Overview

We are seeking an Intelligence Research Officer to join National Environmental Crime Unit NECU in a dynamic part of the business. The Environment Agency’s ambition is to be an intelligence-led organisation so having the ability to manage intelligence professionally and in line with current guidance is essential to ensuring threat, risk and harm is appropriately assessed and managed. Environmental crime is a strategic priority, attracting high profile attention from the public, media, national and international stakeholders. This role provides an exciting opportunity to support investigations and help prioritise and drive forward interventions to remove unlawful operators from the waste regimes. You will help deliver our response to it by pro-actively developing and accessing intelligence from a range of sources to inform decision making and provide actionable intelligence products for our customers.

We are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for our vacancies, including job share, so please clearly include any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application. Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required 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 and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.

Any future recruitment will be taken from the reserve list. The team NECU supports the Environment Agency’s enforcement community which is spread across 14 geographical areas and a number of national services – tackling around 40,000 suspected and alleged offences each year. We help to protect and improve the environment by regulating industry, ensuring compliance, and eliminating illegal activities including Organised Crime Groups. You will be part of our Intelligence & Partnerships department, working with intelligence professionals, providing intelligence products and assessments to support colleagues.

Location is flexible and we are happy to support smarter ways of working through a mixture of home and office working; however travel to our Birmingham and Sheffield offices – where most of our staff are based – will be required on occasions. Interviews will be via Microsoft Teams and are expected to be in September 2025. The Environment Agency is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from groups under-represented across our workforce. Note that security vetting checks (SC and NPPV3) will be required.

For an informal discussion please contact vacancy manager pete.booth@environment-agency.gov.uk or sam.morrison@environment-agency.gov.uk

Responsibilities

• Develop and access intelligence from a range of sources to inform decision making and provide actionable intelligence products for customers.
• Support investigations and help prioritise and drive interventions to remove unlawful operators from waste regimes.
• Respond to incidents as part of an incident role and provide business continuity support when needed.
• Work within an intelligence-led environment to ensure threat, risk and harm are appropriately assessed and managed.
• Collaborate with the Environment Agency’s enforcement community across multiple regions and national services.

Qualifications and Experience

• Experience collecting and evaluating data from a wide variety of sources to produce or inform intelligence products; ability to interrogate IT systems and databases; enthusiasm and curiosity for finding information.
• Good communication skills with the ability to listen to others and transmit information effectively.
• Ability to represent the Environment Agency professionally with partners; use own initiative and adapt approach as needed.
• Skills in using standard IT packages; ability to retrieve information accurately; good teamwork and inclusivity; ability to juggle admin activities to support colleagues and customers.

Role Details

• Seniority level: Associate
• Employment type: Full-time
• Job function: Research, Analyst, and Information Technology

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and offer flexible working arrangements and a Guaranteed Interview Policy for applicants with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.