Strategy Senior Officer - Water (including Agricultural Reform) (Ref: 6798)

This is a Nationally based role

The Team

The post sits within the national Water, Coast and Pollution Team (WCP) in the Strategy Group. Through wide-ranging and cross-cutting work, we aim to deliver a healthy, resilient, and naturally functioning water environment at the heart of the Nature Recovery Network, delivered in partnership, valued by society. We do this through a range of work areas, including water sector reform, water company plans, natural flood management, engagement with EA’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management programme, land management schemes advice and support, diffuse water pollution, and river restoration.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

As Senior Officer, you will lead Natural England’s input into water-related projects and plans. We are looking for someone who can provide strong strategic leadership, both internally and externally. You will coordinate input from across the organisation, drawing on technical expertise to strengthen our advice and ensure it supports wider nature recovery goals. You will also contribute to briefings for senior leaders and represent Natural England in key discussions.

This is a fast-moving and evolving area of work, providing a great opportunity to demonstrate the value and influence of NE’s expertise. You will collaborate across Natural England’s programmes and teams, including those focused on Water, Floods, Biodiversity, the Nature Recovery Network, and Agri-Environment schemes to support integrated delivery. Strong partnership working and influencing skills will be essential, as will adaptability and willingness to change priorities as required.

You will be expected to:

• Provide technical leadership for at least one of the following:
• Agriculture regulatory reform in relation to water and soil health
• Role of agricultural advice and incentives to meet Environment Act Target
• Water Company Price Review process
• Water Resource Management Plans
• Regional water planning including River Basin Management Plan reform
• Reforming the water planning framework (water company plans)
• Provide technical advice on complex issues to operational teams, other Government departments and regulators around new legislation, mechanisms or policies that cut across the organisation’s business.
• Build, support, and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders to help Natural England develop, implement, and deliver key areas of strategy and policy and influence our delivery mechanisms.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of new programmes and pilots for the government to support implementation of major reforms aligned to our nature recovery ambitions.
• Participate in horizon scanning for emerging policy related issues and opportunities to guide future organisational priorities for delivery.
• Maintain project management tools and documents to ensure effective and timely work delivery.
• Be flexible and willing and able to adapt to new work priorities in the team as required.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience of working in freshwater environment policy or delivery. (Essential)
• Experience of water company strategic plans. (Essential)
• Knowledge of wider regulatory reform happening relating to water. (Essential)
• Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, with a focus on achieving NE’s aims. (Essential)
• Ability to use professional judgement, evidence, and a pragmatic risk-based approach to make decisions. (Essential)
• Understanding of wider water policy and planning context, e.g. River Basin Management Plans, Price Review, Water Framework Directive, Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy and ability to apply that to your work. (Desirable)
• Experience of agricultural regulations and advice and incentives to improve the water environment. (Desirable)
• Project management experience. (Desirable)
• Understanding of wider environmental policy, including (Desirable):
• Environment Act
• Farming Roadmap
• 25 Year Environment Plan
• Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP)
• Cunliffe Review

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:

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

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

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Experience of working in freshwater environment policy or delivery and/or agricultural regulation relating to water. (Essential)
• Working knowledge of policy and legislation relating to freshwater. (Essential)
• Understanding of regulatory reform in the water sector. (Desirable)

Work Delivery

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Expert)

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

• Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural England’s vision, mission and aims. (Practitioner)

Personal Effectiveness

• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Expert)
• Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience. (Practitioner)

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Description

• Experience of working in freshwater environment policy or delivery and/or agricultural regulation relating to water. (Essential)
• Working knowledge of policy and legislation relating to freshwater. (Essential)
• Understanding of regulatory reform in the water sector. (Desirable)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Expert)

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description

• Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural England’s vision, mission and aims. (Practitioner)

Competence 4

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Expert)
• Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience. (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 the Job Description

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