NRF Senior Officer in Evaluation & Monitoring - ( Ref : 6470 )

Job summary

This position is based Nationally

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

Job description

The Role

We’re looking for motivated team players to join a unique, high-profile cross-Government Funding Programme, the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF). You’ll be part of a fast paced, supportive and creative team committed to influencing policy that will help to deliver sustainable growth and meaningful nature recovery. This role is initially offered as a one-year fixed term appointment, however there may be a later opportunity for this role to be made permanent.

The NRF is designed to accelerate development while introducing innovative mechanisms that can extend significant and targeted environmental protection that drives nature’s recovery. It will offer a flexible, scalable approach to delivering environmental improvements where development impacts protected sites or species. Through Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), the NRF will identify strategic, landscape-scale conservation measures to ensure better outcomes for nature.

The pace is fast, the challenges are significant, and adaptability is key but the opportunity to contribute to this ambitious programme is hugely rewarding. We are a supportive and caring team that champions collaborative, agile working, bold ambition, and fresh, innovative thinking. If this sounds like the kind of environment you thrive in, we’d love to hear from you.

Key tasks:

• Support the Principal Officer in the design, implementation and management of a strategic Magenta Book compliant evaluation, monitoring and reporting programme to support the Nature Restoration Fund, including but not limited to:

• Apply strong analytical skills to analyse quantitative and qualitative data, triangulate findings, and use evidence to inform evaluation conclusions, recommendations and decision-making.
• Support engagement with policy and delivery teams and other analysts to ensure that evaluation meets their evidence needs and maximise the impact of the evaluation, making sure the evaluation programme is responsive to policy concerns, addressing key risks and is answering the most critical policy questions.
• Lead or support procurement processes to commission evaluation, monitoring or reporting services, including developing specifications, evaluation questions, ToC inputs, contract management requirements and quality expectations.
• Support internal and external stakeholder engagement in the evaluation, including setting up and managing appropriate governance structures, reporting progress to stakeholders, and ensuring stakeholder views are reflected in the evaluation.
• Contribute and learn from Natural England’s evaluation community, taking part in peer learning, sharing practice, and developing skills that support career growth within the evaluation and analytical profession.

Skills and knowledge

Essential:

• A thorough knowledge of evaluation methods and approaches, as set out in the Government’s Magenta Book, and how these might be applied in different contexts to deliver robust and impactful evidence.
• Demonstratable ability to develop and use Theory of Change models and use them to develop evaluation frameworks.
• Strong analytical and data skills, including quantitative and qualitative analysis and an ability to review and synthesise existing evidence
• Proven ability in supporting the delivery of complex evidence projects or programmes, including delivery design, procurement, contract specification and management
• Proven experience in ensuring the robustness, quality and impact of evidence to key initiatives and/or strategic, high-profile work areas.
• Effective interpersonal, verbal, and written skills, with experience of disseminating complex evaluation findings to a range of customers.
• Ability to work effectively with a range of policy and delivery colleagues and analysts at different levels in the organisation, in other governmental departments and external agencies.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, using clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage internal and external audiences.
• Good organisational skills and a strong track record of working in partnership.

Desirable

• An understanding of complexity and complexity-appropriate approaches to evaluation including systems thinking.
• A strong understanding of monitoring techniques including survey design and implementation
• An understanding of digital systems for monitoring and reporting

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, 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.

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:

Technical skills and knowledge

Personal Effectiveness

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Work Delivery

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 the 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

• Excellent understanding of evaluation principles as laid out in the HMT Magenta Book. (Essential)
  • Ability to develop Theory of Change independently or collaboratively (e.g. through facilitated workshops) and use this to develop evaluation frameworks, evaluation plans (e.g. for business cases) and service orders (evaluation procurement). (Essential)
  • Understand both Process and Impact evaluation, including appropriate methods and the data requirements to support effective evaluation. (Essential)
  • Strong analytical skills, covering both quantitative and qualitative analysis and an ability to review and synthesise existing evidence. (Essential)

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgement and evidence. (Expert)
  • Progress your personal development and take responsibility for keeping your knowledge and expertise current. (Practitioner)
  • Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience (Practitioner)

Competence 3

Professional competency

Detail

Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

Description

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

Competence 4

Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description

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

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,660, Natural England contributes £11,489 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%

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 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 : Liz Sopwith
• Email : liz.sopwith@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07824 759712

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/6470-6470-NRF-Senior-Officer-in-Evaluation-Monitoring/en-GB

Attachments

DEF-001h - Candidate Pack Natural England v2.5 Opens in new window (docx, 424kB)