Higher Officer - Sussex and Kent (Farm Advice and Protected Sites) - ( Ref : 6809 )

Job summary

This position is based at Ashford (Kent) or Worthing

Job description

Join us in shaping a future where nature and people thrive. Whether you're drawn to hands-on conservation or playing a vital part behind the scenes, your work at Natural England will support lasting benefits for the environment and society.

Our Role

Natural England is the Government’s adviser for the natural environment and the Nature regulator with a wide range of statutory duties and powers. We provide the evidence, expertise and advice to recover Nature and shape better places for people to live. We do this working through and with others.

Strategic Outcomes for Nature

Our strategy is framed through four strategic outcomes. Each of these outcomes reinforces and amplifies the others, and together they address environmental, social and economic actions critical to thriving nature.

• Recovering Nature – Increased scale and quality of places where nature thrives.
• Building Better Places – Greener homes and infrastructure create healthier, more investable places, recognising we live better where nature thrives around us.
• Improving Health and Wellbeing – Build nature into everyday life so people can support, access and benefit from nature, wherever they live.
• Delivering Security through Nature – Nature helps us adapt to the threats of a changing climate and improves our national security, supporting more resilient food production, healthy soils, clean and plentiful water and clean air.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at

Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK.

Job description

Sussex & Kent Area Team are looking for 3 Higher Officer’s to push forward our nature recovery work. There are two roles within our farm advice and land management team, and one role within our protected sites team, which team the successful applicants will be placed in will be dependent on the applicants’ skills and experience. The principal aim of all three roles is to help our deliver against the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) commitment to ensure 50% of SSSI features are on track to achieve favourable condition by 2030. You will provide technical support and advice to farmers and land managers, combining habitat management expertise and stakeholder engagement skills, with a primary focus on delivery within Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

A higher office role in our Sussex & Kent’s farm advice team will primarily work to deliver Countryside Stewardship schemes by delivering clear, informed and trusted advice to farmers and land managers, enabling them to create and protect nature rich habitats. We focus on implementing plans and building partnerships around work that contributes most to Local Nature Recovery Strategies and wider Environmental Improvement Plan targets. By working with farmers, land managers and other partners, using the appropriate mix of advice, incentives and schemes, we are able to deliver environmental benefits across multiple holdings, and increasingly at a landscape scale.

A higher office role in our Sussex & Kent’s protected sites team will be focused on our SSSI Action of Track work which aims to ensure our SSSI features should have an action on track to achieve favourable condition by 2030 (with 32% delivered by March 2027). Favourable condition on SSSIs will be achieved through actions delivered by Natural England, landowners/managers and external partners, these actions include management plans, condition assessments, and utilising funding roots such as countryside stewardship.

Overall, there will be a strong steer to working closely with colleagues across work areas, as well as build relationship with land managers and partners organisations. You will help secure positive outcomes for protected sites and landscape-scale conservation across Sussex and Kent.

All roles will require regular car travel across Sussex and Kent.

Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities

• Undertake 1:1 site visits, events, and communications to engage with land managers & partners.
• Negotiate Agri-environment schemes to help maintain and improve the condition of protected sites and deliver nature recovery in the wider landscape.
• Apply technical knowledge and advice on delivery of protected sites casework.
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders to identify and deliver shared objectives.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Knowledge and understanding of farming systems and protected sites legislation.
• Habitat management skills in at least one habitat, with a broad knowledge of a wider range of habitats.
• Experience of working with individuals and partners to deliver positive outcomes.
• Knowledge and experience of driving and supporting people through change.
• An understanding of government agricultural land management schemes and their value in delivering nature recovery.
• Experience of delivering 1:1 advice as well as presenting to groups.
• A valid UK driver’s license and the ability to drive is essential for this role.

Benefits

At Natural England, we support a healthy work-life balance by offering full-time, part-time, and flexible working arrangements.

We provide excellent opportunities for career progression, training, and development tailored to your role. This includes ten days annually for personal learning and development, plus three additional days for volunteering.

You’ll receive a generous leave allowance of 25 days per year (pro rata), increasing by one day for each year of service up to 30 days (pro-rata), access to the Civil Service Pension scheme with a 28.97% employer contribution, and a range of benefits such as shopping discounts and a cycle-to-work scheme. Staff can also join the Civil Service Sport club for discounts on sports, leisure activities, and social events.

We are committed to fairness, equality, and inclusivity. Our employee-led diversity networks help foster a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

Locations

Natural England has adopted hybrid working – which means our staff 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 geographical area. Staff are expected to attend their associated office for 20% of their contractual hours.

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: online map of Natural England office locations

Pay

It is Natural England policy to employ at the entry point of the salary range.

Please note: Licensed visa sponsoring organisations are employers authorised by the government to recruit and sponsor overseas workers, enabling them to obtain the appropriate visa to work legally in the country. Natural England is NOT a licensed sponsorship employer.

As part of the Natural England’s application process, candidates are asked to confirm their right to work and remain in the UK. If a candidate says that they meet these requirements, ID is checked, a provisional offer of permanent employment is made and pre-employment eligibility checks commence. Only after these checks are candidates given firm offers of employment.

Natural England is unable to employ individuals who cannot provide the required evidence of their right to work.

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. We now provide primary interview questions in advance for all formal recruitments.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process. Please be aware that we reserve the right for roles that receive a high volume of applications to initially sift applications for one competence only.

• Technical Skills & Knowledge
• Putting People at the Heart of the Environment
• Work Delivery
• Personal Effectiveness

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 Action.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering a Technical Skills & Knowledge competency.

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

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 as set out in the Job Description.

As with all roles in NE, these roles require office attendance of a minimum of 20% of the working time – one day per week for those who work full time, subject to any reasonable adjustments and/or existing contractual homeworking.

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Description

• A degree in an environmental, geographical, scientific or related discipline, or equivalent skills and experience gained through work, volunteering or other activities. (Essential)
  • Must be well-organised, methodical and able to coordinate multiple owners/partners towards a common objective. (Essential)
  • A driving license. (Essential)
  • Habitat management skills in at least one habitat, with a broad knowledge of a wider range of habitats, in relation to Sussex and Kent. (Desirable)
  • Good level of agricultural knowledge and agri-environment schemes, such as Countryside Stewardship Scheme. (Desirable)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description

• Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and Natural England. (Practitioner)
  • Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural England’s vision, mission and aims. (Practitioner)

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Practitioner)

Competence 4

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Act with integrity, addressing challenging issues and managing conflict through being open and objective. (Practitioner)
  • Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Practitioner)

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,780, Natural England contributes £9,786 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 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%

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

Please refer to Job Description

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.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.

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

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Amy Austrin
• Email : amy.austrin@naturalengland.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defra-recruitment-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/vx/appcentre-7/brand-4/spa-1/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/8/opp/6809-6809-Higher-Officer-Sussex-and-Kent-Farm-Advice-and-Protected-Sites/en-GB

Attachments

DEF-001h - Candidate Pack Natural England v3.1 Opens in new window (docx, 550kB)