These positions can be based at the following locations:

Ashford (Kent) , Bridgwater , Bristol , Cambridge , Crewe , Eastleigh , Exeter , Kendal , Leeds , Lincoln , London, Manchester , Newcastle-upon-Tyne , Norwich , Nottingham , Penrith , Peterborough , Reading , Telford , Truro , Wallingford , Worcester , Worthing , York

The team

Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment?

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature.

The priority work Natural England is delivering includes:

• Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing

We are the Government’s advisor for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england

Job description

We have a wide variety of roles on offer. Here are some examples of the main types of role we have available:

• Working with teams who advise farmers on how to reduce pollution from their farms and increase their biodiversity
• Providing advice through the planning system to ensure habitats are protected and consider environmental opportunities of development activity
• Working in teams providing advice to landowners and the fishing industry on how to manage and improve the quality of protected habitats on land and at sea
• Providing advice through our wildlife licensing system to ensure valuable species are protected
• Working in our enquiries team as the first contact for public and partners seeking advice
• Working across Natural England to gather and analyse environmental and/ or business intelligence to support decision-making and governance

Some roles on offer can only be done from specific offices. This includes Area Team roles where you would be expected to be based in the team’s geographic area. Some National Team roles can be done from any NE office while some National Teams have ‘hubs’ where you would be expected to join the rest of the team in a specific office including at Worcester and Crewe offices.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Relevant experience
• Knowledge of Natural England’s role
• Experience and evidence of providing advice to customers and stakeholders
• Knowledge and experience of working within policy guidelines
• Experience of, and ability in, applying effective communication skills (verbal and written) in conveying complex and/or difficult messages to a variety of different audiences
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment delivering work within deadlines and contributing to team targets

Please specify your location preferences in the appropriate field on the application form

Benefits

Wherever possible Natural England accommodates requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their health and wellbeing.

Natural England provides excellent opportunities for career progression, training and development tailored to your role. From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. Everyone has 10 days to devote to personal learning and development, as well as an additional 3 days to volunteer.

You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us.

You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. You can also join the Civil Service Sport club which offer discounts on a range of sports and leisure opportunities as well as social events.

Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated.

We’re committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our Diversity Action Plan.

Locations

Natural England is adopting hybrid working – which means that our staff will work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographic area. Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office.

National team roles can be linked with any Natural England office while Area Team roles will be linked with an office in the relevant geographic area.

View a map of our office locations here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-england-office-locations

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.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process:

• Personal Effectiveness
• Work Delivery
• Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

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 doing so.

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

Next steps

Evaluation of applications will begin shortly after the closing date; however, this is a large recruitment campaign and timelines may be longer than usually expected. Candidates invited to interview will be notified by email in January 2023.

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. competencies as set out in the Job Description.

Successful candidates will be allocated roles in merit order based on scores achieved at interview and in accordance with location preferences, taking into account the work area to which successful candidates are most suited, wherever possible.

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and your organisation and inspire others to act (practitioner)
• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence (Practitioner)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (practitioner)
• Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies and procedures (basic)

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description

• Listen to and understand diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and the organisation you are representing (practitioner)

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job contact :

Name :
vacancies@naturalengland.org.uk
Email :
vacancies@naturalengland.org.uk

Recruitment team :

Email :
defra-recruitment-enquiries@gov.sscl.com