra externally, and to build partnerships with international organisations, donors, foundations and the private sector to leverage additional finance and scale impact.

The leadership challenge will be to both lead a multidisciplinary team of approximately 28 FTE and also provide professional oversight, learning and development and standard setting for the wider community of approximately 100 staff working on ODA programming and promoting an inclusive, high-performing culture.

Key responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Provide strategic leadership and oversight of Defra's international development portfolio. Ensure portfolio is aligned with government priorities, international commitments and environmental outcomes. Support collective leadership across Defra and Whitehall. Shape and influence cross-government approaches to international climate and nature finance
• Portfolio Governance and Assurance: Responsibility for stewardship and oversight of £345m ODA portfolio over the SR period. Ensure effective financial management, risk management, assurance and accountability arrangements in place. Lead engagement with Defra's Investment Committee. Drive continuous improvement, lesson learning, impact measurement and value-for-money across the portfolio. Oversee implementation of published results reporting.
• Programme Management: Accountable for flagship international biodiversity programmes: Darwin Initiative; Biodiverse Landscapes Fund; and Legacy Landscapes Fund. Ensure programmes deliver measurable environmental outcomes. Oversee programme adaptation, reform and responsible exit strategies if required. Promote innovation and evidence-based decision making.
• Cross-Government Influencing: Build strong partnerships and lead on ODA Spending Review negotiations. Shape the design and delivery of the UK's international climate finance portfolio to ensure that the nature portfolio remains visible and transparent.
• Partnership Development: Develop and maintain impactful relationships with delivery partners, multilateral organisations, philanthropic foundations, donors and the private sector to leverage additional finance and scale impact; ensure implementation of principles of inclusive nature action.
• Team Leadership: Lead a multidisciplinary team of approximately 28 FTE and provide professional oversight, learning and development and standard setting for the wider community of staff working on ODA programming (approximately 100 FTE). Build an inclusive, high-performing and psychologically safe culture, foster innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement. Champion equality, diversity and inclusion and ensure fair and effective people management.
• Budget and Resource Responsibility: Oversight of £125m annual ODA expenditure. Accountability for £28.9m of live programmes. Oversight of £20m of legacy investments.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

You will be assessed on the following behaviours throughout the selection process: Seeing the bigger picture, Developing self and others, Working Together, Changing and improving

Application Process

As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (no more than 1000 words) on how your relevant skills and experience meet the essential criteria. Completed applications must be submitted no later than the closing date of 23:55pm 14th October 2026.

Sift

A sift will be conducted against the key criteria in the essential criteria and will assess your experience. Applications will be assessed by the selection panel and shortlisted. (please note: feedback is not given at the shortlist stage)

Assessment - Staff Engagement Exercise

This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, it is designed to support the panel’s decision-making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity.

For further information regarding the assessments please visit - https://scs-assessments.co.uk/

Interviews

You will be asked to attend a panel interview, in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria for the role. As part of the interview, we may ask you to prepare and present a short presentation or undertake a practical desktop exercise. This will be confirmed in the interview invitation. We will also ask some strengths-based questions.

Interviews will be held face to face in 2, Marsham Street London.

Other Information

Please let us know what adjustments we can put in place to help you through the recruitment process if you are disabled.

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be offered similar roles across the department.

Defra Is committed to ‘name blind’ sifting. That means that identifying characteristics such as your name, gender, age, or address are removed from your application until after shortlisting for interview has taken place.

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