Sustainable Development Senior Officer - ( Ref : 6508 )

Job summary

This position can be based at Eastleigh , London, Reading or Wallingford

Job description

Do you want to make a real difference, working in a high priority area, securing significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in and leading a team? If so, this role may interest you as an opportunity to create a better future for people and nature.

Natural England’s new Strategy includes making a shift from isolated interventions to nature recovery happening at scale, ensuring our efforts deliver lasting improvement across whole landscapes and seascapes. As part of this, our sustainable development work is helping build better places, and ensure nature is designed into development and investment plans from the outset to strengthen communities and benefit growth.

This role will contribute to Natural England’s sustainable development delivery, with a focus on securing nature recovery and long-term environmental benefits. The roles will need the flexibility to advise on local plans and spatial development strategies as well as high risk and high opportunity development cases. The work will include supporting the development of new strategic approaches to manage environmental pressures and building strong relationships with developers so that nature is planned in from the start to streamline development and reduce risk.

The Thames Solent area covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes), Hampshire, Isle of Wight, London, Oxfordshire and Surrey. We are the largest local delivery team in Natural England and are responsible for protecting the natural environment across an area of land and coast from the New Forest in the west, to London and Surrey in the east, including the Isle of Wight. This area contains a range of rare habitats which are critical for biodiversity for both the United Kingdom and Europe, With the proximity to centres of population, we have the opportunity to promote greater connection with nature for all the benefits it brings. Travel around this area will be required for the role.

Natural England has an important role in enabling local authorities and other plan-makers across Thames Solent Area Team to embed nature into a range of place-based plans, and you will be central to shaping strong partnerships to drive this ambition. Our Sustainable Development Senior Officers play a crucial part in this role by working together to lead Sustainable Development delivery in the team, providing technical advice and working with partners to identify opportunities to best deliver nature’s recovery.

We are seeking candidates whose strengths lie in collaboration, enjoy working with others and feel passionate about helping to shape improved outcomes for nature. You will work closely with colleagues across the business to maximise opportunities for nature and access to nature in a range of plans and strategies.

You will need to be flexible and opportunistic in the role Natural England plays and be responsive to the needs of our local partners. It’s a fantastic opportunity to use your previous experience and any transferable skills to help develop strategic approaches that ensure that people from a wide range of communities are able to experience the benefits of the natural environment.

Job description

The successful candidate will work alongside other senior staff in similar roles and the role and responsibilities will include:

• Providing a strategic lead for specific high risk, high opportunity casework, with a particular focus on Town and Country Planning Act development proposals. This will involve working closely with colleagues across the team, supporting others delivering technical advice, and drawing down national specialist input as required.
• Providing advice on spatial development strategies and working closely with local planning authorities on high priority local plans to manage risk, ensure nature is designed into development, and secure plan policies that support strong, long term environmental outcomes.
• Building partnerships with customers and stakeholders to resolve complex planning issues. Providing clear, pragmatic, evidence-based advice to developers and local planning authorities, seeking opportunities to maximising delivery through our discretionary advice service (DAS).
• Act as an account manager for Lead Environmental Regulator, managing relationships with developers and working with Defra and other Arm’s-Length Bodies (ALBs) e.g. Environment Agency, to provide joined up advice to developers and enable delivery of integrated outcomes for nature recovery and growth.
• Enabling developers to use tools such as Green Infrastructure standards, Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Delivery Plans (as these are developed) to secure planning approvals and gains for people and nature.
• Provide support to other sustainable development advisers within the team, including support at external and internal meetings, providing a steer on complex and challenging issues, and escalating risk through appropriate channels.
• Contributing to the broader leadership of the area team through active participation in cross-team groups and briefings to NE senior leadership and working with other Senior Officers within the wider area team to ensure consistency in advice delivery across all our work areas.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• The ability to see the big picture, so you can steer sustainable development work within the context of Natural England’s Strategy and help colleagues understand how their work relates to and supports this.

• The ability to build collaborative relationships with colleagues (both internally and externally) to help make things happen and deliver outcomes.

• The ability to direct, coach and support staff to deliver on sustainable development objectives.

• The ability to resolve problems and manage risks with good judgement and seek innovative solutions.

• Strong planning, prioritisation, and organisational ability to manage complex delivery areas with competing demands.

• Excellent written and oral communications skills.

• Robust and current knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance and how to apply and interpret it to NE’s activities and duties.

• Strong understanding of environmental protection in England and the legislation that underpins it.

• Demonstrable experience of UK ecology with a broad understanding of priority habitats and species.

Competencies

Competence 1

Professional competency

Detail

Technical Skills and Knowledge (STAR format not required)

Description

• Technical expertise and applied experience of the planning system to shape environmental solutions for designated sites, protected landscapes and species (Essential).
  • Technical expertise in and experience of planning mechanisms and their application for nature recovery – e.g. Habitats Regulations Assessments, Development Plan process, Sustainability Appraisals, Environmental Impact Assessments (or others). Ability to understand new planning processes and how they might be applied to enable the delivery of enhanced nature recovery (Essential).
  • Knowledge of how local authorities work, and/or basic ecological or land management knowledge, is also useful but not essential (Desirable).

Competence 2

Professional competency

Detail

Personal Effectiveness

Description

• Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience (Practitioner).
  • Make and explain objective decisions which combine your professional judgment and evidence (Expert).
  • Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and throughout your organisation and inspire others to act (Practitioner).

Competence 3

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 the organisation you represent (Practitioner).
  • Work proactively and collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to identify and secure opportunities to deliver gains for people and nature (Practitioner).

Competence 4

Professional competency

Detail

Work Delivery

Description

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

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Qualifications

Degree or professional qualification in Planning or another relevant discipline

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 : Hannah Taoka
• Email : Hannah.taoka@naturalengland.org.uk
• Telephone : 07825 272524

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/6508-6508-Sustainable-Development-Senior-Officer/en-GB

Attachments

DEF-001h - Candidate Pack Natural England v2.7 Opens in new window (docx, 634kB)