Environment Agency, Director of Operations South/South West

Job summary

This post is an Environment Agency post at EA Grade Director and at EA salary £100,000. It is not a post at Civil Service Pay Band 2 as indicated on the left -hand side bar of this advert. Further confirmation of the EA grade and terms and conditions can be found in the attached candidate packThis is a vacancy working for the Environment Agency, part of Defra Group. EA are not Civil Servants so terms will reflect that. Anyone moving from the Civil Service will lose their CS terms and benefits starting new employment with the EA

Job description

We are looking for an exceptional leader who wants to help protect and improve the environment while shaping outcomes that matter to communities, businesses and nature.

You will be a key player in helping us realise our 2030 vision for the environment across England – a place where air, land, and water systems are valued and sustainable, contributing positively to people, nature, and business. You will play a leading role in helping communities become more resilient, enabling sustainable growth, and protecting and improving the environment for future generations.

The Director of Operations, South and South West is responsible for 1,200 staff and significant budget. You will be responsible for setting direction, ensuring delivery and providing a strategic focus for the talented and purpose-led workforce across the South and South West hub. You will also be responsible for one of the national operational portfolios driving performance and assuring outcomes across the country.

You will be purpose-driven and customer-centric, engaging and serving our communities and partners with care. You will act with clarity, knowledge and conviction to ensure decisions are grounded in first-class evidence. You will be relentlessly efficient and effective at meeting performance targets, and adept at finding solutions to problems old and new through technology and change.

Key Responsibilities

• Working with elected leaders at a local and national level, up to Ministerial level.
• Driving better performance and management of the business, including productivity, innovation and transformation.
• Providing visible direction on the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, contractors and the public.
• Providing national leadership for delivery of your portfolio, working as ‘one team’ across the organisation. Directors are wholly accountable for decisions within their work areas, but this must be balanced with a proven ability to work closely and constructively with colleagues and to contribute to and promote shared decision making.
• Influencing our strategic direction to ensure achievement of our corporate strategy and environmental outcomes.
• Directors take a shared lead in managing national incidents and emergencies. Experience of crisis and emergency management, re-prioritising resources, working under pressure and at pace during national situations is preferable, but training will be provided.
• Building a vibrant culture in which all the Environment Agency’s staff feel valued and focused to achieve great things.
• Enabling our people to do more for the environment by evolving our culture, investing in capability and growth, valuing diversity and promoting wellbeing and inclusivity.

Person specification

We are seeking an exceptional senior leader with experience of leading at scale in a complex operational environment. You will have a strong track record of translating strategy into delivery through transformation, innovation and improved productivity, coupled with the ability to build high-performing, inclusive cultures where people can thrive.

You will bring outstanding judgement, resilience and political awareness, with the confidence to navigate complexity, balance competing stakeholder interests and make sound decisions under pressure. An exceptional communicator, you will be equally credible with frontline teams, senior executives, elected representatives and Ministers. Above all, you will be inspired by our purpose and motivated by the opportunity to deliver meaningful environmental outcomes for current and future generations.

Benefits

Substantial pension scheme, generous annual leave, with up to two days’ paid environmental outcome days each year, flexible working patterns to allow you to achieve a good work life balance, access to a number of employee networks and forums that support our employees and help us build an inclusive culture.

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

GatenbySanderson are managing this campaign on behalf of the Environment Agency. To apply for this post, please submit the following through the online link https://www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe129554.1/Director-of-Operations---South--South-West/

Candidates will have the opportunity to find out more about the roles at a virtual briefing session 10:00-10:45 on Tuesday 22 September. For an invitation, please email: ExecutiveDirectorOfLocalOperations@environment-agency.gov.uk

Closing date 23.59hrs 27 September 2026

Final panel assessments on Fri, 30 Oct 2026

For a confidential discussion to help inform your application, please contact our recruitment advisors at GatenbySanderson:

Rosanne Sarratt – Rosanne.Sarratt@gatenbysanderson.com

Olivia Robinson – Olivia.Robinson@gatenbysanderson.com

Julie Myers – Julie.Myers@gatenbysanderson.com

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 basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (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

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

Recruitment team

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