NE
Higher Officer - Protected Sites and Agri-Environment - ( Ref : 6876 )
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- United Kingdom
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East Midlands (England)
Job Summary
This position can be based at Lincoln or Nottingham
Job Description
The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region.
Job Description
Role Description Template for Formal External Recruitment
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.
Job Summary
This position can be based at Lincoln or Nottingham
Job Description
The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region.
Job Description
Role Description Template for Formal External Recruitment
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.
The Team
The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region. The advertised role sits in one of our integrated County Teams containing staff from a variety of functions and with a wide range of technical expertise.
The Role
Driving nature recovery through farm advice and protected sites management within the East Midlands Team. Achieving the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan objectives for nature recovery and the Environmental Improvement Plan targets are dependent on greener farming. Our team of advisers support farmers and other land managers build long-term capability to deliver nature recovery and associated environment benefits such as climate adaption, access, clean air and water.
As a Higher Officer, you will have a unique mix of knowledge and skills including an up-to-date understanding of conservation management, protected sites management, land management regulations and incentives that underpin them, and how they come together to help farmers and land managers deliver nature recovery. You will also be expert at bringing people together and building consensus to deliver nature-based solutions for the most challenging problems.
These skills and knowledge will enable you to provide high-quality advice for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications to famers and land managers on across the East Midlands. You will also provide regulation and advice for the management of protected sites.
Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities
Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - GOV.UK.
The Team
The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region. The advertised role sits in one of our integrated County Teams containing staff from a variety of functions and with a wide range of technical expertise.
The Role
Driving nature recovery through farm advice and protected sites management within the East Midlands Team. Achieving the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan objectives for nature recovery and the Environmental Improvement Plan targets are dependent on greener farming. Our team of advisers support farmers and other land managers build long-term capability to deliver nature recovery and associated environment benefits such as climate adaption, access, clean air and water.
As a Higher Officer, you will have a unique mix of knowledge and skills including an up-to-date understanding of conservation management, protected sites management, land management regulations and incentives that underpin them, and how they come together to help farmers and land managers deliver nature recovery. You will also be expert at bringing people together and building consensus to deliver nature-based solutions for the most challenging problems.
These skills and knowledge will enable you to provide high-quality advice for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications to famers and land managers on across the East Midlands. You will also provide regulation and advice for the management of protected sites.
Key Tasks/Principal Accountabilities
- Engage with farmers and other land managers to drive forward nature recovery, providing advice, signposting and encouragement regarding ongoing and new opportunities such as Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, Landscape Recovery scheme, Capital Grant schemes, England Woodland Creation Offer, Biodiversity Net Gain and Green Finance.
- Negotiate Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes, providing Pre-Application advice to applicants that seeks to maximise nature recovery and wider environmental benefits whilst also supporting sustainable food production.
- Regulate protected sites and advise land managers to support positive management of these special areas for nature.
- Where needed, draw in advice and specialist knowledge from other Team members to maximise nature recovery outcomes, including Catchment Sensitive Farming Advisers to secure water and air quality improvements.
- Undertake 1:1 site visits, events, and communications to engage with farmers, land managers and partners to improve environmental outcomes through farming practice.
- Work with partners and stakeholders to identify and deliver shared objectives.
- Support existing Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship agreement holders to maximise the environmental outcomes from their schemes.
- At least weekly attendance in the office to network with colleagues. Attendance at team training and other events across the East Midlands Team area.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
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.
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
Technical Skills And Knowledge
Name: Phil Hukin
E-mail: phil.hukin@naturalengland.org.uk
Tel: 07584 546825
Competencies
Competence 1
Professional competency
Detail
Technical Knowledge
Description
What do you think are the three most effective mechanisms to improve protected site status and why?
Competence 2
Professional competency
Detail
Personal Effectiveness
Description
Describe an occasion where you have had to implement a change to working practice. How did you manage this to minimise the impact of the change and maximise the benefit?
Competence 3
Professional competency
Detail
Work Delivery
Description
Describe a situation where you had competing priorities and restricted time to deliver. How did you manage this to achieve the best overall result?
Competence 4
Professional competency
Detail
Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas
Description
Describe a time when you have delivered a piece of work in partnership with another organisation. What factors did you consider and what approaches did you take?
The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region.
Description
Describe a time when you have delivered a piece of work in partnership with another organisation. What factors did you consider and what approaches did you take?
Person specification
Please Refer To Job Description
Licences
Driving Licence
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).
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.
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:
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 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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a 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 :
https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/vx/appcentre-7/brand-4/spa-1/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/8/opp/6876-6876-Higher-Officer-Protected-Sites-and-Agri-Environment/en-GB
- Experience of providing land management advice and being able to communicate effectively with landowners to deliver environmental outcomes alongside long-term sustainable food production/agricultural transition.
- Good level of agricultural knowledge and agri-environment schemes, particularly Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier.
- An understanding of what makes protected sites ecologically valuable and a working knowledge of how to manage sites for nature conservation.
- A broad understanding of priority habitat management, ideally with more detailed experience in either species rich grassland, wetlands, wood pasture or heathland.
- The ability to gain technical understanding and knowledge quickly over an agreed timetable is a key skill to demonstrate.
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 and Knowledge
- Personal Effectiveness
- Work Delivery
- Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas
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
Technical Skills And Knowledge
- A degree in agriculture, conservation, or equivalent degree and/or relevant experience. (Essential)
- Good ecological understanding to assess environmental opportunities on farm and understand how these relate to the priorities in the area to deliver effective nature recovery advice. (Essential)
- Experience of listening to and understanding a diverse range of partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and nature recovery. (Essential)
- Experience in nurturing trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver nature recovery and wider environmental outcomes. (Essential)
- 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)
- Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience. (Basic)
- Respect the diverse needs and experience of other people, be inclusive in everything you do. (Basic)
- Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines. (Practitioner)
- Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies, and procedures. (Practitioner)
- Understand and apply relevant policy, legislation, governance frameworks and strategies to your work. (Basic)
- Understand and use appropriate agri-environment schemes and other interventions to contribute to a healthy natural environment that benefits people and the economy. (Practitioner)
- Understand how natural processes, land/sea management and use impact the conservation and management of geodiversity, the marine and historic environments. (Practitioner)
- Understand the environmental value of designated sites and explain that to partners, stakeholders and customers. (Practitioner)
- Identify appropriate solutions for avoidance, mitigation, compensation of environmental impacts and meeting shared outcomes; and identify opportunities for enhancing the natural environment. (Practitioner)
Name: Phil Hukin
E-mail: phil.hukin@naturalengland.org.uk
Tel: 07584 546825
Competencies
Competence 1
Professional competency
Detail
Technical Knowledge
Description
What do you think are the three most effective mechanisms to improve protected site status and why?
Competence 2
Professional competency
Detail
Personal Effectiveness
Description
Describe an occasion where you have had to implement a change to working practice. How did you manage this to minimise the impact of the change and maximise the benefit?
Competence 3
Professional competency
Detail
Work Delivery
Description
Describe a situation where you had competing priorities and restricted time to deliver. How did you manage this to achieve the best overall result?
Competence 4
Professional competency
Detail
Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas
Description
Describe a time when you have delivered a piece of work in partnership with another organisation. What factors did you consider and what approaches did you take?
The East Midlands Area Team covers Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Lowland Derbyshire and the Peak District uplands. This covers a wide range of land use, ecologies and topography. There are also a number of urban centres in the region.
Description
Describe a time when you have delivered a piece of work in partnership with another organisation. What factors did you consider and what approaches did you take?
Person specification
Please Refer To Job Description
Licences
Driving Licence
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%
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.
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
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 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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a 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 : Phil Hukin
- Email : phil.hukin@naturalengland.org.uk
- Telephone : 07584 546825
- Email : defra-recruitment-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/vx/appcentre-7/brand-4/spa-1/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/8/opp/6876-6876-Higher-Officer-Protected-Sites-and-Agri-Environment/en-GB
