Senior Advisor - Future Agriculture - Environmental Land Management - 31666

The Environment Agency is committed to an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We seek diversity and strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and can contribute to our purpose of protecting and improving the environment.

England is undertaking significant reform of agricultural policy and spending, moving from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. ELM schemes incentivise farmers and land managers to deliver water, soil and biodiversity outcomes alongside food production, with public money supporting public goods. You will work with Defra and delivery partner colleagues to improve our services to farmers and shape the agency’s response to government reviews aimed at clean water, environmental targets and economic growth within regulation. This role will include influencing the design and delivery of incentives within the wider policy context and contributing to the EA2030 strategy.

The Environment Agency ELM team is seeking dynamic, strategic thinkers to inform and shape the future of ELM, particularly the delivery of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You will contribute to the design and delivery of CSHT products for the Farming and Countryside Programme and drive continuous improvement of the scheme.

You will provide advice in meetings, manage commissions, oversee programme milestones, identify risks and resource requirements, and work across teams and organisations with senior leaders to articulate a scheme that supports outcomes.

The team

The team sits within the Nature & Place Directorate, part of the National Agriculture and Land Team, working with government, statutory bodies and industry. We operate in an agile, fast-paced, flexible and collaborative environment, managing uncertainty to deliver clarity. We value our people and foster a welcoming, safe, supportive environment where everyone feels included. We are a dispersed team and use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel.

Experience/Skills Required

The role represents our expertise to Defra, delivery bodies and the agriculture sector to achieve consistency and improve collaboration. Essential experience includes working in agriculture and with Defra and other statutory bodies. You are politically aware with excellent communication and networking skills, understand environmental sensitivities related to major agricultural reforms, and can interpret/evaluate evidence to propose risk-based solutions for complex problems. You prioritise and deliver complex work and are a self-starter who develops ideas and takes them forward.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate the ability to:

• get things done, including through others
• embody our culture
• ensure information is trusted
• cascade key information
• build relationships quickly
• soothe troubled waters

Capabilities

Shapes Organisational Approach & Delivery • Achieves Results • Seeing the Bigger Picture (Business of the EA) • Focuses on Customers and Partners • Delivers Results Through Others

Contact and Additional Information

You’ll have an incident management objective in your development plan. Appropriate training will be provided. The EA base location is flexible/hybrid within England, with a national remit. Some travel/overnights will be required. Please read the Candidate/Additional Information Pack for more information. For contact, please email:

• Kate Bayley: kate.bayley@environment-agency.gov.uk
• D-J Gent: dj.gent@environment-agency.gov.uk

Applications are blind assessed using competency questions. Interviews are expected to be held via MS Teams two weeks after the closing date. If you are placed on a reserve list, we may hold your details for up to 6 months and may offer you an alternative post.

Competencies and Descriptions

1. Shapes organisational approach & delivery

   Informing and influencing Government Policy and Agricultural scheme design and implementation is a key part of this role. Please provide an example of when you have actively supported strategic work and aligned organisational priorities, targets and resources.

2. Achieves Results

   The role involves prioritising and organising tasks and resources while working with uncertainty. Please describe a time when you prioritised and organised work to deliver results under uncertainty.

3. Focuses on Customers and Partners

   Addressing the needs of internal and external customers. Provide an example of delivering a rapid and effective response to a group of customers and how you engaged and managed expectations.

4. Delivers Results Through Others

   Harnessing a team to deliver on time and to required standards. Describe a time you mobilised others to achieve results and what made it successful.

5. Seeing the big picture

   Understanding and reacting to changing direction, goals and business of the EA. Explain the implications of recent government reviews on the water sector and regulatory reform.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcome flexible working patterns, including job sharing. We guarantee an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria. If applying from the Civil Service, note the EA is not part of HM Civil Service. For continuous service considerations and redundancy, contact your HR Team if unsure of your status.

The Environment Agency is a Non-Departmental Public Body that uses Central Government frameworks for external recruitment. For information about becoming a supplier through the Crown Commercial Service, visit gov.uk.