Senior Advisor - Future Agriculture - Environmental Land Management - 31666

The Environment Agency is committed to an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We strive to embrace diversity for the benefit of our staff, our communities and our environment.

England is reforming agricultural policy and spending through Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. ELM schemes support farmers to provide public goods in return for public money, incentivising water, soil and biodiversity outcomes alongside food production. Working with Defra and delivery partners, you will aim to improve our services to farmers. These reforms support the EA2030 strategy and government targets for water, the environment and climate. The role includes influencing the design and delivery of incentives within the wider context of shaping our organisational response to government reviews that aim to achieve clean and plentiful water and greater economic growth and nature recovery through regulation.

The Environment Agency ELM team seeks dynamic, strategic thinkers to join us at the forefront of informing and shaping the future of ELM, particularly the delivery of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You will contribute to the delivery of key CSHT products for the Farming and Countryside Programme and drive continuous improvement in the scheme through its design and delivery. You will provide advisory input in meetings, manage commissions, oversee programme milestones, and identify future risks and resource requirements. You will work across multiple teams and organisations with senior leaders to articulate a scheme that supports outcomes.

Note: This role sits within the Nature & Place Directorate, part of the National Agriculture and Land Team, and is performed in an agile, fast-paced, flexible and collaborative environment. We are a dispersed team and use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel.

Experience / Skills Required

• Experience representing EA expertise to Defra, delivery bodies and the agriculture sector to achieve consistency and improve collaboration between organisations.
• Experience of Agriculture and working with Defra and other statutory bodies is essential.
• You are politically aware with excellent communication and networking skills.
• You understand the environmental sensitivities associated with significant agriculture sector reform.
• You have experience interpreting/evaluating evidence to propose effective risk-based solutions for challenging problems.
• You prioritise and deliver complex work and are a self-starter who actively develops and takes ideas forward.

Ideal candidates will show they can:

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

Capabilities

Shapes Organisational Approach & Delivery; Achieves Results; Seeing the Bigger Picture; 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 given. Your EA Office base location is flexible/hybrid within England.

We use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel; some travel/overnights will be required. Please read the Candidate/Additional Information Pack for information. For more information please contact:

• 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 consent to being held on a reserve list, we’ll hold your details for 6 months and may offer you an alternative post.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion We are fully committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome flexible working patterns for all vacancies, including job share. We also guarantee an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency is a Non-Departmental Public Body and uses Central Government frameworks and contracts for external recruitment. We are unable to engage with the market directly by post, email or phone calls. Details for becoming a Crown Commercial Service supplier are available at the government site.