Director of Science

Job summary

As Director of Science, you will provide strategic, professional and operational leadership for science across Defra’s core department. You will lead the Science Directorate and sit at the heart of how Defra plans, commissions and uses evidence, ensuring science, research and monitoring are aligned to Defra priorities and are translated into advice that can be used in policy, regulation and operations.

You will lead and develop a senior leadership team, including the SCS1 Deputy CSA (Deputy Director, Central Science) and two other Deputy Directors, with direct accountability for the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme and Defra's new strategic monitoring programme. You will set clear direction, create the conditions for high performance, and ensure the directorate has the capability, resourcing and governance to deliver a complex portfolio that ranges from evidencing fast-moving policy decisions to de-risking the future.

You will drive a step change in how the Science Directorate operates, improving pace, prioritisation and clarity of accountability. You will streamline processes and enable teams to take ownership from start to finish while embedding scientific outputs into policy decisions. You will set expectations for what is appropriate, timely and fit for purpose, while protecting the quality and credibility required for ministerial submissions and high impact decisions.

You will steward significant research, evidence and monitoring investment. You will shape multiyear evidence plans; oversee commissioning routes; track delivery, risks and benefits; and ensure value for money through strong financial control and effective governance routes (including the Research and Development (R&D) Funding Committee and other senior boards). You will define and sustain a clear vision for what the Science Directorate provides to the department, and you will focus resource on the areas where science can have the greatest impact on outcomes.

You will strengthen scientific standards across Defra by embedding proportionate quality assurance, innovative methods, and ethical oversight, transparency, and reproducibility. You will ensure the directorate uses its tools effectively and consistently, learning from what works and simplifying routine products where appropriate, while maintaining full briefing standards when the context requires it.

Job description

You will work closely with peers across Science, Data and Analysis (SDA) and with policy and operational Director General (DG) groups to align evidence planning to Defra outcomes and priority risks. You will support and connect embedded science teams, and you will improve how teams collaborate across the directorate so that expertise and capacity can be deployed quickly in priority areas.

You will act as a conduit for external scientific expertise, building and sustaining strong relationships with academia, UKRI and other funders, Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs), delivery bodies, regulators and other government departments. You will ensure Defra can convene and use expert input effectively including where evidence is contested or uncertain, and you will strengthen how external insight is integrated into Defra’s evidence base.

A key part of the role is enabling Defra to respond at pace to emerging priorities, incidents, and crises (for example, biosecurity events, extreme weather, environmental incidents or urgent ministerial requests). You will ensure the Science Directorate can provide rapid scientific surge across diverse topics, convene expert advice, and coordinate evidence and data mobilisation, balancing pace with rigour and clear communication of uncertainty.

You will champion agile delivery where it adds value, including sprint-based approaches, iterative review and learning from experimentation. You will lead a supportive, inclusive culture and take wellbeing seriously in planning and delivery.

You will contribute to the SDA DG senior leadership team, chair and attend strategic boards, and represent Defra externally across the wider Government Science & Engineering profession and evidence system. You will also deputise for the SDA DG when required.

* The post is full-time (job share considered) The level of security clearance required for this role is DV (candidates may be SC cleared with a view to working toward this when in post). More information about the vetting process can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

We are looking for an experienced science leader with a strong research background and a track record of working with diverse stakeholders to join Defra’s Science, Data and Analysis Group as Director of Science (SCS2). You will lead the Science Directorate and act as the department’s integrator of scientific evidence, research investment and monitoring to support Defra priorities.

Reporting to the Director General/Chief Scientific Adviser, you will ensure Ministers and Executive Committee (ExCo) have high quality, timely and defensible scientific advice that supports delivery across environment, climate, food, and biosecurity. You will lead a significant transformation to strengthen Defra’s science system, with clearer outcomes-focused priorities, faster mobilisation of evidence, and stronger visibility of science in senior decision making. You will also lead the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme and strategic monitoring.

This is a high impact role for a credible, collaborative leader who can shape strategy, lead transformation, manage major programmes and budgets across the breadth of Defra's sectors, and build scientific capability across Defra and the Government Science and Engineering profession.

Person specification

Qualifications Required

A PhD (or equivalent level of expertise gained through research and/or innovation).

Essential criteria:

Proven experience of leading science, research or evidence at organisational or cross‑system level in a public or regulated context. This includes:

Strategic leadership: setting direction for science and evidence, aligning investment, commissioning and capability to organisational priorities, risks and long‑term outcomes.

Senior judgement and advice: translating complex or contested science into clear, timely and defensible advice for senior decision‑makers, with a strong understanding of accountability, scrutiny and trust.

Delivery and assurance: strengthening how science is commissioned, governed and assured, while enabling innovation and agile ways of working to improve impact.

People and capability leadership: leading and developing senior leaders and specialists, building inclusive, high‑performing teams and organisational capability.

System leadership: operating credibly at the most senior level, collaborating across boundaries, stewarding significant investment and leading major change.

Qualifications

A PhD (or equivalent level of expertise gained through research and/or innovation).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £123,500, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £35,777 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 employer contribution of 28.97%

Office Attendance

Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application Process

To apply for this post please follow the online application process which includes submitting the following documents no later than 23:55 on 8th June 2026.

1.A CV (no longer than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

2.A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provides evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Applications will be sifted on CV and statement of suitability. Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer.

Selection Process

Elizabeth Hambley will be the Civil Service Commissioner and will chair the process and selection panel. The Civil Service Commission has two primary functions:

• Providing assurance that selection for appointments to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. For the most senior posts in the Civil Service, the Commission discharges its responsibilities directly by overseeing the recruitment process and by a commissioner chairing the selection panel.
• Hearing and determining appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code which sets out the Civil Service values, Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty and forms part of the relationship between civil servants and their employer.

More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website. www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/

Other Panel Members Will Include:

• Anjali Goswami, Director General and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Rowland Kao, Chair of the Science Advisory Council at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Tim Dafforn, Director General and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Ministry of Defence

Initial Application Process

During the application process you will have an opportunity to join a drop in lunch time session on Wednesday 20thMay at 13.00pm via MS Teams. To join the meeting at this time, please click the link here

This briefing session will provide a chance for you to learn more about the role and ask any questions.

Shortlisting Process

The panel will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

A sift will be conducted against the key criteria in the Person Specification and will assess your skills and experience. Please ensure you keep this in mind when writing your CV and supporting statement. Applications will be assessed by the selection panel and shortlisted. (please note: feedback is not given at the shortlist stage)

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which a decision is expected to be made, and all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Staff Engagement Exercise

This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, it is designed to support the panel’s decision-making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity.

For further information regarding the assessments please visit - https://scs-assessments.co.uk/

Interviews

You will be asked to attend a panel interview, in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria for the role. As part of the interview, we may ask you to prepare and present a short presentation or undertake a practical desktop exercise. This will be confirmed in the interview invitation.

Interviews will be held in person at 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF.

Other Information

Please let us know what adjustments we can put in place to help you through the recruitment process if you are disabled.

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be offered similar roles across the department.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

Director of Science Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1335kB)DEFRA - Accessibility Pack Director of Science Opens in new window (docx, 1794kB)