Senior Advisor - Future Agriculture - Environmental Land Management - 31666

Overview

The Environment Agency seeks a Senior Advisor to influence the design and delivery of Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, with a focus on Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). This role supports policy, delivery with Defra and delivery partner colleagues, and drives continuous improvement in services to farmers as part of the EA2030 strategy and government targets for water, the environment and climate. The role includes shaping incentives within the wider context of government reviews and regulatory reform.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice in meetings, manage commissions, deliver and oversee programme milestones, and identify future risks and resource requirements. Work across a variety of teams and organisations, including senior leaders, to articulate a scheme that supports and delivers outcomes.
• Deliver and provide oversight of CSHT products for the Farming and Countryside Programme, contributing to continuous improvement of the scheme through its design and delivery.
• Inform and influence government policy and agricultural scheme design and implementation; support strategic work and align organisational priorities, targets and resources.
• Collaborate with Defra, delivery bodies and the agriculture sector to achieve consistency and improvement in how organisations work together.

Team & Environment

The team sits within the Nature & Place Directorate, part of the National Agriculture and Land Team. We work in an agile, fast-paced, flexible and collaborative environment, managing uncertainty to deliver clarity. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and use smart tools to stay connected, reducing travel.

Experience / Qualifications

• Experience of Agriculture and working with Defra and other statutory bodies is essential.
• Politically aware with excellent communication and networking skills.
• Understanding environmental sensitivities associated with significant agriculture sector reform.
• Experience interpreting/evaluating evidence to propose effective risk-based solutions for challenging problems.
• Ability to prioritise and deliver complex work; self-starter who actively develops and takes ideas forward.

Capabilities (Desirable)

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

Other Details

• Location: EA Office base, with flexible/hybrid working in England; some travel/overnights may be required.
• National role; incident management objective in development plan; appropriate training provided.
• We support flexible working patterns, including job share; guaranteed interview policy for applicants with a disability.
• We operate under government frameworks for external recruitment; for supplier opportunities, refer to Crown Commercial Service guidance.